Mods - Feel free to delete any or all of this if it breaks unwritten rules:
QB - Fancher is still the leader in the clubhouse and I'm not sure it's really even close. Having said that, I really liked what I saw from Parachek. I'd say come Sept. 2nd, he'll be the backup . The other redshirt freshman (Cunningham, Harrison, Pennington) looked like freshman - one or two plays that were crisp and then one or two plays where they looked like they didn't know what to do.
RB - Sans for maybe a couple of plays Ali was a non-participant (as should be expected). Turner looked like the best of the rest and broke off a 60 or 65 yard touchdown run. One thing that stood out was all of the backs were really finishing off the runs, even the smaller guys like Maurice Jones were lowering their shoulders to get that extra yard. Payne was out in a walking boot. A #36 got a lot of action but isn't on the roster so I'm not sure who that is?
WR - Besides Ali, Jayden Harrison might be our best offensive weapon this coming season (not sure if that's a good thing or not?) He was everywhere and looked very dynamic. Montgomery is good at certain things (screen game), ditto for Caleb McMillan (boundary throws), but we really need two or three guys to step up here. Keaton was a non-participant.
TE - First off, none of these guys are going to remind anyone of Greg Kellett or Lee Smith. Even the heavier guys like Soto really struggle as blockers. Looks like Payne is 1 and Sallis is 1A. Very similar body types and athleticism. They're going to be very handy in passing game (if we start using our tight ends again) but they're not going to be big factors in the run game unless they get more physical.
OL - The starting five were Driskell, Osburn, Holler, Slappy, and Willis from left to right. However, we played a lot of different guys a lot of snaps. We also had a few guys including Dalton Tucker out. Willis looks like an offensive tackle you would get at Florida State - long and agile - and appears to be an upgrade from Sartor but will have competition throughout the spring and summer from different guys. Jeremiah Orr is a big big dude. Our interior guys actually look good and deep (Tariq Montgomery would probably start for other schools in the conference) but I'm still concerned about the tackles.
DL - It looked like we had some vital pieces out (I didn't see Porter, Gibson, Coffman, Burton) so a little tough to tell here. At one point we had 215 pound CJ Miller playing over the tackle. From the ones who did play, Alston and Leggs were the two that stood out the most. Joe Murray also had a good practice intercepting Fancher for a pick 6 in 7-on-7 drills (yeah, you read that correctly) and getting in on a couple of sacks. Calomese is also going to be a good one. Gabe Elrod (transfer from Troy) is a bowling ball and very stout at the point of attack.
Did Chris Thomas and Tah Mac Bright switch numbers? Because the guy wearing #8 looked 230 pounds and the guy wearing #7 looked like a 290-300 pounder. If not, Chris Thomas is the most slimmed down 300 pounder I've ever seen...
LB - Neal was in shorts and a t-shirt and went through some of the position drills but that's it. J'Coryan Anderson and Marc Viechec were with the 1's (we mostly stayed in 4-2-5 the whole practice). We played a lot of backers but the one that made several splash plays was KeSean Brown (App St transfer). He was a lightening bolt and is going to be too good to keep off the field whether it be as an off the ball linebacker or as a rush end. He looks like a natural pass rusher. Jaden Yates was in with the 2's and is obviously going to be a good one. I'd say he'll end up playing this year and not just on special teams. If Bright is indeed #8, he looks a lot like Brandon Burns (for those that can remember back that far).
DB - Moten and Ibraheem look like guys you would see at Texas and Texas A&M, long and rangy with great hips. However, they both look like Freshman that need a lot of seasoning. One of them (I believe it was Moten?) already has a big club on his hand. JJ Roberts is as good as advertised. Daytione Smith looks like Nazeeh Johnson out there (that's a good thing). I didn't see Abraham or Kerrion Martin anywhere. Similar to the front 7, we played A LOT of different guys so it was tough to keep up with who was on the field on certain downs.
Special Teams - I could be wrong but it looked like Verhoff hit every field goal/PAT. Harrison looked good as a returner. I'm really worried about our punt team. McConnell has been around way too long to be kicking 35 yards from his own 25. We were 111th last year in net punting and I know it's extremely early (we don't have a game until 5 months from now) but we need to see some decent improvement here.
Side note - It was really neat seeing old (not that old) familiar faces on the sideline. Aaron Dobson was very active with the young receivers and looks to be involved with the special teams as well. Chapman was on the sideline counseling guys including the offensive lineman. I'm pretty sure Derricott was out there as well but I didn't catch him. Add in Ralph Street and Shannon Morrison and Mike Bartrum and we'd have a pretty darn good alumni team on the staff.
QB - Fancher is still the leader in the clubhouse and I'm not sure it's really even close. Having said that, I really liked what I saw from Parachek. I'd say come Sept. 2nd, he'll be the backup . The other redshirt freshman (Cunningham, Harrison, Pennington) looked like freshman - one or two plays that were crisp and then one or two plays where they looked like they didn't know what to do.
RB - Sans for maybe a couple of plays Ali was a non-participant (as should be expected). Turner looked like the best of the rest and broke off a 60 or 65 yard touchdown run. One thing that stood out was all of the backs were really finishing off the runs, even the smaller guys like Maurice Jones were lowering their shoulders to get that extra yard. Payne was out in a walking boot. A #36 got a lot of action but isn't on the roster so I'm not sure who that is?
WR - Besides Ali, Jayden Harrison might be our best offensive weapon this coming season (not sure if that's a good thing or not?) He was everywhere and looked very dynamic. Montgomery is good at certain things (screen game), ditto for Caleb McMillan (boundary throws), but we really need two or three guys to step up here. Keaton was a non-participant.
TE - First off, none of these guys are going to remind anyone of Greg Kellett or Lee Smith. Even the heavier guys like Soto really struggle as blockers. Looks like Payne is 1 and Sallis is 1A. Very similar body types and athleticism. They're going to be very handy in passing game (if we start using our tight ends again) but they're not going to be big factors in the run game unless they get more physical.
OL - The starting five were Driskell, Osburn, Holler, Slappy, and Willis from left to right. However, we played a lot of different guys a lot of snaps. We also had a few guys including Dalton Tucker out. Willis looks like an offensive tackle you would get at Florida State - long and agile - and appears to be an upgrade from Sartor but will have competition throughout the spring and summer from different guys. Jeremiah Orr is a big big dude. Our interior guys actually look good and deep (Tariq Montgomery would probably start for other schools in the conference) but I'm still concerned about the tackles.
DL - It looked like we had some vital pieces out (I didn't see Porter, Gibson, Coffman, Burton) so a little tough to tell here. At one point we had 215 pound CJ Miller playing over the tackle. From the ones who did play, Alston and Leggs were the two that stood out the most. Joe Murray also had a good practice intercepting Fancher for a pick 6 in 7-on-7 drills (yeah, you read that correctly) and getting in on a couple of sacks. Calomese is also going to be a good one. Gabe Elrod (transfer from Troy) is a bowling ball and very stout at the point of attack.
Did Chris Thomas and Tah Mac Bright switch numbers? Because the guy wearing #8 looked 230 pounds and the guy wearing #7 looked like a 290-300 pounder. If not, Chris Thomas is the most slimmed down 300 pounder I've ever seen...
LB - Neal was in shorts and a t-shirt and went through some of the position drills but that's it. J'Coryan Anderson and Marc Viechec were with the 1's (we mostly stayed in 4-2-5 the whole practice). We played a lot of backers but the one that made several splash plays was KeSean Brown (App St transfer). He was a lightening bolt and is going to be too good to keep off the field whether it be as an off the ball linebacker or as a rush end. He looks like a natural pass rusher. Jaden Yates was in with the 2's and is obviously going to be a good one. I'd say he'll end up playing this year and not just on special teams. If Bright is indeed #8, he looks a lot like Brandon Burns (for those that can remember back that far).
DB - Moten and Ibraheem look like guys you would see at Texas and Texas A&M, long and rangy with great hips. However, they both look like Freshman that need a lot of seasoning. One of them (I believe it was Moten?) already has a big club on his hand. JJ Roberts is as good as advertised. Daytione Smith looks like Nazeeh Johnson out there (that's a good thing). I didn't see Abraham or Kerrion Martin anywhere. Similar to the front 7, we played A LOT of different guys so it was tough to keep up with who was on the field on certain downs.
Special Teams - I could be wrong but it looked like Verhoff hit every field goal/PAT. Harrison looked good as a returner. I'm really worried about our punt team. McConnell has been around way too long to be kicking 35 yards from his own 25. We were 111th last year in net punting and I know it's extremely early (we don't have a game until 5 months from now) but we need to see some decent improvement here.
Side note - It was really neat seeing old (not that old) familiar faces on the sideline. Aaron Dobson was very active with the young receivers and looks to be involved with the special teams as well. Chapman was on the sideline counseling guys including the offensive lineman. I'm pretty sure Derricott was out there as well but I didn't catch him. Add in Ralph Street and Shannon Morrison and Mike Bartrum and we'd have a pretty darn good alumni team on the staff.
