Practice started earlier than expected so I technically missed the opening portion of practice but there was still some takeaways from today.
Upbeat practice. No pads and no hitting means not too much exciting stuff happened so we’ll have to wait at least until next week for that.
We did, however, get to see a lot of reps from DJ Pumphrey and he looked just as smooth as you’d expect, both running and catching the ball. These next few practices will likely be the only time all fall we get to see DJ get reps and make plays (since there’s no contact). Out of the little reps the other running backs received, our observations: Chase Price was solid and healthy as ever. Rashaad Penny added a lot of weight and is now around 205-ish. Marcus Stamps is also bigger and nearing 220-ish. He didn’t get many reps but Juwan Washington, physically, looks more like Chase Price than I previously imagined. He’s obviously a shorter guy but he’s been in the weight room and is up to 188-pounds. Definitely get the feeling that he’s taking the idea of potentially playing as a freshman seriously based on the weight he’s put on (there's just so many guys in front of him right now). Want to see all these guys get reps next week.
At QB, none of them stood out much today. Chapman especially could have been better but none of them really separated themselves. (I think it was like every first day of camp - some guys come out guns ablazing, some guys need a few practices to get back to full speed.)I’ll come back here and edit my post once I rewatch the clips I shot, but I will say the completion rate today was decent.
At wide receiver, Lloyd Mills (who now wears No. 11) and Jabril Clewis look to be serious contenders for playing time. I’d say Clewis is now about 98 percent healthy. There’s still more I’d like to see from him but his overall receiver skills improve every time I see him. Worth noting Jemond Hazely did indeed change his No. to 4. Again, I’ll post more observations of the WRs once I rewatch the clips I took.
At tight end, it was pretty much the same deal you guys are used to reading about. Darryl Richardson is the best tight end after the catch, Daniel Brunskill is the best blocker with rapidly improving pass catching skills, and David Wells is a combination of the two - most solid overall at the position.
On the offensive line, you guys should be very excited about Will Tui. He was fantastic in one on ones. Along with his size and strength, his coordination and balance makes him look like a bigger Darrell Greene but as a freshman. Very good bend and flexibility too. I know it’s a long shot that he plays (or starts) this year, but if something were to happen, it’s very possible he can take over at right guard. He was the most impressive freshman I saw by far. Got some good clips of him too, you guys will see.
Rocky said the staff appealed to the NCAA to let LT Ryan Pope play this season but it was denied. Either way, I thought he looked good and has closed the gap between him and Kwayde Miller. Miller had a couple reps where he just got burned to the edge by speed guys like Alex Barrett (who looked very lean and good by the way). I think he’ll be fine once he gets back into the rhythm of things, like I mentioned earlier.
1st team o-line: Kwayde Miller, Nico Siragusa, Arthur Flores, Robert Craighead and Pearce Slater.
2nd team o-line: Ryan Pope, Antonio Rosales, Austin Maass, Will Tui, Joe Salcedo.
Robert Craighead added a lot of weight. He looks more like a lineman, not only because of his added size, but also because he is no No. 53 (was No. 94). Freshmen Daishawn Dixon and Pesi Savea were both watching practice in crutches. Both physically look pretty good and lean but are more around 6-foot-4 than their listed heights.
On the defensive line, like I mentioned earlier, Barrett looked very impressive at end. He’s always had a great get off and now he really gets to show it on the edge. Jordan Watson and Malcolm Jackson are easily the biggest linemen of the bunch, with Heyward being the more stout guy. Jon Sanchez has a little bit more quickness to him that I don't remember him having. I also think Julian Rochelin is slowly closing the gap on Dakota Turner. Turner is a solid d-end but he's not quite quick enough or strong enough to really be a starter-caliber pass rusher just yet (again, just based off the first day of practice) but I think he'll eventually get there, while Rochelin has a least one of those two necessary qualities with his quickness/athleticism.
At linebacker, it’s worth noting that Randy Ricks will start off at stand-up end. Both he and Austin Wyatt-Thayer are very long and athletic and should be contributors at some point this year. Also, Reggie Murphy is starting out at middle linebacker.
Out of the other newbies, Isaac Lessard is the bulkiest of the freshman, but definitely not as loose or as athletic as Lakalaka or Tezino. I thought Lakalaka was a little sloppy-footed but his quickness and reactions make me believe he will at least be a solid special team contributor (as soon as this season). As for Tezino, to switch things up, I was really impressed with his attentiveness during practice. He always focused in on what the coaches were telling him and hardly made any mistakes. Physically, he’s just about 6-foot-tall and bulky but he’s not stiff at all and runs very well. Very excited to see what he does with the pads on.
Fely's another guy you gotta see with pads on so today he didn't stand out much and still looked a little stiff.
Also worth noting that Jay Henderson has added a lot more muscle but still looks lean and loose in space. Could definitely see him beating out everyone else for the third LB spot.
At safety, LB Devante Davis is now backing up Na’Im McGee at the Aztec position, mostly for depth reasons. Malik Smith and Trey Lomax are still the starting warriors and I doubt anybody leaps them this fall. Smith in particular keeps getting bigger each time I see him and he’s a legit 190 now.
The second unit was Kendrick Mathis, Davis and Kameron Kelly.
Out of the freshman, Jeff Clay really impressed me with his speed and acceleration. I really think he could end up being the next Nat Berhe depending on how his man coverage skills improve moving forward (which is the huge difference between the two). Just a great athlete. Next to him were Ron smith and Parker Baldwin. Baldwin looks like another Lomax while Smith’s range and reactions are really impressive.
At corner, Dwayne Parchment is actually starting off with Tony White’s group, which makes sense considering how physical he is and that’s what SDSU looks for at CB. Damontae Kazee didn’t have his best day, Whittaker was his usual self and I thought Babiash and Romain made some nice plays on the ball.
Still a lot of stuff I need to go through (player/coach interviews and video) but will update this thread with everything from the first practice.
