SDSU will be wearing shells starting on Wednesday night so Tuesday’s practice was the last helmets-only requirement of fall camp and it was another competitive one.
-Christian Chapman had a relatively normal practice but had two major hiccups in 7v7s. On the first mishap, Randy Ricks dropped back into zone coverage and picked him off. TE Kahale Warring was running a wide open crossing route across the field but straight toward Ricks’ zone. Chapman kept his eyes on Warring and never identified Ricks, so his pass led straight to Ricks and all he had to do was make an athletic jump in the air for an easy pick-six.
Chapman’s generally very solid on the run during play action rollouts but he really forced a pass toward Warring again later in the practice. Dwayne Johnson was in perfect position to jump in front of Warring the whole way but Chapman still let it go instead of running out of bounds. Johnson did drop the interception though.
Other than that, Chapman still completes passes more frequently than anybody else on the roster.
-I still really like Chris Laviano’s ability to whip it out quickly with his release but his accuracy is very inconsistent. He throws some really pretty ropes but he’s iffy when it comes to leading his receivers and putting it in the best spot for them to have a chance.
-Ryan Agnew was much more comfortable on day two than day one but I’m wary of how he’ll perform when the pressure gets put on him during scrimmages.
-If you’re wondering about the freshmen, Mark Salazar has the tools you look for in a QB but his decision making will need to be coached up by Blane Morgan over the next few years. Trey Lomax nearly picked him off on a pass up the middle he had no business attempting.
Cam Roane hasn’t done too much so far but he reminds me of Chapman in terms of his poise and the spin he puts on the ball. He throws some very pretty passes and he also comes off as a strong leader on the field.
-Juwan Washington looking very good between the tackles and that’s a very good sign since he’s been considered a perimeter runner during his career. He made some good hard cuts while doing an OK job of continuing his momentum up the field.
-Chance Belll is a legitimate running back and will make a case to challenge Chase Jasmin for the third spot on the depth chart (if the coaches are willing to burn his redshirt). I love his speed coming through the hole. He’s not hesitant at all and has the ability to make quick cuts as well. Vision looks solid too. Definitely could add a lot of weight onto his frame at this point but Pumphrey was much smaller during his first year.
-On the o-line, I paid close attention to Daishawn Dixon at left guard and I still feel like there are better options to start this year (barring an injury or two). He is one of the strongest guys on the line but there are too many instances where he whiffs and doesn’t get his hands on any defenders. Sometimes he ends up in the way of the running backs. And when he pulls he gets to the block right at the line of scrimmage instead of closer to the second level to give the RBs a hole. Nick Gerhard/Keith Ismael (whoever doesn’t start at center) should still be the guy opposite of right guard Antonio Rosales in my opinion.
Zachary Thomas also got some reps at center but I’m not sure that’s the position he should end up at. He looks more comfortable at guard and tackle, especially with his pass blocking ability.
-As for Keith Ismael, he’s looked back to his usual self at center this far. His shoulder isn’t bothering him like it did in the spring so he’s not as stiff or upright. He’s getting out of his stance very very quickly after snapping the ball. He gets up the field quickly on screen passes and he was very clean in the run blocking drills. So far, so good.
-Ryan Pope looks like he’s doing a better job of reading late pressures and picking up blitzes from the defense. He’s not overly committing to double teams like he struggled with at times in the spring. Keeping his head more on a swivel for sure.
-I’m not sure about the full story with newbie Garrison Young but he’s been a surprise on the offensive line. It seems like he played at Carlsbad high, went to Saddleback College and then signed with Nevada this past spring. For some reason, he’s here at SDSU. And he’s pretty impressive. He moves his feet extremely well but he’s a little bit undersized. He’ll get better with time in Adam Hall’s program too.
-Kyle Spalding looks the part on the offensive line but he’s going to be a project player. He’ll need at last a year to get his steps and overall footwork down.
-Dakota Turner was very involved during run defense drills and I expect to hold onto to his starting spot. With Anthony Luke being set back with an injury and Myles Cheatum and Chibu Onyeukwu better suited to come in on passing downs, it just makes more sense to have a front three of Noble Hall, Sergio Phillips and Turner. They’re all big and tough and experienced.
-Freshman DL Mark Brown is lining up at DE even though on film I thought he would play nose. That said, he’s much quicker than I thought he was and he’s seems light on his feet.
-DE Miles Cheatum had a strong practice. He’s becoming one of the best linemen when it comes to shedding off of blocks quickly and getting to the ball.
-OLB Jay Henderson has always been known for his quickness as a pass rusher but he’s getting better and staying within himself and swatting down passes at the line now. That’s something Julian Rochelin was particular good at before he medically retired.
On to the skill guys….
-TE Darryl Richardson is playing like he’d start for several Mountain West schools if not for David Wells being in front of him on the depth chart. Now that his catching rate has went way up thanks to improved hands, he’s been able to show off what he can do after the catch - such as stopping on a dime and straight up outrunning DBs.
Richardson and Tim Wilson always impress me with their ability to make quick moves after the catch at their size, something the passing game desperately needed last season. Their top end speed is no joke either.
-I was high on WR/TE Shane Coleman coming out of high school because of his hands but he’s a really smooth runner too. He actually looks a lot like Kahale Warring at this stage. Very high upside.
-WR Quest Truxton has continued to dominate in one on ones, mostly matching up with Ron Smith and Trey Lomax. Truxton has had some really nasty double moves through two practices.
-I still believe in the fact that Parker Houston is going to take the conference by storm this year. He doesn’t look all that athletic when he’s running routes but he competes for every pass and has shown off great concentration and hands. Houston always seems to catch the DBs by surprise and even humble a few of the projected starters.
-I mentioned how Kahale Warring has a scary second gear for his size yesterday. Tim Wilson is another guy that can really turn on the afterburners when you least expect it. He got Jeff Clay (one of the fastest players on the entire team) to bite on an out-and-up route and smoked him down the sideline. That’s legit 6-4 speed.
-WR Isiah Macklin continues to look like a guy you’d expect to see exclusively on fade routes in the red zone. As long as the o-line and Chapman give him enough time to get downfield and into position, he’s going to bring down a few big gains during big moments.
-It’s crazy how Isiah Richardson and Ethan Dedeaux are two of the smallest guys in the 2017 class yet both have legitimate chances to contribute as true freshman. Both come off as very mature and focused.
-Walkon warrior safety Israel Cabrera had his second straight practice with an interception, this time jumping a bad pass thrown short by Agnew. Don't be surprised if he ends up starting during game one.
-There are a lot of times where I feel CB Kyree Woods is better than Ron Smith but then I have to consider the competition he is facing is a notch below and the fact that Smith has both a size and experience advantage. Woods is about two inches shorter so at times he can’t compete for jump balls against the taller guys but regardless, watching him in man to man coverage is a treat.
-War Dwayne Parchment continues to look like someone who should have a chance to start, especially if Trenton Thompson continues to be hampered by the hamstring problem. He continued to get his hand on passes throughout day 2 and he’s physically ready to see the field a lot this year.
-Freshman War Darren Hall is sporting the No. 23 jersey and he looks a lot like Damontae Kazee when it comes to how often he takes chances and guesses on routes. He guesses wrong much more often than Kazee did, but the instincts are definitely there. He also has similar recovering speed to Kazee when he does mess up at this stage.
-I’m generally starting to look at the Aztec position differently this days. Nat Berhe sort of spoiled everyone with his coverage skills mixed with his tackling/run stopping ability. The main three Aztec safeties now - Parker Baldwin, Dwayne Johnson, Will Stricklin - are definitely run first safeties and a work in progress as cover guys.
Baldwin is definitely better than the rest at staying with receivers and breaking on the ball but for the most part, the Aztecs don’t flip their hips as well as the rest of the DBs so they don’t do all that well during non-padded practices. They’ll perform much better when they’re able to play like the hybrid linebackers they really are.
-Christian Chapman had a relatively normal practice but had two major hiccups in 7v7s. On the first mishap, Randy Ricks dropped back into zone coverage and picked him off. TE Kahale Warring was running a wide open crossing route across the field but straight toward Ricks’ zone. Chapman kept his eyes on Warring and never identified Ricks, so his pass led straight to Ricks and all he had to do was make an athletic jump in the air for an easy pick-six.
Chapman’s generally very solid on the run during play action rollouts but he really forced a pass toward Warring again later in the practice. Dwayne Johnson was in perfect position to jump in front of Warring the whole way but Chapman still let it go instead of running out of bounds. Johnson did drop the interception though.
Other than that, Chapman still completes passes more frequently than anybody else on the roster.
-I still really like Chris Laviano’s ability to whip it out quickly with his release but his accuracy is very inconsistent. He throws some really pretty ropes but he’s iffy when it comes to leading his receivers and putting it in the best spot for them to have a chance.
-Ryan Agnew was much more comfortable on day two than day one but I’m wary of how he’ll perform when the pressure gets put on him during scrimmages.
-If you’re wondering about the freshmen, Mark Salazar has the tools you look for in a QB but his decision making will need to be coached up by Blane Morgan over the next few years. Trey Lomax nearly picked him off on a pass up the middle he had no business attempting.
Cam Roane hasn’t done too much so far but he reminds me of Chapman in terms of his poise and the spin he puts on the ball. He throws some very pretty passes and he also comes off as a strong leader on the field.
-Juwan Washington looking very good between the tackles and that’s a very good sign since he’s been considered a perimeter runner during his career. He made some good hard cuts while doing an OK job of continuing his momentum up the field.
-Chance Belll is a legitimate running back and will make a case to challenge Chase Jasmin for the third spot on the depth chart (if the coaches are willing to burn his redshirt). I love his speed coming through the hole. He’s not hesitant at all and has the ability to make quick cuts as well. Vision looks solid too. Definitely could add a lot of weight onto his frame at this point but Pumphrey was much smaller during his first year.
-On the o-line, I paid close attention to Daishawn Dixon at left guard and I still feel like there are better options to start this year (barring an injury or two). He is one of the strongest guys on the line but there are too many instances where he whiffs and doesn’t get his hands on any defenders. Sometimes he ends up in the way of the running backs. And when he pulls he gets to the block right at the line of scrimmage instead of closer to the second level to give the RBs a hole. Nick Gerhard/Keith Ismael (whoever doesn’t start at center) should still be the guy opposite of right guard Antonio Rosales in my opinion.
Zachary Thomas also got some reps at center but I’m not sure that’s the position he should end up at. He looks more comfortable at guard and tackle, especially with his pass blocking ability.
-As for Keith Ismael, he’s looked back to his usual self at center this far. His shoulder isn’t bothering him like it did in the spring so he’s not as stiff or upright. He’s getting out of his stance very very quickly after snapping the ball. He gets up the field quickly on screen passes and he was very clean in the run blocking drills. So far, so good.
-Ryan Pope looks like he’s doing a better job of reading late pressures and picking up blitzes from the defense. He’s not overly committing to double teams like he struggled with at times in the spring. Keeping his head more on a swivel for sure.
-I’m not sure about the full story with newbie Garrison Young but he’s been a surprise on the offensive line. It seems like he played at Carlsbad high, went to Saddleback College and then signed with Nevada this past spring. For some reason, he’s here at SDSU. And he’s pretty impressive. He moves his feet extremely well but he’s a little bit undersized. He’ll get better with time in Adam Hall’s program too.
-Kyle Spalding looks the part on the offensive line but he’s going to be a project player. He’ll need at last a year to get his steps and overall footwork down.
-Dakota Turner was very involved during run defense drills and I expect to hold onto to his starting spot. With Anthony Luke being set back with an injury and Myles Cheatum and Chibu Onyeukwu better suited to come in on passing downs, it just makes more sense to have a front three of Noble Hall, Sergio Phillips and Turner. They’re all big and tough and experienced.
-Freshman DL Mark Brown is lining up at DE even though on film I thought he would play nose. That said, he’s much quicker than I thought he was and he’s seems light on his feet.
-DE Miles Cheatum had a strong practice. He’s becoming one of the best linemen when it comes to shedding off of blocks quickly and getting to the ball.
-OLB Jay Henderson has always been known for his quickness as a pass rusher but he’s getting better and staying within himself and swatting down passes at the line now. That’s something Julian Rochelin was particular good at before he medically retired.
On to the skill guys….
-TE Darryl Richardson is playing like he’d start for several Mountain West schools if not for David Wells being in front of him on the depth chart. Now that his catching rate has went way up thanks to improved hands, he’s been able to show off what he can do after the catch - such as stopping on a dime and straight up outrunning DBs.
Richardson and Tim Wilson always impress me with their ability to make quick moves after the catch at their size, something the passing game desperately needed last season. Their top end speed is no joke either.
-I was high on WR/TE Shane Coleman coming out of high school because of his hands but he’s a really smooth runner too. He actually looks a lot like Kahale Warring at this stage. Very high upside.
-WR Quest Truxton has continued to dominate in one on ones, mostly matching up with Ron Smith and Trey Lomax. Truxton has had some really nasty double moves through two practices.
-I still believe in the fact that Parker Houston is going to take the conference by storm this year. He doesn’t look all that athletic when he’s running routes but he competes for every pass and has shown off great concentration and hands. Houston always seems to catch the DBs by surprise and even humble a few of the projected starters.
-I mentioned how Kahale Warring has a scary second gear for his size yesterday. Tim Wilson is another guy that can really turn on the afterburners when you least expect it. He got Jeff Clay (one of the fastest players on the entire team) to bite on an out-and-up route and smoked him down the sideline. That’s legit 6-4 speed.
-WR Isiah Macklin continues to look like a guy you’d expect to see exclusively on fade routes in the red zone. As long as the o-line and Chapman give him enough time to get downfield and into position, he’s going to bring down a few big gains during big moments.
-It’s crazy how Isiah Richardson and Ethan Dedeaux are two of the smallest guys in the 2017 class yet both have legitimate chances to contribute as true freshman. Both come off as very mature and focused.
-Walkon warrior safety Israel Cabrera had his second straight practice with an interception, this time jumping a bad pass thrown short by Agnew. Don't be surprised if he ends up starting during game one.
-There are a lot of times where I feel CB Kyree Woods is better than Ron Smith but then I have to consider the competition he is facing is a notch below and the fact that Smith has both a size and experience advantage. Woods is about two inches shorter so at times he can’t compete for jump balls against the taller guys but regardless, watching him in man to man coverage is a treat.
-War Dwayne Parchment continues to look like someone who should have a chance to start, especially if Trenton Thompson continues to be hampered by the hamstring problem. He continued to get his hand on passes throughout day 2 and he’s physically ready to see the field a lot this year.
-Freshman War Darren Hall is sporting the No. 23 jersey and he looks a lot like Damontae Kazee when it comes to how often he takes chances and guesses on routes. He guesses wrong much more often than Kazee did, but the instincts are definitely there. He also has similar recovering speed to Kazee when he does mess up at this stage.
-I’m generally starting to look at the Aztec position differently this days. Nat Berhe sort of spoiled everyone with his coverage skills mixed with his tackling/run stopping ability. The main three Aztec safeties now - Parker Baldwin, Dwayne Johnson, Will Stricklin - are definitely run first safeties and a work in progress as cover guys.
Baldwin is definitely better than the rest at staying with receivers and breaking on the ball but for the most part, the Aztecs don’t flip their hips as well as the rest of the DBs so they don’t do all that well during non-padded practices. They’ll perform much better when they’re able to play like the hybrid linebackers they really are.
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