Posting my notes today because I wanted to watch some of my video clips to review some things.
Rocky told me today that he'll let me at all the practices and I plan to do that, but I won't be able to report on certain practices that the media wasn't previously scheduled to watch.
On to Monday's practice. It was a little disappointing to once again see the team back in helmets-only (no pads), but I was told SDSU scrimmaged on Friday and practiced 120 total plays (slightly under 100 plays is usually the norm) so they wanted to keep it light on Monday. The team will have a light scrimmage Wednesday and a full one on Friday so that may be another reason why I didn't get to see full contact.
Because of this, it's once again hard to say much about the d-line, o-line, and LBs. From what I saw though, Ryan Pope has improved a lot in just a week, and so has Robert Craighead at guard. Craighead is built like a rock and already looks like a natural pass blocker. Austin Maass is far and away the most technically sound center. Kwayde Miller and Pearce Slater didn't have their best days in one on ones but give credit to the d-line, guys like Julian Rochelin, Noble Hall and Zach Brown. Julian Rochelin is still probably 25 pounds away from game weight but he's still a solid edge rusher. Micah Seau is still just a swing defensive end right now but a solid one.
I should also note that Coach Schmidt really seems to have command of this OL group. While it's a small group and more bodies will be added this fall, Schmidt's instructions are taken seriously and the players usually follow them correctly on the first try. I saw about 10 minutes of this up close yesterday and I can tell Schmidt has grown a lot as a coach over the last few years. He also deserves a lot of credit for his on the field product. It can only improve.
One thing I noticed about the quarterbacks is that basically every QB but Maxwell Smith runs up the middle of the field if there are no receivers open during their rep. When Smith can't find anybody, he extends the play by rolling out and usually is able to find somebody by then. He looks very comfortable throwing on the run but he's definitely not viewed as a guy who can scramble if needed, as shown by what the coaches are having him do during practices. They know what his strengths are and he's proving rep and rep again that he can make all the throws.
I'm not telling you guys to go out and start buying No. 17 jerseys, but Smith has been the most consistent quarterback out of the group. I'd actually say Christian Chapman and Smith throw the best catchable balls (especially on tough throws near the sideline) but Smith's completion rate on deep balls really sets him apart. Jake Rodrigues and Nick Bawden, in my opinion, are battling for that third spot in the rotation behind the two aforementioned QBs. I think Rodrigues still has timing and accuracy issues but those can be fixed with more reps with the receivers. Bawden still plays it a little too safe and conservative for my liking and he's missing out on some open downfield throws during reps, so I'd give Rodrigues the edge right now. I should also note that Bawden was a Toledo recruit through and through, for what it's worth.
I personally can't wait to see the QBs in live action scrimmages this week.
-Pierre Romain looks much more comfortable at corner and he made some nice plays yesterday. Kazee and Whittaker are easily the top guys in the group though. I don't think I've seen Whittaker make a bad play on the ball or get beat downfield all spring, honestly.
-WR Mikah Holder has clearly separated himself from the pack. He mossed Kendrick Mathis yesterday to haul in a very pretty pass by Maxwell Smith and made all the quarterbacks look good during one on ones. I know he wasn't too productive last year, but man, I truly believe he will be the next big thing.
-WRs Jabril Clewis and Chase Favreau are improving every time I watch them. Clewis still favors his knee a bit but he uses his size so well and runs very hard. I'd argue that he's the first 6-3-plus guy since Brice Butler that plays like a 6-3 plus guy on the field, albeit Christian Cumberlander is starting to show that now with consistency too. (Cumberlander actually made one of the tougher deep ball catches of practice yesteday.)
-Favreau has been one of the bigger surprises of spring camp and it's not looking like a fluke. There are times where I catch him headed to the wrong side of the field after the huddle breaks, and you can tell he's still learning the wide receiver position, but at least athletically, he's looking like the real deal. He's very, very fast and he looks much more natural cutting on his routes. He definitely has a chance to be a Lloyd Mills type receiver.
-Speaking of Mills, just to let you guys know where his head is at, he practically begged the training staff to clear him during the entire practice yesterday. He actually looked good doing footwork drills on the sidelines based off what I saw, but you can tell he still has some pain in his groin and I even spotted him limping a bit to the parking lot after practice. He thinks he can return during the last week of spring ball but knows he probably won't play in the spring game. I don't think Rocky will let him hit the field at all this spring though.
-Jemond Hazely needs to pick it up soon or else his chances in the fall won't look great. He hasn't stood out too much so far and he's running out of time. He'll have to prove himself during the upcoming scrimmages and the spring game if he wants to enter fall in good standing with Coach Cooper. Practically every other receiver on scholarship is playing at a higher level than him as of now.
-TEs: David Wells and Daniel Brunskill had average days and dropped a couple catchable balls. I'd argue Darryl Richardson beat them out on Monday, something he hasn't done in a long time (at practices I've attended). Adam Wood found Richardson wide open over the middle for one of the only touchdowns during 7on7, and Richardson also made the most acrobatic catch of the day during one on ones when he tipped a pass up over his head and changed his body direction to get it back into his chest with one hand while falling down.
-Trey Lomax and Na'Im Mcgee once again had standout days. Kameron Kelly and Fred Trevillion struggled but I will note that Kelly made one of the better plays of the day, diving to deflect a pass on a corner route. With Trevillion, he just needs to improve his backpedal, hip flexibility and become more of a natural turn&go guy. He did show a preview of what his athleticism can do when he ran alongside Chase Price up the middle of the field and got up to his highest point to deflect a pass (which could have easily been an over the shoulder touchdown catch for Price). Trevillion's vert is incredible, probably the best out of all the safeties.
-Something's been off about Billy Vaughn Jr. and I finally caught the problem today. His hands are keeping him from making a bunch of interceptions during practices these days. It's probably the main issue keeping him off the field with the first team as of now. He always looks the most uncomfortable (out of the CBs) hauling in passes during individual drills with Coach White. I think he's one of the top cover guys but he drops way too many interception opportunities as far as I can tell. I think he will be a great replacement for JJ Whittaker down the line though.
-I want to note two walkons who looked good on Tuesday. WR Brandon Fitzpatirck is the definition of a walkon as he is very skinny and not too quick or fast, but he made some very tough catches and runs full-speed each rep.
War safety Luke Bussey also had a nice day. He's just about 5-9, 180 but he's a tough-minded player who makes plays every now and then, including a pick-six interception on an Adam Wood pass during 7on7.
-I should also note the walk-ons that have quit the team this past week are DL Sean O'Grady, LB Jessie Klein and WR Scott Hoover.
-Will post clips and another note on the grad assistant candidates soon.
This post was edited on 3/3 11:24 AM by RubenMeza
This post was edited on 3/3 2:54 PM by RubenMeza
Rocky told me today that he'll let me at all the practices and I plan to do that, but I won't be able to report on certain practices that the media wasn't previously scheduled to watch.
On to Monday's practice. It was a little disappointing to once again see the team back in helmets-only (no pads), but I was told SDSU scrimmaged on Friday and practiced 120 total plays (slightly under 100 plays is usually the norm) so they wanted to keep it light on Monday. The team will have a light scrimmage Wednesday and a full one on Friday so that may be another reason why I didn't get to see full contact.
Because of this, it's once again hard to say much about the d-line, o-line, and LBs. From what I saw though, Ryan Pope has improved a lot in just a week, and so has Robert Craighead at guard. Craighead is built like a rock and already looks like a natural pass blocker. Austin Maass is far and away the most technically sound center. Kwayde Miller and Pearce Slater didn't have their best days in one on ones but give credit to the d-line, guys like Julian Rochelin, Noble Hall and Zach Brown. Julian Rochelin is still probably 25 pounds away from game weight but he's still a solid edge rusher. Micah Seau is still just a swing defensive end right now but a solid one.
I should also note that Coach Schmidt really seems to have command of this OL group. While it's a small group and more bodies will be added this fall, Schmidt's instructions are taken seriously and the players usually follow them correctly on the first try. I saw about 10 minutes of this up close yesterday and I can tell Schmidt has grown a lot as a coach over the last few years. He also deserves a lot of credit for his on the field product. It can only improve.
One thing I noticed about the quarterbacks is that basically every QB but Maxwell Smith runs up the middle of the field if there are no receivers open during their rep. When Smith can't find anybody, he extends the play by rolling out and usually is able to find somebody by then. He looks very comfortable throwing on the run but he's definitely not viewed as a guy who can scramble if needed, as shown by what the coaches are having him do during practices. They know what his strengths are and he's proving rep and rep again that he can make all the throws.
I'm not telling you guys to go out and start buying No. 17 jerseys, but Smith has been the most consistent quarterback out of the group. I'd actually say Christian Chapman and Smith throw the best catchable balls (especially on tough throws near the sideline) but Smith's completion rate on deep balls really sets him apart. Jake Rodrigues and Nick Bawden, in my opinion, are battling for that third spot in the rotation behind the two aforementioned QBs. I think Rodrigues still has timing and accuracy issues but those can be fixed with more reps with the receivers. Bawden still plays it a little too safe and conservative for my liking and he's missing out on some open downfield throws during reps, so I'd give Rodrigues the edge right now. I should also note that Bawden was a Toledo recruit through and through, for what it's worth.
I personally can't wait to see the QBs in live action scrimmages this week.
-Pierre Romain looks much more comfortable at corner and he made some nice plays yesterday. Kazee and Whittaker are easily the top guys in the group though. I don't think I've seen Whittaker make a bad play on the ball or get beat downfield all spring, honestly.
-WR Mikah Holder has clearly separated himself from the pack. He mossed Kendrick Mathis yesterday to haul in a very pretty pass by Maxwell Smith and made all the quarterbacks look good during one on ones. I know he wasn't too productive last year, but man, I truly believe he will be the next big thing.
-WRs Jabril Clewis and Chase Favreau are improving every time I watch them. Clewis still favors his knee a bit but he uses his size so well and runs very hard. I'd argue that he's the first 6-3-plus guy since Brice Butler that plays like a 6-3 plus guy on the field, albeit Christian Cumberlander is starting to show that now with consistency too. (Cumberlander actually made one of the tougher deep ball catches of practice yesteday.)
-Favreau has been one of the bigger surprises of spring camp and it's not looking like a fluke. There are times where I catch him headed to the wrong side of the field after the huddle breaks, and you can tell he's still learning the wide receiver position, but at least athletically, he's looking like the real deal. He's very, very fast and he looks much more natural cutting on his routes. He definitely has a chance to be a Lloyd Mills type receiver.
-Speaking of Mills, just to let you guys know where his head is at, he practically begged the training staff to clear him during the entire practice yesterday. He actually looked good doing footwork drills on the sidelines based off what I saw, but you can tell he still has some pain in his groin and I even spotted him limping a bit to the parking lot after practice. He thinks he can return during the last week of spring ball but knows he probably won't play in the spring game. I don't think Rocky will let him hit the field at all this spring though.
-Jemond Hazely needs to pick it up soon or else his chances in the fall won't look great. He hasn't stood out too much so far and he's running out of time. He'll have to prove himself during the upcoming scrimmages and the spring game if he wants to enter fall in good standing with Coach Cooper. Practically every other receiver on scholarship is playing at a higher level than him as of now.
-TEs: David Wells and Daniel Brunskill had average days and dropped a couple catchable balls. I'd argue Darryl Richardson beat them out on Monday, something he hasn't done in a long time (at practices I've attended). Adam Wood found Richardson wide open over the middle for one of the only touchdowns during 7on7, and Richardson also made the most acrobatic catch of the day during one on ones when he tipped a pass up over his head and changed his body direction to get it back into his chest with one hand while falling down.
-Trey Lomax and Na'Im Mcgee once again had standout days. Kameron Kelly and Fred Trevillion struggled but I will note that Kelly made one of the better plays of the day, diving to deflect a pass on a corner route. With Trevillion, he just needs to improve his backpedal, hip flexibility and become more of a natural turn&go guy. He did show a preview of what his athleticism can do when he ran alongside Chase Price up the middle of the field and got up to his highest point to deflect a pass (which could have easily been an over the shoulder touchdown catch for Price). Trevillion's vert is incredible, probably the best out of all the safeties.
-Something's been off about Billy Vaughn Jr. and I finally caught the problem today. His hands are keeping him from making a bunch of interceptions during practices these days. It's probably the main issue keeping him off the field with the first team as of now. He always looks the most uncomfortable (out of the CBs) hauling in passes during individual drills with Coach White. I think he's one of the top cover guys but he drops way too many interception opportunities as far as I can tell. I think he will be a great replacement for JJ Whittaker down the line though.
-I want to note two walkons who looked good on Tuesday. WR Brandon Fitzpatirck is the definition of a walkon as he is very skinny and not too quick or fast, but he made some very tough catches and runs full-speed each rep.
War safety Luke Bussey also had a nice day. He's just about 5-9, 180 but he's a tough-minded player who makes plays every now and then, including a pick-six interception on an Adam Wood pass during 7on7.
-I should also note the walk-ons that have quit the team this past week are DL Sean O'Grady, LB Jessie Klein and WR Scott Hoover.
-Will post clips and another note on the grad assistant candidates soon.
This post was edited on 3/3 11:24 AM by RubenMeza
This post was edited on 3/3 2:54 PM by RubenMeza
