Practice (3/24/18) observations
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 3:24 pmThe Mustangs practiced Saturday for about two hours. Some observations:
• Crowded practice field — in addition to the team and the standard team support staff, there were more than 20 recruits and their families, high school coaches.
• Also in attendance: a huge gathering of former players, a list that included (but was not limited to) WR Courtland Sutton, WR Trey Quinn, QB Matt Davis, LB Taylor Reed, RB K.C. Nlemchi, CB Kenneth Acker, WR/KR Deion Sanders, WR Keenan Holman, WR/DB Cedric Lancaster, DE Nick Horton, S Chris Banjo, DB Ryan Smith, S Jay Scott, DT Deon Green, WR Emmanuel Sanders, DL Spencer Hollie, DE Michael Scott, LB Putt Choate
• QB D.J. Gillins watched practice with a protective boot on his left ankle/leg. It is believed that the injury is not serious.
• Several players were out with injuries, many of whom ran on the side. The list of injured players included: CB Jordan Wyatt, OT Bryce Wilds, LB Noah Spears, DT Jordan Gipson, WR Myron Gailliard, LB Jordon Williams, G Nick Natour. Others, including WR Judah Bell and TE Hunter Thedford, wore green (limited contact) jerseys but participated in much of practice.
• Among the players who seems to have bought into the coaches' goal of increased strength for the upcoming season is Wilds. He is listed at 6-7, 299 — he was listed at 320 pounds when he arrived as a true freshman in 2016 — but looks completely different. Without having talked to him, I can't say whether it's a changed diet or the team's new workout routine or simply him growing into his frame — more than likely, it's a combination of all three — but the visible difference is striking ... and again, while he was not in pads or hitting anyone, he looked fast as he ran on the side with other rehabbing teammates.
• QB Ben Hicks looks like he has continue to evolve physically. A year ago, there was talk about the weight he lost, and now he looks a little thicker, but he said after practice that's by design — he's putting on muscle to better absorb hits, etc. He looks stronger throwing the ball, too. With another full season under his belt and a new offseason workout regimen, his arm looks stronger. That's not to suggest he's throwing 80-yard bombs, but the intermediate and longer passes, between 20 and 40 yards, have less arc, and he threaded several through DBs to reach their targets.
• It's hard not to notice QB William Brown. Especially with Gillins out, the 6-5 freshman towers over the other passers. He has a strong arm — not every deep throw was on caught, but he was on-target with numerous throws over 30 yards, including at least a couple in the 45- or 50-yard range — and has good looks like he runs pretty well. To be fair, the quarterbacks weren't getting hit, so he never really had to run for his life, but he covers a lot of ground. There were times when rolled and through off the wrong foot, leading to some underthrown passes, but that's something that can be improved through coaching (and in the course of a game, there are times when a quarterback HAS to throw on the run). There's no arguing the fact that when he planted his back foot and steps into a pass, he roped some strikes downfield, and he also showed the touch to drop passes over DBs and still find their targets.
• Of note on the offensive line: sophomore Kadarius Smith, who has worked mostly as a backup tackle since arriving at SMU, worked with the first-team offensive line at left guard. Keeping in mind that two of last year's starters, LG Nick Natour and RT Bryce Wilds, are out while rehabbing injuries, as well as the fact that it's way too early to be projecting anything in practice into an actual depth chart, the first-team line had LT Chad Pursley, LG Smith, C Hayden Howerton, RG Jacob Todora and RT Matthew Huhn. The second-string line had LT Levon Livingston, LG Harrison Barton, C Nick Dennis, RG Alan Ali and RT Braxton Webb.
• Across the line of scrimmage, working with the first-team defensive line were DE Tyeson Neals, DT Ken McLauren, DT Demerick Gary and DE Toby Ndukwe.
• When the defense went to a 4-2-5 alignment, the first-team LBs were Richard Moore and Trevor Denbow.
• Kayce Medlock, who was recruited to SMU as a RB, was moved to CB during the 2017 season when injuries required the coaches to find more depth at the position. He worked Saturday at safety.
• Kevin Johnson, who played mostly safety (and special teams), was working Saturday at CB.
• Speaking of DBs, several had impressive pass breakups, including S Rodney Clemons and CB Christian Davis ... and former high school QB-turned-SMU-S Collin Rock, who broke up at least two passes by diving in front of the WR he was chasing to get a hand on the ball. (Apparently he thought he should have intercepted one of them, as he assigned himself 10 push-ups before hopping to his feet.)
• The Mustangs completed 283 passes in 2017, 182 of which were caught by Sutton and Quinn. So to suggest that other young receivers have an opportunity to claim a larger role in 2018 is an understatement. Bell was limited, but two who stood out (and got singled out by Hicks) were WRs Brandon Benson and Tyler Page. Benson repeatedly got open in or behind the secondary during team drills, while Page again looks visibly faster and smoother than he did last season ... and after catching a screen pass, he also was able to hit the brakes and spin away from a charging safety, who ended up diving at air as Page headed upfield. WR Joshua Shelmire also twice sold a DB on a stop-go move that allowed him to get free for intermediate passes on the sideline.
• With Josh Williams leaving after graduating, K Kevin Robledo took the first reps during field goal drills, followed by Will Moore, a sophomore from Highland Park.
• Crowded practice field — in addition to the team and the standard team support staff, there were more than 20 recruits and their families, high school coaches.
• Also in attendance: a huge gathering of former players, a list that included (but was not limited to) WR Courtland Sutton, WR Trey Quinn, QB Matt Davis, LB Taylor Reed, RB K.C. Nlemchi, CB Kenneth Acker, WR/KR Deion Sanders, WR Keenan Holman, WR/DB Cedric Lancaster, DE Nick Horton, S Chris Banjo, DB Ryan Smith, S Jay Scott, DT Deon Green, WR Emmanuel Sanders, DL Spencer Hollie, DE Michael Scott, LB Putt Choate
• QB D.J. Gillins watched practice with a protective boot on his left ankle/leg. It is believed that the injury is not serious.
• Several players were out with injuries, many of whom ran on the side. The list of injured players included: CB Jordan Wyatt, OT Bryce Wilds, LB Noah Spears, DT Jordan Gipson, WR Myron Gailliard, LB Jordon Williams, G Nick Natour. Others, including WR Judah Bell and TE Hunter Thedford, wore green (limited contact) jerseys but participated in much of practice.
• Among the players who seems to have bought into the coaches' goal of increased strength for the upcoming season is Wilds. He is listed at 6-7, 299 — he was listed at 320 pounds when he arrived as a true freshman in 2016 — but looks completely different. Without having talked to him, I can't say whether it's a changed diet or the team's new workout routine or simply him growing into his frame — more than likely, it's a combination of all three — but the visible difference is striking ... and again, while he was not in pads or hitting anyone, he looked fast as he ran on the side with other rehabbing teammates.
• QB Ben Hicks looks like he has continue to evolve physically. A year ago, there was talk about the weight he lost, and now he looks a little thicker, but he said after practice that's by design — he's putting on muscle to better absorb hits, etc. He looks stronger throwing the ball, too. With another full season under his belt and a new offseason workout regimen, his arm looks stronger. That's not to suggest he's throwing 80-yard bombs, but the intermediate and longer passes, between 20 and 40 yards, have less arc, and he threaded several through DBs to reach their targets.
• It's hard not to notice QB William Brown. Especially with Gillins out, the 6-5 freshman towers over the other passers. He has a strong arm — not every deep throw was on caught, but he was on-target with numerous throws over 30 yards, including at least a couple in the 45- or 50-yard range — and has good looks like he runs pretty well. To be fair, the quarterbacks weren't getting hit, so he never really had to run for his life, but he covers a lot of ground. There were times when rolled and through off the wrong foot, leading to some underthrown passes, but that's something that can be improved through coaching (and in the course of a game, there are times when a quarterback HAS to throw on the run). There's no arguing the fact that when he planted his back foot and steps into a pass, he roped some strikes downfield, and he also showed the touch to drop passes over DBs and still find their targets.
• Of note on the offensive line: sophomore Kadarius Smith, who has worked mostly as a backup tackle since arriving at SMU, worked with the first-team offensive line at left guard. Keeping in mind that two of last year's starters, LG Nick Natour and RT Bryce Wilds, are out while rehabbing injuries, as well as the fact that it's way too early to be projecting anything in practice into an actual depth chart, the first-team line had LT Chad Pursley, LG Smith, C Hayden Howerton, RG Jacob Todora and RT Matthew Huhn. The second-string line had LT Levon Livingston, LG Harrison Barton, C Nick Dennis, RG Alan Ali and RT Braxton Webb.
• Across the line of scrimmage, working with the first-team defensive line were DE Tyeson Neals, DT Ken McLauren, DT Demerick Gary and DE Toby Ndukwe.
• When the defense went to a 4-2-5 alignment, the first-team LBs were Richard Moore and Trevor Denbow.
• Kayce Medlock, who was recruited to SMU as a RB, was moved to CB during the 2017 season when injuries required the coaches to find more depth at the position. He worked Saturday at safety.
• Kevin Johnson, who played mostly safety (and special teams), was working Saturday at CB.
• Speaking of DBs, several had impressive pass breakups, including S Rodney Clemons and CB Christian Davis ... and former high school QB-turned-SMU-S Collin Rock, who broke up at least two passes by diving in front of the WR he was chasing to get a hand on the ball. (Apparently he thought he should have intercepted one of them, as he assigned himself 10 push-ups before hopping to his feet.)
• The Mustangs completed 283 passes in 2017, 182 of which were caught by Sutton and Quinn. So to suggest that other young receivers have an opportunity to claim a larger role in 2018 is an understatement. Bell was limited, but two who stood out (and got singled out by Hicks) were WRs Brandon Benson and Tyler Page. Benson repeatedly got open in or behind the secondary during team drills, while Page again looks visibly faster and smoother than he did last season ... and after catching a screen pass, he also was able to hit the brakes and spin away from a charging safety, who ended up diving at air as Page headed upfield. WR Joshua Shelmire also twice sold a DB on a stop-go move that allowed him to get free for intermediate passes on the sideline.
• With Josh Williams leaving after graduating, K Kevin Robledo took the first reps during field goal drills, followed by Will Moore, a sophomore from Highland Park.