Practice observations (March 29)
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2025 3:49 pmThe Mustangs' practice Saturday morning was split, as always, into multiple position groups working on different parts of the fields at the same time, so it's impossible to see everyone. But some things stood out:
• A lot of freshman quarterbacks look ... like freshmen when they first practice with a college team. Their arm strength usually is not what it eventually will be after they go through college workouts, and there can be some hesitation as they get used to practicing with older, bigger guys around them. QB Ty Hawkins doesn't look like that. He will get stronger as he grows into his frame, but listed at 6-0 and 200 pounds, he has some strength already. Many reports have cited his mobility, and it's legitimate, but he also has a very strong arm, even with a short, quick release. Whereas some young QBs go through a long windup-style delivery, Hawkins identifies a receiver and snaps quick strikes from his ear, and showed the ability to connect on accurate throws from different arm angles and even when off-balance. Yes, he still has to learn the playbook and how to read college defenses, etc., but he has the tools, at least, to get off to a good start.
• Many players, including a lot of linemen, are wearing the extra bubble/foam shells over their helmets as an extra layer of protection against concussions.
• Transfer QB Tyler Van Dyke looks bigger than his listed 6-4 and 225 pounds. He's not working out — he did some movement drills with a sleeve over his repaired leg — but at first glance, he looks like a tight end ... at least.
• It is far too early to begin speculating about who is going to start or which combinations of players will fit together on either side of the line of scrimmage. But in some team (11 on 11) drills, Addison Nichols (6-5 / 323) showed tremendous strength while working at center. In one sequence, The transfer from Arkansas twice got underneath an opposing defensive lineman and basically forklifted him out of his crouch and drove him well off the line of scrimmage, leaving in his wake a lane plenty wide enough to pass the ball or run upfield.
• Another player who stood out was RB Chris Johnson Jr. (6-0 / 180). The transfer from Miami and son of former East Carolina/Tennessee Titans/Arizona Cardinals star Chris Johnson showed good burst through the line, nice hands and body control on a couple of receptions when the ball was thrown behind him, and field awareness and balance when he caught a pass near the sideline but was able to gather his feet under him while tip-toeing up the sideline for about 10 additional yards before his momentum finally took him out of bounds.
• One player who walked on Senior Day but is back on the field for spring drills is TE Stone Eby. He is revered by his teammates and coaches for his ability as a sledgehammer blocker, and rightly so. But he is improving as a receiver, too. When the tight ends went through receiving drills that required them to run under high, arching passes over their outside shoulders, Eby twice adjusted nicely to the ball in flight before pulling in passes before he twisted to the ground.
• When he arrived last season, some made comparisons between RB Derrick McFall (5-11 / 183) and RB Brashard Smith ... and those comparisons are understandable. They're similar in size (at the NFL Combine, Smith measured an inch shorter but weighed 11 more pounds than McFall's listed dimensions), and they have similarly explosive acceleration. In addition, like Smith, McFall played some wide receiver in high school, and it shows. He has excellent hands as a receiver, runs good routes and has very good body control. As he continues to get stronger and absorb more of the offense, it will be interesting to see how many different ways he can contribute to the offense. WRs coach Rob Likens said after practice that McFall is the guy who could develop into the kind of Swiss Army knife player that Roderick Daniels was, a versatile weapon who the coaches can move to multiple different positions and utilize in numerous ways.
• Freshman WR Jalen Cooper arrived on campus with a reputation as a polished route runner — Likens called Cooper's understanding of and ability to run routes "very advanced for his age — and he showed it off Saturday, employing a series of subtle fakes and changes in speed and direction to elude defenders. On one play, Cooper managed to corkscrew a defensive back into the ground — when the DB regained his footing, he collided with another defender, so by the time the ball arrived to Cooper, there wasn't a defensive player within 10 yards of him.
• Maybe the biggest hit of the day was handed out by redshirt sophomore LB Sean Kane (6-0 / 221). When WR Romello Brinson ran short slant route from the left slot, Kane headed his way. But as he snagged the pass, Brinson hit the jets, splitting two would-be tacklers. A half second later, Kane arrived, running over CB Javion Holiday.
• It's no secret that one of the big — literally — tasks facing DL coach Calvin Thibodeaux and defensive coordinator Scott Symons is figuring out how they will replace the departed seniors from last year's defensive line, including interior players like Tank Booker and Mike Lockhart. One of those who will be asked to fill at least some of the void is Jeffrey M'Bah, who transferred from Purdue. At 6-6 and 302 pounds, M'Bah represents a very different body type. He is fairly quick for a big man, but also immediately notable is the fact that he can play with very low pads, and when he does, he has the power to drive offensive linemen backward into the pocket. Some blockers like seeing tall defenders, thinking they can get underneath them and drive the defenders off the ball. If M'Bah can stay low with any consistency, he erases the advantage some strong-but-shorter offensive linemen have.
• Replacing players like DE Elijah Roberts is no easy task, but the Mustangs have a group of players vying for part or all of the role. I didn't see a lot of them, but D.J. Warner (6-3 / 230 — formerly at Kansas), Billy Walton (6-3 / 233 — Texas ... yes, he was at SMU last year but was limited largely to special teams) and Trey Wilson (6-3 / 275 — Baylor) all bring some strength and quickness to the edge.
• Defensive play of the day: after getting flushed out to his left, QB Kevin Jennings fired a pass about 15 yards upfield ... where CB Abdul Muhammad cut in front of the receiver to make an awkward, sliding interception. Muhammad was running to his right and then broke forward to make the grab just above ground level.
• A lot of freshman quarterbacks look ... like freshmen when they first practice with a college team. Their arm strength usually is not what it eventually will be after they go through college workouts, and there can be some hesitation as they get used to practicing with older, bigger guys around them. QB Ty Hawkins doesn't look like that. He will get stronger as he grows into his frame, but listed at 6-0 and 200 pounds, he has some strength already. Many reports have cited his mobility, and it's legitimate, but he also has a very strong arm, even with a short, quick release. Whereas some young QBs go through a long windup-style delivery, Hawkins identifies a receiver and snaps quick strikes from his ear, and showed the ability to connect on accurate throws from different arm angles and even when off-balance. Yes, he still has to learn the playbook and how to read college defenses, etc., but he has the tools, at least, to get off to a good start.
• Many players, including a lot of linemen, are wearing the extra bubble/foam shells over their helmets as an extra layer of protection against concussions.
• Transfer QB Tyler Van Dyke looks bigger than his listed 6-4 and 225 pounds. He's not working out — he did some movement drills with a sleeve over his repaired leg — but at first glance, he looks like a tight end ... at least.
• It is far too early to begin speculating about who is going to start or which combinations of players will fit together on either side of the line of scrimmage. But in some team (11 on 11) drills, Addison Nichols (6-5 / 323) showed tremendous strength while working at center. In one sequence, The transfer from Arkansas twice got underneath an opposing defensive lineman and basically forklifted him out of his crouch and drove him well off the line of scrimmage, leaving in his wake a lane plenty wide enough to pass the ball or run upfield.
• Another player who stood out was RB Chris Johnson Jr. (6-0 / 180). The transfer from Miami and son of former East Carolina/Tennessee Titans/Arizona Cardinals star Chris Johnson showed good burst through the line, nice hands and body control on a couple of receptions when the ball was thrown behind him, and field awareness and balance when he caught a pass near the sideline but was able to gather his feet under him while tip-toeing up the sideline for about 10 additional yards before his momentum finally took him out of bounds.
• One player who walked on Senior Day but is back on the field for spring drills is TE Stone Eby. He is revered by his teammates and coaches for his ability as a sledgehammer blocker, and rightly so. But he is improving as a receiver, too. When the tight ends went through receiving drills that required them to run under high, arching passes over their outside shoulders, Eby twice adjusted nicely to the ball in flight before pulling in passes before he twisted to the ground.
• When he arrived last season, some made comparisons between RB Derrick McFall (5-11 / 183) and RB Brashard Smith ... and those comparisons are understandable. They're similar in size (at the NFL Combine, Smith measured an inch shorter but weighed 11 more pounds than McFall's listed dimensions), and they have similarly explosive acceleration. In addition, like Smith, McFall played some wide receiver in high school, and it shows. He has excellent hands as a receiver, runs good routes and has very good body control. As he continues to get stronger and absorb more of the offense, it will be interesting to see how many different ways he can contribute to the offense. WRs coach Rob Likens said after practice that McFall is the guy who could develop into the kind of Swiss Army knife player that Roderick Daniels was, a versatile weapon who the coaches can move to multiple different positions and utilize in numerous ways.
• Freshman WR Jalen Cooper arrived on campus with a reputation as a polished route runner — Likens called Cooper's understanding of and ability to run routes "very advanced for his age — and he showed it off Saturday, employing a series of subtle fakes and changes in speed and direction to elude defenders. On one play, Cooper managed to corkscrew a defensive back into the ground — when the DB regained his footing, he collided with another defender, so by the time the ball arrived to Cooper, there wasn't a defensive player within 10 yards of him.
• Maybe the biggest hit of the day was handed out by redshirt sophomore LB Sean Kane (6-0 / 221). When WR Romello Brinson ran short slant route from the left slot, Kane headed his way. But as he snagged the pass, Brinson hit the jets, splitting two would-be tacklers. A half second later, Kane arrived, running over CB Javion Holiday.
• It's no secret that one of the big — literally — tasks facing DL coach Calvin Thibodeaux and defensive coordinator Scott Symons is figuring out how they will replace the departed seniors from last year's defensive line, including interior players like Tank Booker and Mike Lockhart. One of those who will be asked to fill at least some of the void is Jeffrey M'Bah, who transferred from Purdue. At 6-6 and 302 pounds, M'Bah represents a very different body type. He is fairly quick for a big man, but also immediately notable is the fact that he can play with very low pads, and when he does, he has the power to drive offensive linemen backward into the pocket. Some blockers like seeing tall defenders, thinking they can get underneath them and drive the defenders off the ball. If M'Bah can stay low with any consistency, he erases the advantage some strong-but-shorter offensive linemen have.
• Replacing players like DE Elijah Roberts is no easy task, but the Mustangs have a group of players vying for part or all of the role. I didn't see a lot of them, but D.J. Warner (6-3 / 230 — formerly at Kansas), Billy Walton (6-3 / 233 — Texas ... yes, he was at SMU last year but was limited largely to special teams) and Trey Wilson (6-3 / 275 — Baylor) all bring some strength and quickness to the edge.
• Defensive play of the day: after getting flushed out to his left, QB Kevin Jennings fired a pass about 15 yards upfield ... where CB Abdul Muhammad cut in front of the receiver to make an awkward, sliding interception. Muhammad was running to his right and then broke forward to make the grab just above ground level.