Notes:
QB:
RB:
WR:
LB:
DB:
- Josh Aune, Cam Wiley, Gage Keys, and Michael Dixon did not practice today. Keys and Dixon were both in an arm sling, not sure about the other two.
- Mo Ibrahim did not practice either as he is in the midst of Ramadan. He was doing individual drills off to the side.
- Douglas Emilien also was in full pads but doing individual drills on the sideline today.
- Ky Thomas was wearing a red jersey at the beginning of practice and I didn’t see him get a ton of reps.
- Jalen Glaze was working with the cornerbacks, not the safeties.
- Nnamdi Adim-Madumere was working with the TE’s, not the WRs.
QB:
- Tanner Morgan and Zack Annexstad split a majority of the reps. It appears those two are the clear #1 and #2. I did not see Cole Kramer nor Jacob Clark get many reps at all.
- I thought Tanner had the better day of the two. He connected on some really nice throws in the intermediate levels of the field. Both had their moments, but overall I thought Tanner was better.
- Tanner did however have one big mistake throwing a pick six to Calvin Swenson who hopped a slant route and would’ve taken it all the way.
RB:
- Since Mo and Cam Wiley did not practice, a majority of the reps went to Trey Potts, Bryce Williams, and Preston Jelen.
- Bryce Williams had a great day busting a couple runs for long gains and showing his explosiveness.
- Trey Potts continues to impress with his quick feet and agility. I would expect Potts for sure to have a role this season, whether it be in more relief duty or in the passing game since he has a ton of versatility to offer. He had a nasty juke move on Coney Durr who was blitzing off the edge to bounce a nice run down the sideline.
WR:
- First unit was Chris Autman-Bell, Daniel Jackson, and Clay Geary with Michael Brown-Stephens swapping in and out with Geary.
- CAB will be the best receiver on the team, no doubt. I think the Gophers coaches are going to move him around as much as possible to get him in the best spot possible.
- Brown-Stephens had a few nice catches including a deep crosser over the middle courtesy of Tanner Morgan for a big gain.
- Dylan Wright did not get much action his way. The one throw he did get in 7v7 was broken up by Justin Walley. He is physically imposing at 6’5” and had a very natural one-handed catch on a fade during the indy portion (unguarded). I wonder if he will have the burst and separation ability to get in the mix this season. Tanner says he has made some spectacular plays in practice, but that he is still trying to learn the playbook as the WR position is very nuanced with the Gophers. Hard to get a read on him today. Want to see where he stands in the fall.
- This is a position I need to see more from. Need to know if this group has enough explosiveness to be a problem for other teams. That will be critical in seeing how far this team can go.
- Lemeke Brockington did earn props from Coack Fleck after a nice grab over the middle for a big gain from Zack Annexstad.
- A lot of depth in this unit. Can’t wait to see where Aireontae Ersery is in a couple years. Huge frame and looks the part. I think he’s going to be a great player.
- Daniel Fa’alele and Curtis Dunlap, like most players, will benefit from spring practice to help them get back into football shape.
- Fa’alele and Dunlap were working with the 1’s at their normal RT and RG positions, respectively. However, the coaching staff is working in John Michael Schmitz and others, moving Blaise Andries to RT at times. Fleck mentioned now they have 8 or 9 offensive lineman on the team who have started a Big Ten game. That is huge for depth going forward and will give the team a lot of versatility.
- Unit should be much improved. Val Martin, Nyles Pinckney, right in the mix with De’Angelo Carter, Micah Dew-Treadway, Keonte Schad, and Rashad Cheney. Allows the team to rotate defensive tackles and keep fresh. This unit made some plays today and should be much improved from a year ago.
- Boye Mafe had a nice TFL on the backside of zone and MJ Anderson I thought really had a strong day. Anderson’s body looks different in years past, in a good way. It appears like he has filled out more and lost some of the bad weight after tearing his ACL in high school. He had multiple TFLs and a sack during team.
- Jalen Logan-Redding is another player that stood out and made a few plays. Excited to see what he can do after another year in the weight room and comfort.
- Fleck brought up Thomas Rush in the postgame presser as a player who he thinks will help in pass rush situations this year. Said last year he moved from linebacker to R and with no spring ball/camp it was a tougher transition. Thinks he’ll be better at that role this season.
LB:
- Another unit that will be improved. Braelen Oliver was wearing a big knee brace but did make a couple of plays including stuffing an inside run for no gain. Fleck’s presser noted that he is starting to trust his knee again in practice and that the team is doing a good job of working him back in increments.
- Jack Gibbens is another player that stood out and had a tremendous TFL on outside zone from the backside cutting through the middle. He flies around. I would expect him to be surely in the mix this upcoming season in some way.
- Cody Lindenberg got props from the coaches for a play he made stuffing Preston Jelen during the team portion. I don’t know if he’ll be in the mix again this upcoming year, but his progression is necessary for years coming.
DB:
- Terell Smith got the first reps opposite of Coney Durr with the 1’s. This is a unit I have questions on heading into the season. Phillip Howard would rotate with Smith after a few plays but neither of them really stuck out to me.
- Interesting note: on third downs the team was moving Coney Durr into the slot as a nickel. I wonder if that is the plan for this season to have Justus Harris play early downs in run support and move Durr into nickel for passing situations.
- Justin Walley. Young kid will be a stud. Had a phenomenal PBU down the field against Chris Autman-Bell, another PBU on Dylan Wright on a deep crosser where he undercut the route and had a TFL in the backfield on a run play from the boundary. He stood out in a big way today. I think the youngster is earning an opportunity to play this season. He made a play that earned a “Man you’re smart!” from PJ Fleck. He is impressing.
- Calvin Swenson is firmly in the mix at safety. He was in the rotation with Tyler Nubin often. It is clear that competition is wide open and they are giving everyone chances at the starting job.
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