Today's practice was the first outside. It was in the low 30s, a little windy, and half the field was shaded, so it wasn't balmy out, but Fleck seemed unfazed. I heard a couple "I can't feel my fingers" from the players, though.
The recruit of the day was Des Moines 5.7 three-star defensive end John Waggoner. Waggoner seemed to be hanging out with John Schaekel most of the time. I also saw 2017 preferred walk-on commits Tommy Fuller and Danny Anderson of Eden Prairie there.
Mitch Leidner, Jonah Pirsig, and Alex Starks were all there, as were a few older alumni. Mark Coyle was there too.
Fleck was very high energy and flying around, but wasn't necessarily quite as loud as I thought he'd be, but maybe that's just me not hearing him because of the music and wind. He has a microphone hooked onto him that he can turn on and off when giving directions to the entire team.
There was a drone flying over practice I'm assuming taking video. That's in addition to the handful of people they have taking film from the platforms above the practice field.
There was a five to ten minute portion of practice when every position group worked on fumbles and protecting the ball. There was also a special teams segment, drills with position groups, 7v7, and I think 11v11.
I thought Conor Rhoda had the best day throwing the ball. He was pretty consistent on his short- to mid-range throws and might have the best throwing the ball deep, too. Conor was also the first quarterback to take snaps, if that means anything (I don't really think so at this point.). Demry I thought was the next best. He gets pretty good pace and spiral on his throws, and was decent on all types of passes. To me, Tanner Morgan was the third best. He threw a couple bad passes and I think the only interception during 7v7, but also had the best deep ball of the day. It's worth nothing that the quarterbacks usually were throwing into the wind (not that the wind was awful, but it was present), and the cold probably had an effect too. Tanner's not very big. His Rivals profile has him at 6'1" and 200 pounds, and that's probably about right. There weren't any drills where I could gauge very well how good of an athlete he is, but I'm expecting him to be a Conor Rhoda-level or marginally better athlete. Seth Green had the worst day I've seen from him throwing the ball. The staff has tried to tweak his motion slightly, and he's not throwing the ball as close to his helmet anymore. In the beginning of practice, all of his throws -- no matter if they were 12 yards or 30 yards, seemed to be wobbly -- and his throws seemed to gradually improve as practice went on. Neil McLaurin did not at all have a good day throwing. He was the least accurate and threw a handful in the dirt. He is, however, a little bigger than I expected (but still not big). There was also a walk-on QB, Samuel Pickering, who received a few snaps.
I didn't pay much attention at all to Shannon Brooks or Rodney Smith as I think Gopher fans know what they have in those two. Jonathan Femi-Cole fumbled early in practice and seemed to not get a lot of reps during the live session after that fumble until the end of practice. Kobe McCrary looks even bigger than last year.
Like Fleck did when he was a wide receivers coach, Matt Simon was wearing cleats, although I didn't see him demonstrate any routes. The first team receivers were Tyler Johnson, Eric Carter, and Rashad Still. Johnson will never look as built as most, but I think he's added some good weight. Carter did a great job of getting separation. This was the first time I saw Drew Hmielewski healthy and playing. He's not big, but did a decent job of getting separation. I think he's naturally quick but maybe not super adept yet to getting in and out of his breaks and probably still has a lot to learn about playing receiver. Mankato West to IMG product Brock Annexstad looked very good for a walk-on.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ko Kieft makes an impact this year. He's tough and I thought did fine against the second team defense.
The offensive line only had five healthy players. I believe the five healthy were lineman Nick Connelly, Conner Olson, Quinn Oseland, Bronson Dovich, and Sam Schlueter. Oseland was playing guard with the obvious lack of depth.
The defensive line got a lot of push, as they should against a line made up of underclassman with no subs. Stelter played some defensive end. I think Merrick Jackson's lost a little bit of weight, and Taiyon Devers doesn't look any bigger to me.
Kamal Martin's athleticism continues to impress me. It was Martin, Thomas Barber, and Jon Celestin with the first team group of linebackers. Everett Williams played on the outside when normally he's in the middle and did fine. I'm told he's a player that should benefit from the coaching change. I didn't see much of Trenton Guthrie on the field, but he looked the part physically. He's already reasonably built for an incoming freshman and has really broad shoulders and a good base to add more weight.
The starting defensive back group was Kiondre Thomas, Antonio Shenault, Duke McGhee, and Antoine Winfield. Winfield had a good first day back and closes on the ball really well. McGhee impressed with his athleticism and closing ability as well. Kiondre Thomas I continue to think will develop into an excellent corner. The defense had Kunle Ayinde playing corner and sometimes on an island. I could see him playing in the nickel fairly well but don't think he'll be playing with a side to himself come fall practice. All things considered, I thought he actually showed some decent coverage skills, though, and he plays physical. Remember, his game against Washington State was maybe the best of his career.
Like last year, I'm not able to comment on specific injuries, types of plays, etc.
TLDR: Rhoda and Croft had the best days throwing, while Green and McLaurin struggled. It was the first practice back for Hmielewski. The offensive line was very thin. Ayinde played a lot of cornerback. John Waggoner was the key recruit present, and Leidner and Pirsig also attended practice.
The recruit of the day was Des Moines 5.7 three-star defensive end John Waggoner. Waggoner seemed to be hanging out with John Schaekel most of the time. I also saw 2017 preferred walk-on commits Tommy Fuller and Danny Anderson of Eden Prairie there.
Mitch Leidner, Jonah Pirsig, and Alex Starks were all there, as were a few older alumni. Mark Coyle was there too.
Fleck was very high energy and flying around, but wasn't necessarily quite as loud as I thought he'd be, but maybe that's just me not hearing him because of the music and wind. He has a microphone hooked onto him that he can turn on and off when giving directions to the entire team.
There was a drone flying over practice I'm assuming taking video. That's in addition to the handful of people they have taking film from the platforms above the practice field.
There was a five to ten minute portion of practice when every position group worked on fumbles and protecting the ball. There was also a special teams segment, drills with position groups, 7v7, and I think 11v11.
I thought Conor Rhoda had the best day throwing the ball. He was pretty consistent on his short- to mid-range throws and might have the best throwing the ball deep, too. Conor was also the first quarterback to take snaps, if that means anything (I don't really think so at this point.). Demry I thought was the next best. He gets pretty good pace and spiral on his throws, and was decent on all types of passes. To me, Tanner Morgan was the third best. He threw a couple bad passes and I think the only interception during 7v7, but also had the best deep ball of the day. It's worth nothing that the quarterbacks usually were throwing into the wind (not that the wind was awful, but it was present), and the cold probably had an effect too. Tanner's not very big. His Rivals profile has him at 6'1" and 200 pounds, and that's probably about right. There weren't any drills where I could gauge very well how good of an athlete he is, but I'm expecting him to be a Conor Rhoda-level or marginally better athlete. Seth Green had the worst day I've seen from him throwing the ball. The staff has tried to tweak his motion slightly, and he's not throwing the ball as close to his helmet anymore. In the beginning of practice, all of his throws -- no matter if they were 12 yards or 30 yards, seemed to be wobbly -- and his throws seemed to gradually improve as practice went on. Neil McLaurin did not at all have a good day throwing. He was the least accurate and threw a handful in the dirt. He is, however, a little bigger than I expected (but still not big). There was also a walk-on QB, Samuel Pickering, who received a few snaps.
I didn't pay much attention at all to Shannon Brooks or Rodney Smith as I think Gopher fans know what they have in those two. Jonathan Femi-Cole fumbled early in practice and seemed to not get a lot of reps during the live session after that fumble until the end of practice. Kobe McCrary looks even bigger than last year.
Like Fleck did when he was a wide receivers coach, Matt Simon was wearing cleats, although I didn't see him demonstrate any routes. The first team receivers were Tyler Johnson, Eric Carter, and Rashad Still. Johnson will never look as built as most, but I think he's added some good weight. Carter did a great job of getting separation. This was the first time I saw Drew Hmielewski healthy and playing. He's not big, but did a decent job of getting separation. I think he's naturally quick but maybe not super adept yet to getting in and out of his breaks and probably still has a lot to learn about playing receiver. Mankato West to IMG product Brock Annexstad looked very good for a walk-on.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ko Kieft makes an impact this year. He's tough and I thought did fine against the second team defense.
The offensive line only had five healthy players. I believe the five healthy were lineman Nick Connelly, Conner Olson, Quinn Oseland, Bronson Dovich, and Sam Schlueter. Oseland was playing guard with the obvious lack of depth.
The defensive line got a lot of push, as they should against a line made up of underclassman with no subs. Stelter played some defensive end. I think Merrick Jackson's lost a little bit of weight, and Taiyon Devers doesn't look any bigger to me.
Kamal Martin's athleticism continues to impress me. It was Martin, Thomas Barber, and Jon Celestin with the first team group of linebackers. Everett Williams played on the outside when normally he's in the middle and did fine. I'm told he's a player that should benefit from the coaching change. I didn't see much of Trenton Guthrie on the field, but he looked the part physically. He's already reasonably built for an incoming freshman and has really broad shoulders and a good base to add more weight.
The starting defensive back group was Kiondre Thomas, Antonio Shenault, Duke McGhee, and Antoine Winfield. Winfield had a good first day back and closes on the ball really well. McGhee impressed with his athleticism and closing ability as well. Kiondre Thomas I continue to think will develop into an excellent corner. The defense had Kunle Ayinde playing corner and sometimes on an island. I could see him playing in the nickel fairly well but don't think he'll be playing with a side to himself come fall practice. All things considered, I thought he actually showed some decent coverage skills, though, and he plays physical. Remember, his game against Washington State was maybe the best of his career.
Like last year, I'm not able to comment on specific injuries, types of plays, etc.
TLDR: Rhoda and Croft had the best days throwing, while Green and McLaurin struggled. It was the first practice back for Hmielewski. The offensive line was very thin. Ayinde played a lot of cornerback. John Waggoner was the key recruit present, and Leidner and Pirsig also attended practice.
