Hello everybody, great to be back at Gopher football practice. I strolled in about 30 minutes after 3:00 PM following a disappointing 1-1 record with the Eastview boys team in the Pacesetter Sweet 16. Steven Crowl wasn't there for us, but it shouldn't have stopped us from advancing to the semi's. Oh well, two more games tomorrow. Now to some football...
Quarterback:
With Zack Annexstad out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Tanner Morgan got all of the first team reps today. I don't believe that he had any big splash plays, but no mistakes either. He was going through his progressions at an improved rate, it looked like. The offense as a whole throughout the practice didn't show too much. Most of the team sessions were filled with run plays, I'd say distribution was about 80/20 run/pass. Jacob Clark impressed me most with the deep ball that he was able to throw during one-on-one's. His arm strength is impressive, but the touch that he can put on the ball is something you can't look past. He has to master the offense and get up to Big Ten speed, but I think he has a bright future here. With Annexstad's injury, you're probably going to see Clark in game action this year. If all goes well it's less than four games and he retains his redshirt and he gets some good experience. Cole Kramer made improvements over the summer in learning the offense. He has a better feel for the offense than he previously did, but I'm still not sure about his arm strength. Can hit fit throws in a tight windows? Can he accurately hit his receivers deep down field? The sample size is too small right now to judge, but I think he's made improvements.
Running Backs:
Rodney Smith and Mo Ibrahim took the first team reps today, with Ibrahim getting most of them. Mo also got a few reps with the second team. Nothing much needs to be said about them, they look ready to go for the season. I'm excited to see Rodney as the guy again. He'll get a lighter workload, but he should still be RB1, in my opinion. Bryce Williams had one run where he made a nice cut and took off for big yards after finding a seam. That was good to see, because last year early on he had some vision / patience questions. He improved at the end of the season in that area, and it looks like he's right where he left off. He's a very good spare running back. Cam Wiley looks the part. That's for sure. His hands might have looked a little better than I expected. He's very straight line fast, but agility could improve a little. He can really take off if he has room, though. Trey Potts had a pretty good day in the backup reps. He's a back that can do a little bit of everything.
Wide Receivers:
Not a whole lot of reps today for Tyler Johnson, but when he did get those reps he made him count. Ran a really nice slant that resulted in a big first down catch during team sessions that was fairly impressive. Rashod Bateman looks just as fast as last year, but bigger and more confident. Take from that what you want, but I think the Gopher's have two WR1's on their team right now. Chris Autman-Bell has good feet, and is the best blocking WR on the team. I was really impressed with Demetrius Douglas today. He had some really nice routes that resulted in catches. Could be a really effective slot guy this year. Michael Brown-Stephens showed that his early-enroll impressions were spot on. He's another real weapon in the slot for the Gophers and I bet he gets some reps this year. Erik Gibson was not there. Seth Green and Clay Geary look like they could be in a battle for that fifth wideout spot. I think Clay might be the better receiver from a technical standpoint, but I'd bet more reps go to Green as he's a matchup problem and bigger blocking body during the run. Nnamdi Adim-Madumere looks big and fast, pretty good hands as well, but he needs to improve as a route runner. He's not a bad one, by any means, but he's not at the level that's ready to get him out on the field.
Tight Ends:
There really isn't too much to say here. Most of their catches came in 7-on-7. They really didn't show much of the offense today, and tight ends were used in the run game a lot. Don't panic! This doesn't mean anything. Paulson and BSF will get targets this year.
Offensive Line:
LT: Sam Schlueter, Jason Dickson
LG: Blaise Andries, Axel Ruschmeyer
C: Conner Olson, John Michael-Schmitz
RG: Curtis Dunlap, Nathan Boe
RT: Daniel Faalele, Nate Umlor
Again, there wasn't a whole lot to look at with the offensive line. I think they did a pretty good job in the run game. They had a few times they made a big hole a RB could shoot through for some big yards. Everytime I tried to focus on SS or JD in pass block, they would run the ball. Time who the fifth starter would be, but Schlueter has remained the first team LT for a majority of spring ball, and now at the start of fall camp.
Defensive Line:
DE: Winston DeLattiboudere, Boye Mafe
DT: Elijah Teague, Noah Hickcox
DT: Keonte Schad, Micah Dew-Treadway
R-End: Carter Coughlin, Esezi Ottomewo
Keonte Schad impressed me today. He was working inside and getting in the backfield. It looks like he's gotten more comfortable than he was in the spring. Playing much more confident than he was before. Dew-Treadway looks like he's going to do a decent amount of contributing this year. He was making some plays. I thought I saw Carter Coughlin right away, then I didn't see him again. I may have been wrong. I was looking forward to seeing Boye Mafe coming off the edge, but there weren't many passing plays for that to happen.
Linebacker:
First team backers were Thomas Barber and Kamal Martin. For the most part today, the base defense was a 4-2-5. When the second team backers came in it was Thomas Rush and Josh Aune. Sori-Marin and Braelen Oliver were next up after that. James Gordon made a pretty nice play and got celebrated by the coaches, but it looks like he might need to work his way in to earn more reps. He was on the scout team, as was Donald Willis
Safety:
Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Howden got the first team reps today. Howden looked solid, but I still question his coverage abilities against top talent. He struggled when matched with Bateman in 1-on-1's. Calvin Swenson and Benny Sapp were behind them. Sapp has some of the same questions that I have of Howden in terms of coverage skills. I still think he can earn the spot next to AWJ, but he needs to improve. Tyler Nubin is as impressive of a freshman that I have seen in the Gophers secondary in awhile. He seems physically ready, and it seems like he has a high football IQ. I'm excited to see if he earns even more reps and up in the depth chart as camp goes on.
Cornerback:
T-Smith, Coney Durr, and Kiondre Thomas were switching off and getting reps as the top two corners. Kiondre Thomas had a really good day in coverage. He was locked in all day, from what I saw, and made many plays on the ball. Coney Durr played well, but he had a few pass interference calls on him throughout the day. So with the top three established on the outside, who's the fourth? My early pick is for sure Ben St. Juste. He looked solid in coverage all day long. There was a play I saw him run a route right along with Bateman before knocking it away. I think he's going to get some good time this year. Great addition for the Gophers corner back depth.
Kicker battle:
Brock Walker: 3/4 from 48 and 49 yards
Michael Lantz: 3/4 from 48 and 49 yards
Michael Tarbutt: 2/4 from 48 and 49 yards
My early prediction: Michael Lantz. He looked most consistent, and I think he has the strongest leg of the group
Quarterback:
With Zack Annexstad out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Tanner Morgan got all of the first team reps today. I don't believe that he had any big splash plays, but no mistakes either. He was going through his progressions at an improved rate, it looked like. The offense as a whole throughout the practice didn't show too much. Most of the team sessions were filled with run plays, I'd say distribution was about 80/20 run/pass. Jacob Clark impressed me most with the deep ball that he was able to throw during one-on-one's. His arm strength is impressive, but the touch that he can put on the ball is something you can't look past. He has to master the offense and get up to Big Ten speed, but I think he has a bright future here. With Annexstad's injury, you're probably going to see Clark in game action this year. If all goes well it's less than four games and he retains his redshirt and he gets some good experience. Cole Kramer made improvements over the summer in learning the offense. He has a better feel for the offense than he previously did, but I'm still not sure about his arm strength. Can hit fit throws in a tight windows? Can he accurately hit his receivers deep down field? The sample size is too small right now to judge, but I think he's made improvements.
Running Backs:
Rodney Smith and Mo Ibrahim took the first team reps today, with Ibrahim getting most of them. Mo also got a few reps with the second team. Nothing much needs to be said about them, they look ready to go for the season. I'm excited to see Rodney as the guy again. He'll get a lighter workload, but he should still be RB1, in my opinion. Bryce Williams had one run where he made a nice cut and took off for big yards after finding a seam. That was good to see, because last year early on he had some vision / patience questions. He improved at the end of the season in that area, and it looks like he's right where he left off. He's a very good spare running back. Cam Wiley looks the part. That's for sure. His hands might have looked a little better than I expected. He's very straight line fast, but agility could improve a little. He can really take off if he has room, though. Trey Potts had a pretty good day in the backup reps. He's a back that can do a little bit of everything.
Wide Receivers:
Not a whole lot of reps today for Tyler Johnson, but when he did get those reps he made him count. Ran a really nice slant that resulted in a big first down catch during team sessions that was fairly impressive. Rashod Bateman looks just as fast as last year, but bigger and more confident. Take from that what you want, but I think the Gopher's have two WR1's on their team right now. Chris Autman-Bell has good feet, and is the best blocking WR on the team. I was really impressed with Demetrius Douglas today. He had some really nice routes that resulted in catches. Could be a really effective slot guy this year. Michael Brown-Stephens showed that his early-enroll impressions were spot on. He's another real weapon in the slot for the Gophers and I bet he gets some reps this year. Erik Gibson was not there. Seth Green and Clay Geary look like they could be in a battle for that fifth wideout spot. I think Clay might be the better receiver from a technical standpoint, but I'd bet more reps go to Green as he's a matchup problem and bigger blocking body during the run. Nnamdi Adim-Madumere looks big and fast, pretty good hands as well, but he needs to improve as a route runner. He's not a bad one, by any means, but he's not at the level that's ready to get him out on the field.
Tight Ends:
There really isn't too much to say here. Most of their catches came in 7-on-7. They really didn't show much of the offense today, and tight ends were used in the run game a lot. Don't panic! This doesn't mean anything. Paulson and BSF will get targets this year.
Offensive Line:
LT: Sam Schlueter, Jason Dickson
LG: Blaise Andries, Axel Ruschmeyer
C: Conner Olson, John Michael-Schmitz
RG: Curtis Dunlap, Nathan Boe
RT: Daniel Faalele, Nate Umlor
Again, there wasn't a whole lot to look at with the offensive line. I think they did a pretty good job in the run game. They had a few times they made a big hole a RB could shoot through for some big yards. Everytime I tried to focus on SS or JD in pass block, they would run the ball. Time who the fifth starter would be, but Schlueter has remained the first team LT for a majority of spring ball, and now at the start of fall camp.
Defensive Line:
DE: Winston DeLattiboudere, Boye Mafe
DT: Elijah Teague, Noah Hickcox
DT: Keonte Schad, Micah Dew-Treadway
R-End: Carter Coughlin, Esezi Ottomewo
Keonte Schad impressed me today. He was working inside and getting in the backfield. It looks like he's gotten more comfortable than he was in the spring. Playing much more confident than he was before. Dew-Treadway looks like he's going to do a decent amount of contributing this year. He was making some plays. I thought I saw Carter Coughlin right away, then I didn't see him again. I may have been wrong. I was looking forward to seeing Boye Mafe coming off the edge, but there weren't many passing plays for that to happen.
Linebacker:
First team backers were Thomas Barber and Kamal Martin. For the most part today, the base defense was a 4-2-5. When the second team backers came in it was Thomas Rush and Josh Aune. Sori-Marin and Braelen Oliver were next up after that. James Gordon made a pretty nice play and got celebrated by the coaches, but it looks like he might need to work his way in to earn more reps. He was on the scout team, as was Donald Willis
Safety:
Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Howden got the first team reps today. Howden looked solid, but I still question his coverage abilities against top talent. He struggled when matched with Bateman in 1-on-1's. Calvin Swenson and Benny Sapp were behind them. Sapp has some of the same questions that I have of Howden in terms of coverage skills. I still think he can earn the spot next to AWJ, but he needs to improve. Tyler Nubin is as impressive of a freshman that I have seen in the Gophers secondary in awhile. He seems physically ready, and it seems like he has a high football IQ. I'm excited to see if he earns even more reps and up in the depth chart as camp goes on.
Cornerback:
T-Smith, Coney Durr, and Kiondre Thomas were switching off and getting reps as the top two corners. Kiondre Thomas had a really good day in coverage. He was locked in all day, from what I saw, and made many plays on the ball. Coney Durr played well, but he had a few pass interference calls on him throughout the day. So with the top three established on the outside, who's the fourth? My early pick is for sure Ben St. Juste. He looked solid in coverage all day long. There was a play I saw him run a route right along with Bateman before knocking it away. I think he's going to get some good time this year. Great addition for the Gophers corner back depth.
Kicker battle:
Brock Walker: 3/4 from 48 and 49 yards
Michael Lantz: 3/4 from 48 and 49 yards
Michael Tarbutt: 2/4 from 48 and 49 yards
My early prediction: Michael Lantz. He looked most consistent, and I think he has the strongest leg of the group
