Today was the first day of practice! Sorry for the delay, it's been busy with the Norwood Teague news. Today's practice was very uptempo. There was no hitting.
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Mitch Leidner had a pretty rough day throwing. He threw an interception to BBC in 7v7s and to Cody Poock in 11v11s, which were the only interceptions of the day. In the drill portion, the zip on Leidner's passes were on and off. His spiral was never super tight but never terrible, either. For the most part, he threw catchable, if not perfect, passes. One inconsistency he had was throwing the ball to the flats, where he would sometimes throw a little bit behind the receiver. The biggest issue seemed to be staring receivers down, though. Leidner did make some good throws, though. He hit KJ Maye perfectly in stride 30 yards down the field. Another highlight was him breaking a long run.
Chris Streveler spent about 75% of his time with the quarterbacks and 25% of his time with the receivers during the drill portion. He also took one or two reps at receiver during 7v7s, but played mostly QB for 7v7s and 11v11s. Streveler is jacked and to me looked like the thickest of receivers, when he was working with them. His motion is a little funky, as he kind of throws it close to his shoulder. I thought Streveler threw the ball well today though, and with pace. At receiver, I remember a drop and him not really looking natural running routes, which should be expected.
Streveler threw next to/during the same rep as Mitch in the drills, and I think he was he second team QB for 7v7s. But if I remember correctly, it was Conor Rhoda who worked with the 2s in 11v11. Rhoda and Perra each had okay days. I remember both making some good and bad throws.
Demry Croft wasn't at practice right away, and I'm not sure why. Maybe he was in the training room, maybe he was working inside with a coach, I'm not sure. But he wasn't practicing with the team until about 30 minutes after practice had already started. It's clear that he has all of the physical tools. He's a good inch or inch and a half taller than Mitch, and he's a long-strider and fast. He'll need to add a lot of weight though; he's one of the skinniest guys on the team. He threw the ball well for the most part, but wasn't asked to complete too many long or hard throws. There were some rough patches though, which should be expected for a freshman's first practice. I remember him fumbling a bad snap and a near interception. His throwing motion also looked a little funky and will need some tweaking. Croft got one series in 11v11 with what was probably the fourth team. Kill was complimentary of him after practice and said that he has the right attitude and approach.
At running back, I thought Rodrick Williams looked great. He's noticeably slimmer and faster. Rodney Smith might have got a couple plays with the 1s at the end of practice, but Williams was the first team running back. Smith was quick, shifty, and has good hands. Shannon Brooks is similar to Smith, but a couple inches shorter. James Johannesson had a nice run. He's fast, strong, and honestly his frame looks like he could add even more weight. All in all, it was a good day for the running backs, but it's hard to know much on them until the defense can start to hit.
Berkley Edwards worked completely at running back and didn't get any reps in the slot. He rotated with Rodney Smith on the second team, and had a nice long run. He's the home run threat, just needs to have space. Smith is shifty because he's quick and low to the ground, but he's doesn't really juke or make guys miss too much. Berkley's really built; he's noticeably bigger this year.
At receiver, Drew Wolitarsky and KJ Maye were consistently getting reps with the first team. I also remember Melvin Holland and Jeff Jones getting first team reps. There were no super high or low spots at receiver. The passing game kind of stalled, but not necessarily to the fault of the receivers, as the quarterbacks struggled at times and the Gopher defensive backfield is one of the best in the country. KJ Maye looked good in the drill portion. He's really quick getting in and out of his breaks. Jeff Jones received some attention from Brian Anderson during the drill portion, as he's still working on route running but has great hands. Hunter Register to me looks like the more polished of incoming receivers, as Rashad Still is quite slim and dropped a pass.
One receiver who did well that wasn't on my radar was Louis Tuszynski. He's shifty, seemed to have good hands, and made a nice catch over the middle. At 5'11", he's a slot receiver. Between Maye, Jones, and Edwards, there are several options in the slot, but Tuszynski was getting some reps with the second team, so maybe there's a chance we'll see him in the slot this year as well.
At tight end, Brandon Lingen saw time with the first team, and Wozniak was working with the second team. Both I think could still add some good weight. Wozniak dropped a routine pass and afterwards hard to do pushups. He moves pretty well for his size. It's not an awkward, jerky run like you would expect for someone who's 6'10", so I would expect him to be a contributor down the line. Jerry Gibson has certainly bulked up, but he's also shorter than the other tight ends. His hands looked good today, and he could certainly be a pass-catching threat at H-Back this year. Colton Beebe is a brick and just looking at him, I think they'll find a way for him to be on the field this year. Physically, he's ready to go.
First team offensive line was Lauer/Campion/Bobek/Christenson/Pirsig. Not sure how much else there is to say until pads get on. Limegrover was doing a lot of teaching during the drill portion, I think more than the other positions, just to get all the freshman up to speed on the scheme.
Like the offensive line, there isn't much for me to say about the defensive line until pads are on. Cockran is listed at 258, but to me he looks about 240. He moves so well for his size and obviously has good length and explosion. Steven Richardson looks even bigger than last year. I thought he came in with a college-ready, filled-out frame, but he's bigger than last year, and it's all good weight. His arms are huge. Andrew Stelter is also much bigger this year. He looks like the 277 pounds he's listed at and has such broad shoulders, that I think he'll be able to add even more weight in future years. I believe all of Stelter's reps were as a defensive tackle. Hank Ekpe also looks to have added weight. His brother Scott was moving fine, and wasn't even wearing a brace on his knee that he tore against Eastern Illinois. That's good news and confirms what he told Joe Christenson about his knee being 100%.
At linebacker, it was Lynn (strongside)/Williams/Campbell (weakside) on the first team for 11v11. Each linebacker group did well and was able to keep everything in front of them for the most part. At times, running backs would have openings, but there was always a linebacker to cover the gap. The highlight of this group was Cody Poock getting a pick six off of Leidner. I'll go more in-depth on linebackers when they're allowed to tackle.
The defensive backs were excellent, which is what has come to be expected. I thought that the DBs were the most vocal position group during 7v7s and 11v11s. The highlight for DBs was Briean Boddy-Calhoun picking off Leidner in what would have been a touchdown. That play got a lot of hoots and hollers from the sideline and really riled up the defense. Craig James had another highlight of the day in a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown after a receiver (I think it was Still but can't remember) dropped a pass behind the line of scrimmage and didn't pick it up. Dior Johnson and Ray Buford also are guys with all of the physical tools, as they have the height (6'2") and move well. KiAnte Hardin is exceptionally quick, which we all knew. Antonio Shenault also impressed me with his quickness. Coach Kill really got on him on consecutive reps for not playing to the whistle, though.
It's my understanding that kickers and punters worked out inside before practice. Players catching punts were Jalen Myrick, Craig James, and KJ Maye. Adam Mayer or Matt Morse were returning punts as well, but I couldn't tell which one it was as they were far away. I also faintly remember BBC and Rodney Smith getting work as returners, but I might be wrong with these two.
Overall, I thought it was a great practice. For the first practice, it looked incredibly organized, guys were getting to lines quickly, drills look very fluid, and everyone knew what they were doing. Good first day.
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Mitch Leidner had a pretty rough day throwing. He threw an interception to BBC in 7v7s and to Cody Poock in 11v11s, which were the only interceptions of the day. In the drill portion, the zip on Leidner's passes were on and off. His spiral was never super tight but never terrible, either. For the most part, he threw catchable, if not perfect, passes. One inconsistency he had was throwing the ball to the flats, where he would sometimes throw a little bit behind the receiver. The biggest issue seemed to be staring receivers down, though. Leidner did make some good throws, though. He hit KJ Maye perfectly in stride 30 yards down the field. Another highlight was him breaking a long run.
Chris Streveler spent about 75% of his time with the quarterbacks and 25% of his time with the receivers during the drill portion. He also took one or two reps at receiver during 7v7s, but played mostly QB for 7v7s and 11v11s. Streveler is jacked and to me looked like the thickest of receivers, when he was working with them. His motion is a little funky, as he kind of throws it close to his shoulder. I thought Streveler threw the ball well today though, and with pace. At receiver, I remember a drop and him not really looking natural running routes, which should be expected.
Streveler threw next to/during the same rep as Mitch in the drills, and I think he was he second team QB for 7v7s. But if I remember correctly, it was Conor Rhoda who worked with the 2s in 11v11. Rhoda and Perra each had okay days. I remember both making some good and bad throws.
Demry Croft wasn't at practice right away, and I'm not sure why. Maybe he was in the training room, maybe he was working inside with a coach, I'm not sure. But he wasn't practicing with the team until about 30 minutes after practice had already started. It's clear that he has all of the physical tools. He's a good inch or inch and a half taller than Mitch, and he's a long-strider and fast. He'll need to add a lot of weight though; he's one of the skinniest guys on the team. He threw the ball well for the most part, but wasn't asked to complete too many long or hard throws. There were some rough patches though, which should be expected for a freshman's first practice. I remember him fumbling a bad snap and a near interception. His throwing motion also looked a little funky and will need some tweaking. Croft got one series in 11v11 with what was probably the fourth team. Kill was complimentary of him after practice and said that he has the right attitude and approach.
At running back, I thought Rodrick Williams looked great. He's noticeably slimmer and faster. Rodney Smith might have got a couple plays with the 1s at the end of practice, but Williams was the first team running back. Smith was quick, shifty, and has good hands. Shannon Brooks is similar to Smith, but a couple inches shorter. James Johannesson had a nice run. He's fast, strong, and honestly his frame looks like he could add even more weight. All in all, it was a good day for the running backs, but it's hard to know much on them until the defense can start to hit.
Berkley Edwards worked completely at running back and didn't get any reps in the slot. He rotated with Rodney Smith on the second team, and had a nice long run. He's the home run threat, just needs to have space. Smith is shifty because he's quick and low to the ground, but he's doesn't really juke or make guys miss too much. Berkley's really built; he's noticeably bigger this year.
At receiver, Drew Wolitarsky and KJ Maye were consistently getting reps with the first team. I also remember Melvin Holland and Jeff Jones getting first team reps. There were no super high or low spots at receiver. The passing game kind of stalled, but not necessarily to the fault of the receivers, as the quarterbacks struggled at times and the Gopher defensive backfield is one of the best in the country. KJ Maye looked good in the drill portion. He's really quick getting in and out of his breaks. Jeff Jones received some attention from Brian Anderson during the drill portion, as he's still working on route running but has great hands. Hunter Register to me looks like the more polished of incoming receivers, as Rashad Still is quite slim and dropped a pass.
One receiver who did well that wasn't on my radar was Louis Tuszynski. He's shifty, seemed to have good hands, and made a nice catch over the middle. At 5'11", he's a slot receiver. Between Maye, Jones, and Edwards, there are several options in the slot, but Tuszynski was getting some reps with the second team, so maybe there's a chance we'll see him in the slot this year as well.
At tight end, Brandon Lingen saw time with the first team, and Wozniak was working with the second team. Both I think could still add some good weight. Wozniak dropped a routine pass and afterwards hard to do pushups. He moves pretty well for his size. It's not an awkward, jerky run like you would expect for someone who's 6'10", so I would expect him to be a contributor down the line. Jerry Gibson has certainly bulked up, but he's also shorter than the other tight ends. His hands looked good today, and he could certainly be a pass-catching threat at H-Back this year. Colton Beebe is a brick and just looking at him, I think they'll find a way for him to be on the field this year. Physically, he's ready to go.
First team offensive line was Lauer/Campion/Bobek/Christenson/Pirsig. Not sure how much else there is to say until pads get on. Limegrover was doing a lot of teaching during the drill portion, I think more than the other positions, just to get all the freshman up to speed on the scheme.
Like the offensive line, there isn't much for me to say about the defensive line until pads are on. Cockran is listed at 258, but to me he looks about 240. He moves so well for his size and obviously has good length and explosion. Steven Richardson looks even bigger than last year. I thought he came in with a college-ready, filled-out frame, but he's bigger than last year, and it's all good weight. His arms are huge. Andrew Stelter is also much bigger this year. He looks like the 277 pounds he's listed at and has such broad shoulders, that I think he'll be able to add even more weight in future years. I believe all of Stelter's reps were as a defensive tackle. Hank Ekpe also looks to have added weight. His brother Scott was moving fine, and wasn't even wearing a brace on his knee that he tore against Eastern Illinois. That's good news and confirms what he told Joe Christenson about his knee being 100%.
At linebacker, it was Lynn (strongside)/Williams/Campbell (weakside) on the first team for 11v11. Each linebacker group did well and was able to keep everything in front of them for the most part. At times, running backs would have openings, but there was always a linebacker to cover the gap. The highlight of this group was Cody Poock getting a pick six off of Leidner. I'll go more in-depth on linebackers when they're allowed to tackle.
The defensive backs were excellent, which is what has come to be expected. I thought that the DBs were the most vocal position group during 7v7s and 11v11s. The highlight for DBs was Briean Boddy-Calhoun picking off Leidner in what would have been a touchdown. That play got a lot of hoots and hollers from the sideline and really riled up the defense. Craig James had another highlight of the day in a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown after a receiver (I think it was Still but can't remember) dropped a pass behind the line of scrimmage and didn't pick it up. Dior Johnson and Ray Buford also are guys with all of the physical tools, as they have the height (6'2") and move well. KiAnte Hardin is exceptionally quick, which we all knew. Antonio Shenault also impressed me with his quickness. Coach Kill really got on him on consecutive reps for not playing to the whistle, though.
It's my understanding that kickers and punters worked out inside before practice. Players catching punts were Jalen Myrick, Craig James, and KJ Maye. Adam Mayer or Matt Morse were returning punts as well, but I couldn't tell which one it was as they were far away. I also faintly remember BBC and Rodney Smith getting work as returners, but I might be wrong with these two.
Overall, I thought it was a great practice. For the first practice, it looked incredibly organized, guys were getting to lines quickly, drills look very fluid, and everyone knew what they were doing. Good first day.
