First day of shells today. I'll start off with a few tidbits.
The Andress coaching staff has been in town since Wednesday. Andress is the high school that Rashad Still is from in El Paso (Texas). The head coach and staff had great things to say about Minnesota's staff and are really happy he chose Minnesota.
2015 signees James Johannesson, Nick Connelly and Bronson Dovich were all at practice today. Connelly and Dovich were hanging around with 2016 recruits Matt Kegel and Sam Schlueter the whole practice, so that was good.
Recruits Carter Coughlin, Thomas Barber, Sam Schlueter and Matt Kegel were traveling around practice today. Cooper ATH Phillip Howard and Elk River QB Trent Pink were also at practice as well.
The staff estimated that about 300 fans came out today, so very good first turnout. I'll also echo on what others are saying about the offense trying to go more up tempo. They are using wrist bands and the OL is getting signals from the sidelines as well. It's not a definite change as it's still in the "beta" testing of sorts trying to see how the guys adjust.
I'll also preface this report by saying it's only the first practice of the year and so a lot of things can change. I also don't believe I can talk about a depth chart yet, so I'll refrain from doing that.
Quarterbacks: Mitch Leidner was the still the starter and his ball wasn't great today. His spiral wasn't tight and the ball was wobbly on most throws, but I will say his ball placement today was good overall. He made one bad throw where CB Cavonte Johnson stepped in front of WR Eric Carter for a pick after he stared him down, but I thought he had a solid first day. Completed a nice deep ball to WR Drew Wolitarsky on CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun for a long TD. Made some good throws over the linebackers into the soft spot in the defense to open WR's. For his first day that I've seen this spring, it was good. Chris Streveler looked more comfortable throwing the ball with his motion and the ball had a tight spiral all day. I will say he still has some trouble reading the defense as he tried to fit some balls that DB's such as Eric Murray and Craig James made plays on. Running the read option is where Streveler excels as he consistently got 5-10 yards each time before contact with his acceleration. He also doesn't quite have the velocity of his throws that Leidner does as well. I didn't get to see a lot of Jacques Perra or Conor Rhoda today, but I thought it was clear that Perra was getting more reps that Rhoda. Perra looks like he put on some weight as well.
Running Backs: The trio of Rodrick Williams, Rodney Smith and Jeff Jones got a ton of reps today. Williams does look like he's dropped some weight and is leaner than he was last fall. His burst and physical nature definitely came to play today. To me, he'll definitely be getting carries this fall. Getting to see Smith since the fall and Jones for the first time in person, still speaks volumes to me that they'll definitely be competing for touches in the fall. Rodney isn't the fastest, but his vision and lateral quickness are what set him apart. He has Cobb's vision to where he can get yards that aren't there yet. I noticed that each rep he got, there was positive yards. Definitely something to be said for that. First time watching Jeff Jones reaffirms to be that he's going to be special by the time he leaves the Gophers. Jeff's jump cuts and the way he sets up his blocks are very good. He also is not afraid to mix it up as well as he and LB Cody Poock exchanged a few pleasantries after meeting in the hole. Jeff knows when to lower the shoulder and when to jump cut the defender and get the extra yards. Very excited to watch these guys in the upcoming weeks. Berkley Edwards was in an orange injured jersey after tweaking his hamstring.
Tight Ends: Lincoln Plsek, Brandon Lingen, Nate Wozniak and Duke Anyanwu were getting a ton of reps with the 1's and 2's. Duke looks to be close to 100% back from his injury and was moving well. I'd expect Plsek to continue to be the main blocking tight end in the offense with Lingen, Anyanwu and Wozniak trying to replace Maxx's production. Miles Thomas was again the full back getting the most reps.
Wide Receivers: Just physically, these 2015 wide receivers look a lot different than the 2014 ones. Running out guys like Desmond Gant, Isaiah Gentry and Melvin Holland instead of Logan Hutton looks good coming off the bus. I thought Holland was the best route runner of all the receivers as his routes are so crisp and precise that you can see why he gets open consistently. Holland made some tough catches on the sidelines today, but also missed some easy ones in front of Kill. Gentry and Holland didn't get a lot of balls thrown there way, but had tough times getting open against a physical Eric Murray in 1 on 1's. I think going against the senior defensive backs everyday is going to be huge for these freshman receivers in their development. Also liked what I saw from Eric Carter and Drew Wolitarsky. Woli needs to stay healthy and Carter needs to keep his focus on catching balls, but good first day. Jerry Gibson worked exclusively at wide receiver today as well. He's just a tweener with his size and speed between TE and WR, didn't get to see a ton of him today, so I'll look at him more this upcoming week.
Offensive Line:Guys that got a lot of reps with the first few units were Lauer, Bjorklund, Bobek, Mayes and Pirsig, plus Tyler Moore, Alex Mayes, Foster Bush, Chad Fahning. Josh Campion was held out of contact with back issues. Lauer struggled at LT off the edge and saw Steven Richardson get past Bobek a few times, but overall, not a bad first day. Tyler Moore mixed it up with Duke McGhee after some after the whistle activities occurred. Staff loves his tenacity. Moore is only about 6'2" - 6'3" though.
Defensive Line: Guys that got a lot of reps with the first few units were Hank Ekpe, Andrew Stelter, Steven Richardson and Theiren Cockran, also Gaelin Elmore, Robert Ndondo-Lay, Gary Moore and Alex Keith. I was impressed by Hank Ekpe today as he got good pressure off the edge on Lauer a few times forcing good pressure. Minnesota will need it on a consistent basis. Stelter and Ndondo-Lay worked exclusively at defensive tackle today from what I saw. Richardson looked explosive off the ball and was in the back field a lot.
Linebackers: Guys who got a lot of reps with the first few units were De'Vondre Campbell, Everett Williams and Jack Lynn, plus Jonathan Celestin, Cody Poock and De'Niro Laster as well. Really liked the two freshmen in Everett Williams and Celestin today. Everett comanded the defense well at Mike and got constant praise from Sherels. Celestin had the hit of the day as he absolutely decleated Jeff Jones in the hole giving Jones a nice little welcome to Division One football for the freshman. Poock looked to be back from his ACL tear and moving well. True frosh Julian Huff looked good in space in his drops, but is definitely still learning. Physically, he's short, but is really well put together.
Defensive Backs: My thoughts on newcomers Ace Rogers and Jacob Huff are that Rogers will definitely be contributing next year and Huff could as well. Rogers just has the feel that he knows what he's doing schematically out there (as he should being a JUCO), but I'd expect him to definitely be rotating in with Travis and Johnson. Huff is still learning the drills and coverages, but physically fits the part with the rest of the defensive backs. Eric Murray is really good, but that's nothing new. He's so physical with the wide receivers and uses his length well. I also feel very good after watching Antonio and Damarius as well that this secondary will be the strength along with Boddy and Murray. Duke McGhee, Rogers, Craig James and Myrick all got consistent reps together as well. There is depth in the secondary.
Didn't get to see a ton of specialist work with the low ceilings, but will be watching them more going forward.
Any questions or comments, please leave below. Also, if you attended practice today, please give your thoughts as well!
This post was edited on 3/7 1:49 PM by Ryan Burns
The Andress coaching staff has been in town since Wednesday. Andress is the high school that Rashad Still is from in El Paso (Texas). The head coach and staff had great things to say about Minnesota's staff and are really happy he chose Minnesota.
2015 signees James Johannesson, Nick Connelly and Bronson Dovich were all at practice today. Connelly and Dovich were hanging around with 2016 recruits Matt Kegel and Sam Schlueter the whole practice, so that was good.
Recruits Carter Coughlin, Thomas Barber, Sam Schlueter and Matt Kegel were traveling around practice today. Cooper ATH Phillip Howard and Elk River QB Trent Pink were also at practice as well.
The staff estimated that about 300 fans came out today, so very good first turnout. I'll also echo on what others are saying about the offense trying to go more up tempo. They are using wrist bands and the OL is getting signals from the sidelines as well. It's not a definite change as it's still in the "beta" testing of sorts trying to see how the guys adjust.
I'll also preface this report by saying it's only the first practice of the year and so a lot of things can change. I also don't believe I can talk about a depth chart yet, so I'll refrain from doing that.
Quarterbacks: Mitch Leidner was the still the starter and his ball wasn't great today. His spiral wasn't tight and the ball was wobbly on most throws, but I will say his ball placement today was good overall. He made one bad throw where CB Cavonte Johnson stepped in front of WR Eric Carter for a pick after he stared him down, but I thought he had a solid first day. Completed a nice deep ball to WR Drew Wolitarsky on CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun for a long TD. Made some good throws over the linebackers into the soft spot in the defense to open WR's. For his first day that I've seen this spring, it was good. Chris Streveler looked more comfortable throwing the ball with his motion and the ball had a tight spiral all day. I will say he still has some trouble reading the defense as he tried to fit some balls that DB's such as Eric Murray and Craig James made plays on. Running the read option is where Streveler excels as he consistently got 5-10 yards each time before contact with his acceleration. He also doesn't quite have the velocity of his throws that Leidner does as well. I didn't get to see a lot of Jacques Perra or Conor Rhoda today, but I thought it was clear that Perra was getting more reps that Rhoda. Perra looks like he put on some weight as well.
Running Backs: The trio of Rodrick Williams, Rodney Smith and Jeff Jones got a ton of reps today. Williams does look like he's dropped some weight and is leaner than he was last fall. His burst and physical nature definitely came to play today. To me, he'll definitely be getting carries this fall. Getting to see Smith since the fall and Jones for the first time in person, still speaks volumes to me that they'll definitely be competing for touches in the fall. Rodney isn't the fastest, but his vision and lateral quickness are what set him apart. He has Cobb's vision to where he can get yards that aren't there yet. I noticed that each rep he got, there was positive yards. Definitely something to be said for that. First time watching Jeff Jones reaffirms to be that he's going to be special by the time he leaves the Gophers. Jeff's jump cuts and the way he sets up his blocks are very good. He also is not afraid to mix it up as well as he and LB Cody Poock exchanged a few pleasantries after meeting in the hole. Jeff knows when to lower the shoulder and when to jump cut the defender and get the extra yards. Very excited to watch these guys in the upcoming weeks. Berkley Edwards was in an orange injured jersey after tweaking his hamstring.
Tight Ends: Lincoln Plsek, Brandon Lingen, Nate Wozniak and Duke Anyanwu were getting a ton of reps with the 1's and 2's. Duke looks to be close to 100% back from his injury and was moving well. I'd expect Plsek to continue to be the main blocking tight end in the offense with Lingen, Anyanwu and Wozniak trying to replace Maxx's production. Miles Thomas was again the full back getting the most reps.
Wide Receivers: Just physically, these 2015 wide receivers look a lot different than the 2014 ones. Running out guys like Desmond Gant, Isaiah Gentry and Melvin Holland instead of Logan Hutton looks good coming off the bus. I thought Holland was the best route runner of all the receivers as his routes are so crisp and precise that you can see why he gets open consistently. Holland made some tough catches on the sidelines today, but also missed some easy ones in front of Kill. Gentry and Holland didn't get a lot of balls thrown there way, but had tough times getting open against a physical Eric Murray in 1 on 1's. I think going against the senior defensive backs everyday is going to be huge for these freshman receivers in their development. Also liked what I saw from Eric Carter and Drew Wolitarsky. Woli needs to stay healthy and Carter needs to keep his focus on catching balls, but good first day. Jerry Gibson worked exclusively at wide receiver today as well. He's just a tweener with his size and speed between TE and WR, didn't get to see a ton of him today, so I'll look at him more this upcoming week.
Offensive Line:Guys that got a lot of reps with the first few units were Lauer, Bjorklund, Bobek, Mayes and Pirsig, plus Tyler Moore, Alex Mayes, Foster Bush, Chad Fahning. Josh Campion was held out of contact with back issues. Lauer struggled at LT off the edge and saw Steven Richardson get past Bobek a few times, but overall, not a bad first day. Tyler Moore mixed it up with Duke McGhee after some after the whistle activities occurred. Staff loves his tenacity. Moore is only about 6'2" - 6'3" though.
Defensive Line: Guys that got a lot of reps with the first few units were Hank Ekpe, Andrew Stelter, Steven Richardson and Theiren Cockran, also Gaelin Elmore, Robert Ndondo-Lay, Gary Moore and Alex Keith. I was impressed by Hank Ekpe today as he got good pressure off the edge on Lauer a few times forcing good pressure. Minnesota will need it on a consistent basis. Stelter and Ndondo-Lay worked exclusively at defensive tackle today from what I saw. Richardson looked explosive off the ball and was in the back field a lot.
Linebackers: Guys who got a lot of reps with the first few units were De'Vondre Campbell, Everett Williams and Jack Lynn, plus Jonathan Celestin, Cody Poock and De'Niro Laster as well. Really liked the two freshmen in Everett Williams and Celestin today. Everett comanded the defense well at Mike and got constant praise from Sherels. Celestin had the hit of the day as he absolutely decleated Jeff Jones in the hole giving Jones a nice little welcome to Division One football for the freshman. Poock looked to be back from his ACL tear and moving well. True frosh Julian Huff looked good in space in his drops, but is definitely still learning. Physically, he's short, but is really well put together.
Defensive Backs: My thoughts on newcomers Ace Rogers and Jacob Huff are that Rogers will definitely be contributing next year and Huff could as well. Rogers just has the feel that he knows what he's doing schematically out there (as he should being a JUCO), but I'd expect him to definitely be rotating in with Travis and Johnson. Huff is still learning the drills and coverages, but physically fits the part with the rest of the defensive backs. Eric Murray is really good, but that's nothing new. He's so physical with the wide receivers and uses his length well. I also feel very good after watching Antonio and Damarius as well that this secondary will be the strength along with Boddy and Murray. Duke McGhee, Rogers, Craig James and Myrick all got consistent reps together as well. There is depth in the secondary.
Didn't get to see a ton of specialist work with the low ceilings, but will be watching them more going forward.
Any questions or comments, please leave below. Also, if you attended practice today, please give your thoughts as well!
This post was edited on 3/7 1:49 PM by Ryan Burns
