A few football-related insights and observations as the Tigers prepare to hit the practice fields this evening to complete their first two-a-day of August camp:
-- Earlier today we noted that C.J. Fuller had been making an impression on the coaches during camp. Today Tony Elliott was asked about Fuller's progress earlier today.
"He's got great eye discipline. He's got great anticipation. He's hitting the hole with speed and leverage. He's hard to tackle."
In addition to this, Fuller has been more than willing to step up and deliver a block in pass protection.
"For a redshirt freshman, he's had minimal missed assignments," Elliott said.
Fuller regressed a bit today, but overall he's someone to watch as we get closer to the season. My hunch is the best three backs are going to be Wayne Gallman, C.J. Davidson and Fuller, but obviously there's a lot of time left for Tyshon Dye, Zac Brooks and Adam Choice to show what they can do. Choice looked good today, by the way, indicating he's fine after some anxious moments with his knee late last week.
-- Heading into camp, Brent Venables loved the returns he was getting on freshman linemen Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell. Six practices in, he's still high on those three. He says Wilkins does a great job of mixing "ability with attitude" while also showing a great work ethic. He said Bryant and Ferrell "can hold up against anyone out there," and that certainly has been on display from the segments we've been able to watch.
-- There's some concern about Stanton Seckinger, who missed today's practice. Elliott said Seckinger "felt a little something" in the knee that underwent ACL surgery, so they decided to hold him out. Elliott said the staff "has known that's going to be a process." Seckinger was moving around well during practice last week, so this looks like a setback.
-- The staff entered camp thinking Taylor Hearn was going to be inside, but so far he's shown a knack for tackle so they're cross-training him.
-- Jay Guillermo is now at second-team center, and in part that's a function of Ryan Norton's concussion. The staff wanted to make Guillermo work his way back up after his extended absence, and so far so good on that count.
-- As we noted earlier today, quite a few scuffles thus far and plenty involving freshmen. Venables was asked if he'd like to see his guys "tone it down" some and the response went something like: "Uh ... no."
"We'd be very concerned if we didn't have that kind of passion and attitude out there," he said.
Elliott was asked about this also.
"We're quick to break it up to let them understand that, 'Look, during the course of a game you can't fight. It's a penalty that will cost the team.' But as a coach, from a football standpoint you like to see that fire and that passion. Because it's a competitive game. At the end of the day, it comes down to one-on-one matchups. And you're pretty much in a fight the entire game within the whistles."
Mitch Hyatt hasn't been afraid to mix it up, as we've noted several times. Elliott's take on that:
"Don't let Mitch's quiet demeanor fool you, now. He's got that nastiness to him. He's got that right demeanor, and he's not going to back down from anybody. He's getting tested every day. He's getting pushed. So he's going to be passionate. He gets upset when he gets beat. He's got that competitive fire to him."
-- Sat down and chatted with Carlos Watkins today, and was curious to get his thoughts on playing defensive tackle in the era of ultra-spread offenses. Here's part of that conversation:
-- And a few shots of practice today, starting with a PC Ben Boulware (post-Chewbacca):
-- Earlier today we noted that C.J. Fuller had been making an impression on the coaches during camp. Today Tony Elliott was asked about Fuller's progress earlier today.
"He's got great eye discipline. He's got great anticipation. He's hitting the hole with speed and leverage. He's hard to tackle."
In addition to this, Fuller has been more than willing to step up and deliver a block in pass protection.
"For a redshirt freshman, he's had minimal missed assignments," Elliott said.
Fuller regressed a bit today, but overall he's someone to watch as we get closer to the season. My hunch is the best three backs are going to be Wayne Gallman, C.J. Davidson and Fuller, but obviously there's a lot of time left for Tyshon Dye, Zac Brooks and Adam Choice to show what they can do. Choice looked good today, by the way, indicating he's fine after some anxious moments with his knee late last week.
-- Heading into camp, Brent Venables loved the returns he was getting on freshman linemen Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell. Six practices in, he's still high on those three. He says Wilkins does a great job of mixing "ability with attitude" while also showing a great work ethic. He said Bryant and Ferrell "can hold up against anyone out there," and that certainly has been on display from the segments we've been able to watch.
-- There's some concern about Stanton Seckinger, who missed today's practice. Elliott said Seckinger "felt a little something" in the knee that underwent ACL surgery, so they decided to hold him out. Elliott said the staff "has known that's going to be a process." Seckinger was moving around well during practice last week, so this looks like a setback.
-- The staff entered camp thinking Taylor Hearn was going to be inside, but so far he's shown a knack for tackle so they're cross-training him.
-- Jay Guillermo is now at second-team center, and in part that's a function of Ryan Norton's concussion. The staff wanted to make Guillermo work his way back up after his extended absence, and so far so good on that count.
-- As we noted earlier today, quite a few scuffles thus far and plenty involving freshmen. Venables was asked if he'd like to see his guys "tone it down" some and the response went something like: "Uh ... no."
"We'd be very concerned if we didn't have that kind of passion and attitude out there," he said.
Elliott was asked about this also.
"We're quick to break it up to let them understand that, 'Look, during the course of a game you can't fight. It's a penalty that will cost the team.' But as a coach, from a football standpoint you like to see that fire and that passion. Because it's a competitive game. At the end of the day, it comes down to one-on-one matchups. And you're pretty much in a fight the entire game within the whistles."
Mitch Hyatt hasn't been afraid to mix it up, as we've noted several times. Elliott's take on that:
"Don't let Mitch's quiet demeanor fool you, now. He's got that nastiness to him. He's got that right demeanor, and he's not going to back down from anybody. He's getting tested every day. He's getting pushed. So he's going to be passionate. He gets upset when he gets beat. He's got that competitive fire to him."
-- Sat down and chatted with Carlos Watkins today, and was curious to get his thoughts on playing defensive tackle in the era of ultra-spread offenses. Here's part of that conversation:
-- And a few shots of practice today, starting with a PC Ben Boulware (post-Chewbacca):
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