Plenty of good stuff to get to this evening after watching practice and chatting with players and coaches. Here goes:
-- Trevion Thompson has had an excellent two days, better than any other receiver out there. He got singled out today in one instance for not being set and ready for a play, but otherwise he's made a bunch of difficult catches.
"This kid is going to be a great player for us," Dabo Swinney said. "Trevion has completely transformed as a player from last year."
Jeff Scott also raved about Thompson when we talked with him today.
-- Deon Cain had several catches today, including a spectacular one-hander on the sideline. Special stuff that surely made the coaches nod while thinking, "Yep, that's the stud we knew we were getting." Cain is still having some issues with consistency -- he dropped a ball on a middle screen at one point today -- but he gives great effort and he's quite competitive. There doesn't appear to be any prima donna in this guy, no sense of entitlement just because he was such a commodity in high school.
-- I've talked to several folks about Ray-Ray McCloud, and everyone confirms my impressions after watching him for two days: Kid is just a natural. He's so fluid and comfortable out there. I think it's been a bit of a surprise to the coaches to see it so quickly. They anticipated a more pronounced transition to the college game.
-- Earlier today I gushed about the defensive line talent that replaces all those studs from last season. Hate to be repetitive, but what unfolded during today's practice just reinforced it. These guys are going to be hard to block. They're not in pads yet, so it's too early to draw ironclad conclusions, but you definitely get the sense that this offensive line is going to have a tough time with Shaq Lawson, D.J. Reader and Co.
-- Long-term this offensive line is going to be good. The only question is, how long is long-term? They're going to spend much of camp sort of finding their way. Two positives: 1) The first major test is in the third game; and 2) They won't face many defensive lines that are better than the one they're facing every day.
-- Germone Hopper is still up and down. Makes a great play, then drops a ball.
-- Nick Schuessler had some struggles for the second day in a row. Some poor decisions, and he had issues getting shotgun snaps. The backup centers have been inconsistent with their snaps, but Schuessler bobbled one that was pretty close to perfect. That said, there's still a significant gap between Schuessler and third-stringer Kelly Bryant. Swinney said it's not even close between those two.
-- Jordan Leggett had a really nice diving catch on a long wheel route from Deshaun Watson. Swinney said he really likes the look in Leggett's eye. "He's got a focus I haven't seen since he's been here."
-- Swinney said he hopes Tucker Israel is back by the week of the opener against Wofford. Israel broke his foot in the first five minutes of Tuesday's practice and had surgery to insert a screw.
-- Asked about Mike Williams, Swinney reiterated what he's said several times before: Williams is a bigger, stronger version of Nuk Hopkins but he hasn't shown the same physicality and killer instinct. "There's a whole other level for him."
-- Quote of the day goes to the head coach:
"We're a good looking team. If it was a beauty pageant, man we'd be in the hunt."
-- Earlier today we solicited questions for Williams and Lawson, who were slated to chat with the media after practice. As it turned out neither was available, and that kind of thing happens. Apologies to all who submitted questions. We did, however, ask Eric Mac Lain to give his take on Christian Wilkins and Albert Huggins. Good stuff here:
Hope everyone out there is doing well this evening.
-- Trevion Thompson has had an excellent two days, better than any other receiver out there. He got singled out today in one instance for not being set and ready for a play, but otherwise he's made a bunch of difficult catches.
"This kid is going to be a great player for us," Dabo Swinney said. "Trevion has completely transformed as a player from last year."
Jeff Scott also raved about Thompson when we talked with him today.
-- Deon Cain had several catches today, including a spectacular one-hander on the sideline. Special stuff that surely made the coaches nod while thinking, "Yep, that's the stud we knew we were getting." Cain is still having some issues with consistency -- he dropped a ball on a middle screen at one point today -- but he gives great effort and he's quite competitive. There doesn't appear to be any prima donna in this guy, no sense of entitlement just because he was such a commodity in high school.
-- I've talked to several folks about Ray-Ray McCloud, and everyone confirms my impressions after watching him for two days: Kid is just a natural. He's so fluid and comfortable out there. I think it's been a bit of a surprise to the coaches to see it so quickly. They anticipated a more pronounced transition to the college game.
-- Earlier today I gushed about the defensive line talent that replaces all those studs from last season. Hate to be repetitive, but what unfolded during today's practice just reinforced it. These guys are going to be hard to block. They're not in pads yet, so it's too early to draw ironclad conclusions, but you definitely get the sense that this offensive line is going to have a tough time with Shaq Lawson, D.J. Reader and Co.
-- Long-term this offensive line is going to be good. The only question is, how long is long-term? They're going to spend much of camp sort of finding their way. Two positives: 1) The first major test is in the third game; and 2) They won't face many defensive lines that are better than the one they're facing every day.
-- Germone Hopper is still up and down. Makes a great play, then drops a ball.
-- Nick Schuessler had some struggles for the second day in a row. Some poor decisions, and he had issues getting shotgun snaps. The backup centers have been inconsistent with their snaps, but Schuessler bobbled one that was pretty close to perfect. That said, there's still a significant gap between Schuessler and third-stringer Kelly Bryant. Swinney said it's not even close between those two.
-- Jordan Leggett had a really nice diving catch on a long wheel route from Deshaun Watson. Swinney said he really likes the look in Leggett's eye. "He's got a focus I haven't seen since he's been here."
-- Swinney said he hopes Tucker Israel is back by the week of the opener against Wofford. Israel broke his foot in the first five minutes of Tuesday's practice and had surgery to insert a screw.
-- Asked about Mike Williams, Swinney reiterated what he's said several times before: Williams is a bigger, stronger version of Nuk Hopkins but he hasn't shown the same physicality and killer instinct. "There's a whole other level for him."
-- Quote of the day goes to the head coach:
"We're a good looking team. If it was a beauty pageant, man we'd be in the hunt."
-- Earlier today we solicited questions for Williams and Lawson, who were slated to chat with the media after practice. As it turned out neither was available, and that kind of thing happens. Apologies to all who submitted questions. We did, however, ask Eric Mac Lain to give his take on Christian Wilkins and Albert Huggins. Good stuff here:
Hope everyone out there is doing well this evening.
