The receiver room and the DB room have been the story of camp since day one, and today did nothing to change that.
Quick hits from practice before we all get too locked into Friday's scrimmage.
- Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate are the two receivers, full stop.
There's no ambiguity left in that competition. Toney is the best player in the country at his position and does it his own way — he's not trying to be anybody else. Barkate is faster than people give him credit for; Ahmmon Richards, who ran a legit 4.31 himself, backs that up, and he's not some possession-only guy. He's making explosive plays down the field and celebrating them.
- The Cam Vaughn situation stings from a personal level — but competitively it clears a spot in a receiver room that has too much talent anyway. He was buried on the third team most of camp. This isn't really about replacing production. It's about a room that was always going to be crowded getting one target lighter.
- Daylyn Upshaw and Josh Moore are next up behind Toney and Barkate, and it's shaping up as a two-man race, not three or four guys fighting for scraps. Upshaw is rock-solid — good hands, breaks tackles, runs sharp routes, probably your best screen guy not named Toney. Moore's séance is different: he's 6-foot-4 and has legit contested-catch ability. The next step for him is having the game where he just dominates and never looks back.
- Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris and Vance Spafford are freshmen pushing to separate from that group. Spafford has made the biggest jump on the entire offense from spring to fall — the route running, the quickness, the speed combination is unique, and he doesn't try to be Toney. He's got a different gear: legit 4.3 speed down the field.
- Damari Brown is healthy, and I want that on the record because the questions about him never stop. He's making plays on the ball, running with receivers down the field, and he's still one of the two hardest hitters in the entire DB room. His dad played the same way for the U. Watching him this week, the Vontae Davis comparison isn't a stretch — that same combination of speed and physicality that made Davis a first-round pick out of Illinois.
- JJ Dunnigan is the name I keep coming back to. This is a freshman getting to the point where you stop qualifying it with "good for a freshman" and start asking if he's just one of your best players.
- Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount are your breakout edge rushers. Lightfoot is up to around 240 pounds, has a spin move that's been electric all camp, and chases plays down from the backside better than almost anyone on the roster. Blount is powerful for his size — not a finesse player, a guy who knocks people back — and he had another strong day. Put him in the breakout category without hesitation.
- Jarquez Carter and Omar Thornton are the two portal additions that have outperformed even my own expectations, and I thought they'd be good.
Carter coming off the bench is a joke — he'd be the best defensive tackle on plenty of ACC rosters. He's athletic, explosive and has a real impact on the interior. Thornton, along with Dunnigan, is the reason the corner room doesn't miss a beat after losing Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas.
- Samson Okunlola at left tackle has been one of the better stories of camp. I thought he profiled as a guard. Wrong.
He's too quick and athletic for that, and left tackle is working. Five-star recruit, graduated early, never complained waiting his turn — now he's the presumptive starter at left tackle against Stanford, and he's earned it.
- Dereon Coleman continues to trend up. He's got the best release on the roster — people notice it in about five minutes of watching him throw. Mensah is mentoring him, which makes sense given the arm-talent overlap, though Coleman's release might be even quicker.
He's stringing together good days, not just good throws, and that's the more important signal this late in camp.
- Cole McConathy moving to tight end looks like the right call. He's not a finished product — nobody expected him to be Jason Witten in year one at the position — but he's competitive, he's blocking, and the trajectory says he could see the field this season.
- DeAnthony Lafayette is a different kind of edge presence. He's got a great motor, elite bend, and the ability to win with speed to the quarterback at a high level. Miami's had a few guys with this kind of profile succeed at getting after the passer, and I like him in that role.
- Keona Davis is a bigger version of Armondo Blount, physically. Someone asked if he's more of a Mesidor comp — no, different body type entirely.
- Among the young defensive tackles, Keshawn Stancil is my pick as furthest along right now, though that group is developing at different rates across the board.
- The linebacker room battle behind Mo Toure and Chase Smith:
Cam Pruitt is really surging. Kellen Wiley Jr. is the most talented from an athletic-traits standpoint — can rush the passer, can play off the ball. Ezekiel Marcelin and Kamal Bonner are your true between-the-tackles linebackers. And keep an eye on JJ Edwards who needs to add weight, but he's fast and talented enough that once the frame catches up, he could be a real problem in this defense.
- Good feedback on the offensive line from people who actually break down the film, not just watch it live. Don't be surprised to see rotation on that group early in the season — that's by design, to develop the young talent behind the starters, not a sign of instability.
- Health-wise, this team is in very good shape heading into the final scrimmage. Strength and conditioning deserves real credit here — injuries are always somewhat fluky, but this group looks conditioned for how physical camp has been.
We're getting close to Friday's scrimmage, and after that it's a full pivot to Stanford. I'll have more from the practice field all week — make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss any of it.
Quick hits from practice before we all get too locked into Friday's scrimmage.
- Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate are the two receivers, full stop.
There's no ambiguity left in that competition. Toney is the best player in the country at his position and does it his own way — he's not trying to be anybody else. Barkate is faster than people give him credit for; Ahmmon Richards, who ran a legit 4.31 himself, backs that up, and he's not some possession-only guy. He's making explosive plays down the field and celebrating them.
- The Cam Vaughn situation stings from a personal level — but competitively it clears a spot in a receiver room that has too much talent anyway. He was buried on the third team most of camp. This isn't really about replacing production. It's about a room that was always going to be crowded getting one target lighter.
- Daylyn Upshaw and Josh Moore are next up behind Toney and Barkate, and it's shaping up as a two-man race, not three or four guys fighting for scraps. Upshaw is rock-solid — good hands, breaks tackles, runs sharp routes, probably your best screen guy not named Toney. Moore's séance is different: he's 6-foot-4 and has legit contested-catch ability. The next step for him is having the game where he just dominates and never looks back.
- Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris and Vance Spafford are freshmen pushing to separate from that group. Spafford has made the biggest jump on the entire offense from spring to fall — the route running, the quickness, the speed combination is unique, and he doesn't try to be Toney. He's got a different gear: legit 4.3 speed down the field.
- Damari Brown is healthy, and I want that on the record because the questions about him never stop. He's making plays on the ball, running with receivers down the field, and he's still one of the two hardest hitters in the entire DB room. His dad played the same way for the U. Watching him this week, the Vontae Davis comparison isn't a stretch — that same combination of speed and physicality that made Davis a first-round pick out of Illinois.
- JJ Dunnigan is the name I keep coming back to. This is a freshman getting to the point where you stop qualifying it with "good for a freshman" and start asking if he's just one of your best players.
- Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount are your breakout edge rushers. Lightfoot is up to around 240 pounds, has a spin move that's been electric all camp, and chases plays down from the backside better than almost anyone on the roster. Blount is powerful for his size — not a finesse player, a guy who knocks people back — and he had another strong day. Put him in the breakout category without hesitation.
- Jarquez Carter and Omar Thornton are the two portal additions that have outperformed even my own expectations, and I thought they'd be good.
Carter coming off the bench is a joke — he'd be the best defensive tackle on plenty of ACC rosters. He's athletic, explosive and has a real impact on the interior. Thornton, along with Dunnigan, is the reason the corner room doesn't miss a beat after losing Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas.
- Samson Okunlola at left tackle has been one of the better stories of camp. I thought he profiled as a guard. Wrong.
He's too quick and athletic for that, and left tackle is working. Five-star recruit, graduated early, never complained waiting his turn — now he's the presumptive starter at left tackle against Stanford, and he's earned it.
- Dereon Coleman continues to trend up. He's got the best release on the roster — people notice it in about five minutes of watching him throw. Mensah is mentoring him, which makes sense given the arm-talent overlap, though Coleman's release might be even quicker.
He's stringing together good days, not just good throws, and that's the more important signal this late in camp.
- Cole McConathy moving to tight end looks like the right call. He's not a finished product — nobody expected him to be Jason Witten in year one at the position — but he's competitive, he's blocking, and the trajectory says he could see the field this season.
- DeAnthony Lafayette is a different kind of edge presence. He's got a great motor, elite bend, and the ability to win with speed to the quarterback at a high level. Miami's had a few guys with this kind of profile succeed at getting after the passer, and I like him in that role.
- Keona Davis is a bigger version of Armondo Blount, physically. Someone asked if he's more of a Mesidor comp — no, different body type entirely.
- Among the young defensive tackles, Keshawn Stancil is my pick as furthest along right now, though that group is developing at different rates across the board.
- The linebacker room battle behind Mo Toure and Chase Smith:
Cam Pruitt is really surging. Kellen Wiley Jr. is the most talented from an athletic-traits standpoint — can rush the passer, can play off the ball. Ezekiel Marcelin and Kamal Bonner are your true between-the-tackles linebackers. And keep an eye on JJ Edwards who needs to add weight, but he's fast and talented enough that once the frame catches up, he could be a real problem in this defense.
- Good feedback on the offensive line from people who actually break down the film, not just watch it live. Don't be surprised to see rotation on that group early in the season — that's by design, to develop the young talent behind the starters, not a sign of instability.
- Health-wise, this team is in very good shape heading into the final scrimmage. Strength and conditioning deserves real credit here — injuries are always somewhat fluky, but this group looks conditioned for how physical camp has been.
We're getting close to Friday's scrimmage, and after that it's a full pivot to Stanford. I'll have more from the practice field all week — make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss any of it.
how much widget has Pruitt put on ?
