Today is one of the best days of the year. Greentree All-Americans are crowned and we can finally talk football. This is the first practice in shells, so don't call your bookies yet. But here are some first impressions:
-
Carson Beck is healthy. At 6'4, 220, he looks the part and the ball jumps out of his hands. He overthrew a couple guys early, but you could tell he felt good.
Based on my first viewing, the biggest difference between Beck and Cam is their pace. Both guys are quick thinkers with quick arms, but Cam takes more time to hunt bigger plays. Beck isn't that kind of improviser but is good at finding his checkdown. It's hard to judge leadership by watching a two-hour practice, but he seemed comfortable with his teammates and excited to be playing.
- North Dakota State RB
Marty Brown has been working hard in the weight room. Even without pads he looks like a wrecking ball. Excited to see him in full contact.
- The receiver that caught my attention was LSU transfer WR
CJ Daniels. He's still working his way back, but he separated easily and looks full speed after foot surgery. He's another sixth-year senior and brings leadership and grown-man strength (6'2, 205) to the room.
- The defensive back room looks the part.
OJ Frederique was wearing the black non-contact jersey, but he still played physical and broke up several passes. I don't see any loss of confidence there. This was my first look at freshmen
Bryce Fitzgerald and
Jaboree Antoine. Fitzgerald looked big at 187 pounds and lined up mostly at safety. We will find out if he can tackle enough to stay there, but his athleticism is easy to see. Antoine played corner and moved well coming off an ACL. He will have a chance to play somewhere. The safeties (
Zechariah Poyser and
Jakobe Thomas) have more length and suddenness than our safeties last year.
- Overall, we looked healthy. LB
Mo Toure moved well while looking like the Terminator. TE
Alex Bauman was a full go. OTs
Matt McCoy and
Deryc Plazz were back in action. Even WR
Chance Robinson was out there. We have a full squad as we head into August.
- The starters on the OL were as expected (Bell, Rodriguez/McCoy, Brock, Cooper, Mauigoa) but
Samson Okunlola got a lot of work at both LT and LG. You can tell he's a big part of Mirabal's plans.
- Everybody knows how I feel about
Elija Lofton, but I'm excited to watch the rest of the tight end room. Bauman,
Brock Schott,
Luka Gilbert and
Owen Ruskavich are all strong dudes and competitors. That's a battle to monitor.
- Overall, I like the way it looks. It's too early for anything meaningful, but there is no position on the roster as weak as last year's defensive back room. There is length and athleticism at every position, and we have a physical roster.
This version is the radio edit from the media portion of practice. For more specific thoughts, sign up for Canes Connection by using promo code CIS50 and clicking this link to get on the mailing list for tonight's Zoom call at 7. That code takes 50% off the first month.
I will be having a call every week to provide practice information for the donor community. Let's be part of the sixth championship.
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