Here are my thoughts. I only stayed for the 1H.
For me, Toney and Pringle were the standouts.
But, first, QBs. I arrived while the QBs were all lofting passes down the sidelines to WRs. In that setting, Judd looks good. He's big and tall and throws a nice ball. Compared to Judd and Emory, Nickel looked like a walk-on. But I was chatting with
@DMoney and he noted that Judd and Emory are big dudes. When he was in, Nickel didn't look as undersized as he did in warmups.
In terms of live reps, it was Emory, Nickel, Judd. I'd say 45%, 35%, 20% if I had to guess more or less.
Nickel was by far the most impressive of the 3.
Emory is Emory. His athleticism is very limited. Nickel and Judd can scoot and scramble. Unfortunately for Emory, when he feels pressure, rather than move around he checks down to the flats. By and large, it felt like nearly every pass he completed was to RB. It was boring. He had one nice pass to the middle of the field to Ray Ray (nice toss and catch). But it seems that he looks downfield at the snap and if nothing is there immediately, his head darts to the sideline to get rid of it because he doesn't have the athletic ability or confidence to hang in and wait to see if someone comes open.
Judd. Eh. Like I said, I think the physical tools are there but it doesn't seem to click once bullets are live. He needs a lot of reps to develop. I don't like playing the portal speculation game, but IMO, he ought to transfer to a smaller school, get some reps, and then maybe move up if he can develop.
Nickel is fearless. He should be finishing his last semester of HS. But the moment did not seem too big for him. And it would be easy for a true frosh to look like a deer in headlights after probably just a handful of practices. As
@DMoney said, he keeps his eyes downfield. Very reminiscent of Cam in that regard. He's always looking to make plays. And he seemed very comfortable in the pocket, which is a big plus since that is something that isn't easily taught. Either you are natural in that regard or not. He seems natural. That said, QBs weren't getting hit so we'll see once things are truly live. His pass to Toney was the play of the game.
WR play is a big question mark. Hard to judge without Beck. Like, for example, 19 (Carr) blew by some DBs but Emory checked it down.
Toney was the star. That catch from Nickel was sick. Go on the 305sports insta. They got a ridiculous angle of the catch. He had another catch over the middle for a catch and run TD.
@DMoney gets some flak here for hyping up freshmen who then don't get a lot of run but I don't see how Toney doesn't get a lot of reps this year. Not sure how you keep him off the field. Kid seems natural and has that So Fla athletic arrogance.
CJ Daniels definitely fits the prototype big body WR.
TEs . . . I was getting mixed up with Schott, Bauman, Ruskavich. Hard to follow with all these new numbers. Gilbert stands out physically. He's listed at 6'7" and I don't think that's a typo. He looks like Mike Gesiki. I doubt he'll ever be an in-line blocker because he's pretty lean but interesting potential.
RBs . . . color me an optimist. I see some discussion here about portal. IMO, I don't think we need it. Lyle, Fletch, Pringle and Lofton seem like a good 4. Now, I have no clue about what CWH and Pringle provide in pass pro and we know that if coaches think they'll get QB killed they won't play so maybe portal is an option for an experienced backup but IDK, I think we have enough. I'd allot that money elsewhere.
Pringle looked **** good. He had one play and I forget if it was a catch or a run but he was in the open field and just planted and cut and dusted some dude. It was nasty and explosive. That plant and go was impressive and athletically powerful. Not sure I've seen that from anyone on the roster. Very small sample size though. But he looks like a natural that can play. That said, I'm not expecting much from him. Sounds like he's behind Lyle, Fletch and maybe Lofton too so not sure we see too much of him but I'm intrigued. He's the kid you stay to see in the 4th Qtr against the Bethunes of the world.
In terms of venue, ugh. I guess its cool to host it on campus for those who don't make it out there often but for viewing purposes, it's bad. It was hard to see. No replays. And angles were bad. We had a tent right in front of us that blocked about 10 yards of the field. I'm not sure I'd go out again if its held on campus.
BTW, whatever happened to hosting spring game for community purposes? We need to generate enthusiasm and interest from the community and young kids. That venue does not permit for that. Nor does how tickets are obtained. It's too **** hard. Some guy and his family were looking for tickets and I doubt they got in. I don't think you can just show up and watch, which kinda sucks.
Defensively, hard to keep up with new numbers and bad viewing angles. Donta Simpson looks like he's spent several years in a college weight room. Impressive dude. Markeith made a great backfield tackle in a goalline situation. Popo also had a nice play in goal line stand.
Elijah Arroyo, Quad Hill, Rohan Marley and Bernie Kosar were all out there. I also swear I saw noted Canes fan and [c]orn star Cory Chase. If that wasn't her, the dude with her is likely answering questions all the time.
BTW, hanging out with Pete and
@DMoney you'd think they were Hurricane All-Americans. Everyone knows who they are! Good dudes.
