Observations after a week of practice

DMoney

Friday at 4:22 PM 3 min read

It’s early in spring, but first impressions are still valuable. Here are some things I’m seeing and hearing after a week on Greentree:

- Xavier Lucas and Zechariah Poyser look impactful. Lucas is huge at CB and made a beautiful INT in one-on-one coverage on Wednesday. His straight-line speed and length allow him to recover when he does get beat. Poyser is twitchy and smart with ball skills.

Lucas was the #1 CB in the Portal, and Poyser was the #2 safety. Both rankings look legit. These are NFL talents who would have made a major difference on last year’s team.

- The three freshmen at WR (Malachi Toney, Josh Moore, Daylyn Upshaw) have all made plays. Toney is the furthest ahead because of his IQ. I think he has a chance to play big snaps. Moore is moving well at his size. Upshaw is lankier than expected and makes plays every practice. These guys work the JUGS machine after practice and look like they belong. Still very early, but a nice start.

- Recruiting matters at DL, and two guys who look like five-star recruits are Armondo Blount and Hayden Lowe. They are huge at DE, play with power, and have done the right things so far. These are the types of physical profiles that typically go to Georgia.

- Overall, the team looks bigger and longer. That’s a consistent comment from longtime practice observers and coaches.

We’ve said that every spring of the Cristobal era, but it’s the byproduct of aggressive talent acquisition. There aren’t a lot of 6’2 guards, 5’11 defensive tackles and 5’9 corners running around anymore.

- The best player on the team might be Elija Lofton. He’s been a beast in the weight room and is a natural football player. It’s all coming together for him to have a monster year.

- JoJo Trader is carrying himself like a #1. The confidence from the bowl game and the added weight is helping him. I still expect us to add an impactful WR and LB in the Portal.

- QB play is still getting up to speed. Nobody has separated themselves as #2 behind Carson Beck, but it’s too early. We won’t have a great feel for this offense until Beck returns.

- Dylan Day is a name to watch at safety. He’s made some nice plays on the ball. We know he can run and hit from his time on special teams.

- Too early for a true evaluation, but DT Donta Simpson looks right. Good size and movement.

- RayRay Joseph looks to have shed some weight and ticked up his speed. He will have his hands full holding off Toney.

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J
jsy

Today at 3:55 PM

OrangeBowlMagic said:
There are very, very few rooms in America that Jason Taylor would trade ours for, straight up.

our DE room is nasty
we gotta stop going into the portal now
and just let our coaches cook
the materials cant be much better

N
NCCanefan

Today at 4:06 PM

Man it is going to be a long time until 8/31/25

Today at 4:14 PM

This is CIS gold. Half the porsters want to start freshmen at every position and the other half want to bring in transfers at every position.

I’d be surprised if we grabbed another defensive starter in the portal in spring unless someone gets hurt.

I’m also of the opinion that we’ll be fine at linebacker too. Kiko looked like he was playing in cement shoes last year and then goes to the combine and kills the speed/agility drills. So is he just really slow on game days or was he lost on defense last year like pretty much everyone?

Bender

Today at 4:28 PM

DTP said:
This is CIS gold. Half the porsters want to start freshmen at every position and the other half want to bring in transfers at every position.

I’d be surprised if we grabbed another defensive starter in the portal in spring unless someone gets hurt.

I’m also of the opinion that we’ll be fine at linebacker too. Kiko looked like he was playing in cement shoes last year and then goes to the combine and kills the speed/agility drills. So is he just really slow on game days or was he lost on defense last year like pretty much everyone?

You forgot the brigade of users who want to change three positions at the O-Line.

DadeBaby

Today at 4:35 PM

grover said:
First Team All ACC LBs: Louis 225, Carter 230, Buchanan 235
Second Team All ACC LBs: Kiko 230 (played heavier than that IMO), Wilson 225, Combs 230

If Bobby was 210 last season I'd be surprised. 215 I'd be shocked. So "can" he improve his twitch and speed while adding 15-20 pounds with exceptional S&C, all the while taking a massive step up from a bit player to a starter? Sure. But there's no way in **** I'd bet the season on it.

How big was Sean “Eraser” Spence when he arrived at Miami?

DadeBaby

Today at 4:50 PM

grover said:
First Team All ACC LBs: Louis 225, Carter 230, Buchanan 235
Second Team All ACC LBs: Kiko 230 (played heavier than that IMO), Wilson 225, Combs 230

If Bobby was 210 last season I'd be surprised. 215 I'd be shocked. So "can" he improve his twitch and speed while adding 15-20 pounds with exceptional S&C, all the while taking a massive step up from a bit player to a starter? Sure. But there's no way in **** I'd bet the season on it.

Excellent research and I get everyone can’t be a Sean Spence however the SEC did have a Danny Stutsman last year. We lose a little bit of football when we start basing everything off of analytics. If he comes out of spring as the guy, then he should be the guy like it’s always been. Do you think we are going to get an all American player in the after spring portal? Sounds Disney to me. If the Kid is the Kidd, then we’re a better program moving forward.

grover

Today at 5:32 PM

DadeBaby said:
Excellent research and I get everyone can’t be a Sean Spence however the SEC did have a Danny Stutsman last year. We lose a little bit of football when we start basing everything off of analytics. If he comes out of spring as the guy, then he should be the guy like it’s always been. Do you think we are going to get an all American player in the after spring portal? Sounds Disney to me. If the Kid is the Kidd, then we’re a better program moving forward.

I'm not saying it's impossible. Obviously a guy like Spence was able to make it work, though I would argue that was a different era. According to ChatGPT, over the past 2 decade offensive linemen have added 15–20 pounds on average.

I really liked Pruitt as a commit. But he was definitely getting blown back at times last season in the very limited action we saw him. I just don't think he's ready. And even if he is, I don't think he'll hold up over 13-16 games. That's JMHO. @Coach Macho is a fan, and he's been right about 90% or more of the time. If he says Pruitt is ready, then I'll defer to him .... But I still want a portal LB lol.

Coach Macho

Today at 5:34 PM

grover said:
I'm not saying it's impossible. Obviously a guy like Spence was able to make it work, though I would argue that was a different era. According to ChatGPT, over the past 2 decade offensive linemen have added 15–20 pounds on average.

I really liked Pruitt as a commit. But he was definitely getting blown back at times last season in the very limited action we saw him. I just don't think he's ready. And even if he is, I don't think he'll hold up over 13-16 games. That's JMHO. @Coach Macho is a fan, and he's been right about 90% or more of the time. If he says Pruitt is ready, then I'll defer to him .... But I still want a portal LB lol.

I don't know that he's ready... lol
I just like his size and skill set.

NicKane

5 minutes ago

kyle_schick said:
We really don't have any freaks at DE.

We have unproven freshmen/sophomores and tweeners(too small for DT, too big for DE) who've already peaked.

We seriously need monsters at DE. Like what Ohio State had this year. Guys who will play in the NFL.

I could not disagree with you more. Bain will play in the NFL, Blount we’ll play in the NFL, Mesidor will play in the NFL, the freshman from California, will play in the NFL. You’re selling our defensive end room way too short. That was bad scheme and coaching that happened to that room last year.

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Observations after a week of practice

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