That was an entertaining scrimmage. The team played with lots of energy and they made big plays on both sides of the ball. One thing you notice right away is that, aside from RB and DL, there isn’t a lot of rotating. The starters are the starters. No more musical chairs at offensive line and safety. The staff projects a very stable, confident vibe.
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QB
Brad Kaaya is the truth. He was accurate all day at every level of the field. Just like last week, he came out and immediately hit Coley deep. Kaaya will never be a runner, but he’s progressively getting leaner and quicker in the pocket. He even had a ten-yard run. Richt has him playing more under center and he’s responding very well.
Evan Shirreffs stepped up and played decisive. He was only 2-8 but there were five drops. This offense fits him as a tall, pro-style passer. Malik Rosier struggled with his accuracy and made some questionable decisions. Unlike James Coley, who ran a special spread offense for Rosier, Richt has them all playing pro-style. That doesn’t bode well for Rosier. But he’s a gamer, and he’s proven to his teammates he can win on the road. Jack Allison will need a redshirt but you can see the tools. He has similar skills to Stephen Morris (big hands, whiplike arm) but he’s four inches taller and will have better coaching.
RB
The backs all had moments. Mark Walton had two nice runs where he froze the defenders at the line and broke off for a big gain. He was a little too patient last year and now he’s starting to adjust to the speed of the game. He also made a one-handed, Omar Visquel-like catch in the flats that he walked in for a TD.
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Gus Edwards showed burst on a 35-yard run up the sideline but otherwise struggled to get going.
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Joe Yearby looked like Yearby. He dropped Robert Knowles on a beautiful move in the hole. Trayone Gray ran over the walk-ons and looked explosive but dropped a TD from Shirreffs.
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TE
David Njoku is ready to be unleashed. He extended to grab a Kaaya pass over the middle and pulled away for a 45-yard TD. The only tight end I've seen in the country with comparable athleticism is OJ Howard from Alabama.
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One of the best things about the scrimmage was seeing Chris Herndon at fullback. Richt appears committed to using two backs, and last week he was trotting out overmatched walk-ons with the starters. Herndon is tough enough to do the job and provides a mismatch in the passing game. He caught a first down and a TD out of the backfield. Standish Dobard has lost a lot of weight and is moving really well. He needs to put in work and become consistent with his hands, but he’s tough to tackle.
OL
The first team offensive line was actually OK. It’s nice to see Searels stick with one group all spring: Darling-McDermott-Gall-Isidora-St. Louis. They made some nice pockets for Kaaya but got beat at times. They’ll get better. The backup OL struggled. Some of it has to do with Odogwu and Linder being out, but we took too many projects in the 2015 class. Ty Gauthier has some ability and is working as backup center.
WR
Stacy Coley is who we thought he was. He’s been consistent all spring and looks like a pro. The added weight helps him immensely. He had a 45-yard catch and run where he broke a tackle.
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Braxton Berrios bobbled a 55-yard dime from Kaaya, but redeemed himself later on a nice corner route against the 1s. Lawrence Cager did a much better job catching the ball on Saturday. Separation is not a problem for him despite his height.
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The same can’t be said for Darrell Langham. He made a couple catches but struggled getting open. This group can use an infusion of talent this summer.
DL
The defensive line is loving life under Diaz and Kool. The top four tackles (Jenkins, Willis, Norton, McIntosh) are all close in talent and look very comfortable getting upfield. McIntosh looked particularly athletic and almost made a spectacular diving INT on a tipped ball from Quarterman. People like to joke about DTs, but this is the first time in a while we have a real group with real coaching. This is the one position you can expect a lot of rotation.
Chad Thomas looked much better than last week and got a sack.
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Al-Quadin Muhammad played with energy as usual and had a nice TFL in pursuit on the goalline. Demetrius Jackson was hot and cold. He had two explosive sacks, but also got pushed around a bit in the run game. Trent Harris lacks the talent of others but he’s always making plays. He made a couple tackles in the backfield and knocked the ball out of Rosier’s hands.
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LB
We hit a home run with this linebacker class. Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney will start barring injury. They remind me of guys like Jon Vilma, Sean Spence and Denzel Perryman in terms of football IQ at a young age. Pinckney has incredible timing in everything he does, whether it’s blitzing or blowing up a screen. Quarterman is a long-armed, physical beast who delivers violence. If he’s late to a tackle, he will blow up the pile. Both guys look extremely confident and raise the level of the defense. It finally feels like everyone on defense is competing to make the play.
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Overall, the linebacker group is in better shape than I expected. Jermaine Grace was his usual active self and looks comfortable playing in space in this defense. Zach McCloud, CJ Perry and Juwon Young all flashed closing speed and pop on contact. The addition of Darrion Owens should solidify this unit.
S
I feel much better about safety than cornerback. Rayshawn Jenkins has displayed a mature approach as a senior and looks smooth. Jamal Carter brings a physical presence. Aside from the Njoku TD when they ran into each other, they looked solid. Jaquan Johnson is a reliable tackler with quickness who may end up as starting nickel. Robert Knowles made the play of the scrimmage when he came from 15 yards deep to intercept a mistimed RB screen and take it to the house. He also grabbed an INT over Njoku in the end zone. A lot of credit goes to Coach Banda and his staff. Knowles was very unpolished coming out from Edison and he is improving every week.
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CB
The corners need help. Corn Elder and Sheldrick Redwine are quality players but the unit lacks depth and speed. It’s amazing that this recruiting disaster happened to us twice with two different coaches in South Florida. Losing Tyler Byrd hurts here.
Overall, it was a great event. Perfect weather, nice venue, the fans were into it and the team showed out for Palm Beach.
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QB
Brad Kaaya is the truth. He was accurate all day at every level of the field. Just like last week, he came out and immediately hit Coley deep. Kaaya will never be a runner, but he’s progressively getting leaner and quicker in the pocket. He even had a ten-yard run. Richt has him playing more under center and he’s responding very well.
Evan Shirreffs stepped up and played decisive. He was only 2-8 but there were five drops. This offense fits him as a tall, pro-style passer. Malik Rosier struggled with his accuracy and made some questionable decisions. Unlike James Coley, who ran a special spread offense for Rosier, Richt has them all playing pro-style. That doesn’t bode well for Rosier. But he’s a gamer, and he’s proven to his teammates he can win on the road. Jack Allison will need a redshirt but you can see the tools. He has similar skills to Stephen Morris (big hands, whiplike arm) but he’s four inches taller and will have better coaching.
RB
The backs all had moments. Mark Walton had two nice runs where he froze the defenders at the line and broke off for a big gain. He was a little too patient last year and now he’s starting to adjust to the speed of the game. He also made a one-handed, Omar Visquel-like catch in the flats that he walked in for a TD.
[TWEET]718873498932887552[/TWEET]
[TWEET]718879933494403076[/TWEET]
Gus Edwards showed burst on a 35-yard run up the sideline but otherwise struggled to get going.
[TWEET]718863153350721537[/TWEET]
Joe Yearby looked like Yearby. He dropped Robert Knowles on a beautiful move in the hole. Trayone Gray ran over the walk-ons and looked explosive but dropped a TD from Shirreffs.
[TWEET]718876709873917952[/TWEET]
[TWEET]718876886747779072[/TWEET]
TE
David Njoku is ready to be unleashed. He extended to grab a Kaaya pass over the middle and pulled away for a 45-yard TD. The only tight end I've seen in the country with comparable athleticism is OJ Howard from Alabama.
[TWEET]718865307046178817[/TWEET]
One of the best things about the scrimmage was seeing Chris Herndon at fullback. Richt appears committed to using two backs, and last week he was trotting out overmatched walk-ons with the starters. Herndon is tough enough to do the job and provides a mismatch in the passing game. He caught a first down and a TD out of the backfield. Standish Dobard has lost a lot of weight and is moving really well. He needs to put in work and become consistent with his hands, but he’s tough to tackle.
OL
The first team offensive line was actually OK. It’s nice to see Searels stick with one group all spring: Darling-McDermott-Gall-Isidora-St. Louis. They made some nice pockets for Kaaya but got beat at times. They’ll get better. The backup OL struggled. Some of it has to do with Odogwu and Linder being out, but we took too many projects in the 2015 class. Ty Gauthier has some ability and is working as backup center.
WR
Stacy Coley is who we thought he was. He’s been consistent all spring and looks like a pro. The added weight helps him immensely. He had a 45-yard catch and run where he broke a tackle.
[TWEET]718869663183192065[/TWEET]
Braxton Berrios bobbled a 55-yard dime from Kaaya, but redeemed himself later on a nice corner route against the 1s. Lawrence Cager did a much better job catching the ball on Saturday. Separation is not a problem for him despite his height.
[TWEET]718866822620180480[/TWEET]
The same can’t be said for Darrell Langham. He made a couple catches but struggled getting open. This group can use an infusion of talent this summer.
DL
The defensive line is loving life under Diaz and Kool. The top four tackles (Jenkins, Willis, Norton, McIntosh) are all close in talent and look very comfortable getting upfield. McIntosh looked particularly athletic and almost made a spectacular diving INT on a tipped ball from Quarterman. People like to joke about DTs, but this is the first time in a while we have a real group with real coaching. This is the one position you can expect a lot of rotation.
Chad Thomas looked much better than last week and got a sack.
[TWEET]719322214139629569[/TWEET]
Al-Quadin Muhammad played with energy as usual and had a nice TFL in pursuit on the goalline. Demetrius Jackson was hot and cold. He had two explosive sacks, but also got pushed around a bit in the run game. Trent Harris lacks the talent of others but he’s always making plays. He made a couple tackles in the backfield and knocked the ball out of Rosier’s hands.
[TWEET]718925307277885441[/TWEET]
LB
We hit a home run with this linebacker class. Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney will start barring injury. They remind me of guys like Jon Vilma, Sean Spence and Denzel Perryman in terms of football IQ at a young age. Pinckney has incredible timing in everything he does, whether it’s blitzing or blowing up a screen. Quarterman is a long-armed, physical beast who delivers violence. If he’s late to a tackle, he will blow up the pile. Both guys look extremely confident and raise the level of the defense. It finally feels like everyone on defense is competing to make the play.
[TWEET]718966013556060160[/TWEET]
Overall, the linebacker group is in better shape than I expected. Jermaine Grace was his usual active self and looks comfortable playing in space in this defense. Zach McCloud, CJ Perry and Juwon Young all flashed closing speed and pop on contact. The addition of Darrion Owens should solidify this unit.
S
I feel much better about safety than cornerback. Rayshawn Jenkins has displayed a mature approach as a senior and looks smooth. Jamal Carter brings a physical presence. Aside from the Njoku TD when they ran into each other, they looked solid. Jaquan Johnson is a reliable tackler with quickness who may end up as starting nickel. Robert Knowles made the play of the scrimmage when he came from 15 yards deep to intercept a mistimed RB screen and take it to the house. He also grabbed an INT over Njoku in the end zone. A lot of credit goes to Coach Banda and his staff. Knowles was very unpolished coming out from Edison and he is improving every week.
[TWEET]718895260294848512[/TWEET]
CB
The corners need help. Corn Elder and Sheldrick Redwine are quality players but the unit lacks depth and speed. It’s amazing that this recruiting disaster happened to us twice with two different coaches in South Florida. Losing Tyler Byrd hurts here.
Overall, it was a great event. Perfect weather, nice venue, the fans were into it and the team showed out for Palm Beach.
[TWEET]719172955004137473[/TWEET]
