Spring ball Day 2 observations

Very energetic Day 2 inside Fish on Thursday morning.

There was certainly a sense that guys were just more comfortable knowing what to expect and where to go when after Tuesday’s first session. Defense made a lot of plays, offense had a handful of moments. Things even got a little chippy late, which is a good thing for a new team trying to come together early in the process.

Really focusing on the offense, I kept track of each 7-on-7 rep and team period reps. To make it easier to write and quicker for you to read, I’m literally just going to list each QBs reps in both. These will not be in order, so don’t read anything into ‘first or second’ team yet, it’s the second day. I also didn’t see all of the 7-on-7 reps for Femi Babalola, Enzo Arjona or Anthony Coellner. I’m pretty sure I got everyone’s team reps.

No pads makes it tough to put any valuable stock in all of this, but we are starting to get a sense of who could be in store for possible breakout seasons, both on O and D…

7-on-7 (various route combinations ran at times, so not always true 7-on-7)

Mason McKenzie – Incompletion over the middle. Hitch to Javarius Green. Incomplete deep intended for Duke Brennan (redshirt freshman, keep an eye out for him…). Incompletion to the sideline. Max Tucker rips a ball away from Danny Edgehill on the sideline for an INT…Two completions to Green. Incomplete intended for Dawson Pough. Incomplete intended for Brady Clough. Leaping grab by MacCormack III on the sideline.

Grayson Wilson – Swing pass to Mekhi Dodd. Njita Sinkala jumps a rout for an easy interception. Completion to Pough on the sideline. Slant to Green. Complete over the middle to Brennan. Complete over the middle to Kaelan Chudzinski…Completion to Chudzinski. Dump off to freshman RB Sedric Addison. Short completion to Florida transfer TE Cameron Kossmann.

Anthony Coellner – Incompletion to Clough. Sophomore DB TJ Green jumps a rout for an interception. Completion on the sideline to redshirt freshman TE DJ Johnson. PBU for DB Marcus Upton…Incompletion over the middle. Sideline completion to Michael Landolfi. Wide receiver Bryce Dopson with a grab…Short completion to redshirt junior Jackson Wade. Short completion to transfer RB Nolan Ray. Ray is a built like a medium size fire hydrant.

Femi Babalola – Completion to Landolfi. No throw (coverage). Completion to redshirt freshman tight end Dominic DeSarno…Short completion to Green. No throw (coverage). Deep ball PBU by sophomore Chandler Jordan. Short completion to Liberty transfer RB Evan Dickens.

Enzo Arjona – Scramble. Swing pass to redshirt freshman RB Tim Longo.

Team periods (drives started at own 25 or near midfield)

Mckenzie – Run by MacCormack. False start. Sack by sophomore Israel Oladipupo. Offside. Run by Dickens…quick completion to Green. Sack by freshman D-lineman Jackson Carlisle. Hard run by Ray…Hard run by MacCormack. PBU by Tucker against Nedrick Boldin Jr. Short gain for Green. Interception for Tucker on a ball behind a falling down receiver…Sack for Notre dame transfer LB Bodie Kahoun. Sack by Tucker. Scramble. Sack by Oladipupo (wrote down 98, but it might have been No. 96)…Swing to Dickens. PBU underneath by Kahoun. PBU by Ashton Cunningham vs. Boldin Jr. Scramble. Short completion to Green. Short completion to Ray…Oladipupo run stuff on the edge. Run by MacCormack. Swing to Dickens. Offside. QB run stuffed. Completion over the middle (didn’t see who). Dropped TD over the middle by Chudzinski (didn’t see who broke it up, but it wasn’t just a clean drop). Short pass to Boldin Jr. TD run by McKenzie.

Wilson – Hard run by Dodd. Swing to Dodd. Short completion to Reed Swanson. Deep coverage by Sinkala against Swanson…Short pass to MacCormack III. Shifty run by MacCormack III. Sack by Bryce Lewis (could have technically been a drop over the middle too). Swing to Dodd.

Babalola – False start (QB push up). Short run for Ray. Sack by Carlisle. Dump off to Zeke Moore…Run stuff by Zacari Thomas. Quick completion to DJ Johnson (LB Kemori Dixon with immediate pressure up the middle). PBU by redshirt freshman Charleston Coldon. Short run by Addison…Sack by No. 99 (definitely not Luca Lombardo, not on the roster I have currently). Run stuff by Lewis. Swing to Addison. No gain Ray. Short gain Ray. Short completion to Johnson.

Takeaways

Obviously a really good day for the secondary, especially Tucker. That unit might be the most ready-made to perform out of the gate given all the experience it got last season. I really like the running back room again too, it’s very deep with guys that can all do different things.

Someone will need to emerge behind Chudzinski as the No. 2 tight end, but that room is full of guys that at least look like they can contribute. LB might actually sneaky be just fine with a lot of athleticism (I know this fan base is skeptical until they see it, rightfully so).

If we’re judging based off two non-padded practices in March, it’s Mason McKenzie’s job at QB. Ask me again next week.

The O-line vs. D-line battle is going to be a back and forth one throughout the spring and summer. Both of those units appear to have guys that can play, but it’s all got to come together as singular units. The D-line has gotten a bit better of them through two days (again, without pads on), but that will balance itself out as we get deeper into things.

I won’t go overboard like usual, but there’s reason to be encouraged so far two days in. The team is back at it Saturday morning inside Fish at 10.