Wednesday was day one of the first Fall under coach Willie Fritz. To his credit, Fritz has committed to giving media more access than we’ve ever had and it was well worth the 7:15 a.m. arrival time. Just a few notes from day one (check out Willie’s post-practice comments).
Dakota White (#77 – LaTech transfer) and David Ndukwe (#68) spent the most time at left tackle, but the position is wide open. OL coach Eman Naghavi has 24 practices remaining to determine the depth chart for that spot. Jake Wiley (#75 – UCLA) spent a good bit of time at RT. Wiley told me that he’s gotten significantly stronger – by 30-40 pounds – in each of his major lifts. He’s also been working on his core strength and working to stay in his place more and move people better.
On Tuesday night, 161 seats were taken at a team meeting. That’s the team, coaches, staff, and student managers—that’s a massive group.
I asked Willie Fritz after practice about any guys that stood out on day one. He thought for a minute and mentioned Stephon Johnson first, noting some of his routes. Stephon switched numbers from 12 to #5 this season. He also mentioned Jalen Emery (#3), who broke up a pass in 7-on-7 work. “Good job, Jalen. Nice play!” Willie said in the moment. Emery was noted several times in defensive players’ under-the-radar comments.
Hershey McLaurin (#15) broke up a pass in the corner in 11-on-11. It was a quick drop, and McLaurin adjusted really well on a play the entire defense celebrated.
Hershey told me last Wednesday that he’s working hard on his body and thinks Kurt Hester’s workouts are efficient. “I feel like I’ve been playing 15 years in college football,” he said. “The workouts make sense,” the West Virginia transfer said.
I asked him why the nickname Hershey:
Off-camera, he told me the nickname from his childhood. Won’t disclose it, but honestly thought it would have been an awesome nickname.
Many players have been talking up freshman Koby Young (#18), and for good reason. On a 7-on-7 play, Young got between several defenders playing zone, caught a pass, and ran to the end zone. But he stopped at the two-yard line, instead of finishing in the end zone.
Almost immediately, WR coach Derrick Sherman was in his ear, demanding he finish the play. After he picked up the ball and went into the end zone, Sherman had him do one-handed up-downs with the ball in his other hand. If you watch footage from practice, you’ll always see ball carriers sprinting to the end zone.
Kurt Hester told players that they would do weigh-in after lunch.
I saw some minor nicks and cramping, and a few guys threw up. Pretty normal stuff for the start of camp. Nutritionist Emily England spoke to the team after practice and reminded them of the recovery table. She also said to talk to her if the food they ate before practice didn’t work for them. Fritz has been impressed with England and her program.
