Via Slaughter
Quarterback
Quarterback
- With one week already under their belt, the quarterback battle is starting to settle down nicely. Jake Luton, Mason Moran, Aidan Willard, Jack Colletto, Nick Moore and Conor Blount all took 11-on-11 reps at one point or another, but the majority went to Luton and Colletto. Luton is still the best quarterback skill wise amongst this group, but Moran and Colletto are right there behind him.
- Luton made the play of the day as he launched a 30 yard ball to Isaiah Hodgins, who made an acrobatic catch to pull it down in tight coverage. This was one of the first times that Luton has reared back and let it fly and he delivered.
- Colletto has shown good and bad throughout his first week of practice, but his work ethic might be unmatched. He was one of the last players to leave practice again and is really working to get more consistent.
- The running back corps gets the MVP award for the day. Whether it was Calvin Tyler showing a burst of speed and juke moves, BJ Baylor running through linebackers, or Christian Wallace improving his hands and footwork, this group was a lot of fun to watch today.
- Baylor is a darkhorse in my mind. He has a really built upper-body and has the footspeed to make people miss before he bursts through the whole. He made several highlight type plays today and ran very very hard. After redshirting last season, it’s very obvious Baylor is itching to get on the field.
- Last week I noted that it would be interesting to see how Christian Wallace would respond once the pads were on, and he didn’t disappoint. He continued to run with purpose and excitement on the field. Wallace may not be a great running back at OSU, but seeing his love for the game by being back at a position he loves is certainly a treat.
- Another group that made headlines today was WR. Isaiah Hodgins and Arex Flemings were the standouts from this group today as they both made plays that were extremely impressive.
- Hodgins’ route running is by far and away the best on the team based on what I’ve seen throughout the first week as he is just able to make a move and be off to the races. Granted, this is against OSU’s younger corners in Kaleb Hayes, Isaiah Dunn and others, but still impressive nonetheless
- Flemings looks like he could be in the mix for extensive playing time in the fall if he continues to play the way he has been. He’s the shortest player on the team, but has extremely good lateral quickness and can make a jump cut like you couldn’t believe.
- I really like what Kefense Hynson has done with this group so far. Their route running and hands have been on point in practice and the fundamentals have all been solid thus far.
- Not much new to report here as it’s the same as it was last week. Multiple young guys are getting extensive reps as Tuli Wily-Matagi and Noah Togiai are currently not participating. Check out the interview with tight ends coach Mike Riley to hear his thoughts on this young group.
- Here’s what the first team offensive line looked like today: Yanni Demogerontas, Sumner Houston, Trent Moore, Gus Lavaka, and Blake Brandel. I don’t have specific positions for those guys as musical chairs continued to be the norm, but those five guys were the five that received the most amount of reps.
- The offensive line is still facing a bit of an uphill battle moving from a spread-offense under the previous regime to a pro-style under Jonathan Smith. The blocking and techniques have been a bit of a learning curve for some of the players, but they’ve started to pick it up in recent practices.
- Jim Michalczik noted that the Beavers have a long ways to go before the first game and that establishing a starting group isn’t the highest priority at the moment. He said he wants to continue to see improvement from the group as they teach them the new scheme first.
- This group continues to get better as the practices go on, but depth continues to be a concern and it will be until the Beavers get more bodies on the line.
- Hamilcar Rashed and Kee Whetzel were more like Hybrid DE/LB’s today and that’s how I see this group getting more depth. DE’s might have to be linebackers with a quick first step. In terms of the line specifically, Elu Aydon, Kalani Vakameilalo, Jeromy Reichner, and Isaac Garcia were the standouts from this position group.
- The linebackers were the standout position group of the defense today as they were flying all over the field making play after play. Kee Whetzel, Hamilcar Rashed, Shemar Smith, and Jonathan Willis were the players getting the majority of the first team reps and locked down the middle of the field very well.
- Last year, there was a lot of unsubstantiated hype about the linebacking corps being better than they were and that created some unrealistic expectations in my mind. With a clean slate and a new coach, this group led by former Beaver Trent Bray could be in line for a big year in 2018. Bright Ugwoegbu’s status is still very much in question moving forward and despite his absence, the group is still in a good position.
- One of the plays of the day came from this group as Charles Moku Watson intercepted Jack Colletto and turned it into a pick six much to the delight of Tim Tibesar and the defensive staff.
- This group is missing stalwarts Shawn Wilson, Xavier Crawford, Dwayne Williams, and Jay Irvine as they are all getting limited or zero reps this spring. From what we’ve been able to see from the young guys though, this group is extremely deep.
- No new injury news today other than Trevon Bradford didn’t participate in practice today.
- Calvin Tyler received some reps as a kick returner in Bradford’s absence. Looked really good and could vie for a lot of time as a returner this season.
- Upperclassmen aren’t getting very many reps with the exception of guys like Jake Luton and Jonathan Willis. I believe this is partially to protect those players, but also to give reps to younger guys that need the experience.
- Having the pads on today added a little extra physicality to practice today. Pads were popping and we got to see a little bit of OSU’s improved tackling on defense.
