Attended the player-organized Lift for Life Thursday evening. It is basically an open summer practice where drills are run by seniors. A sparse crowd came to watch.
It was interesting to get a first look at the freshmen, so I’ll start with the class of 2015 signees.
Quarterback Jakobi Meyers physically looks like a shortstop or center fielder in baseball (which he was). However, while he needs to add some meat to the bones, he throws a spiral. The ball comes out well, and he oozes a bit of that “it” factor.
It was his job to retrieve the footballs when the older quarterbacks were throwing. He has a nice knack for making one-handed catches, perhaps signaling good hand size. In between plays he could be seen doing some light dancing to the music, appearing loose.
At running back, Johnny Frasier continues to get bigger. I have come to think he may be a bit big-boned in nature. He could probably shed a few pounds, but he has some natural physical tools you cannot teach.
Saw freshman Freddie Simmons make a nice catch over the middle once. Tall, lean build with a smooth, long stride.
All of the newcomers on the offensive line look the part, although I would say Aaron Wiltz looks the smallest at the moment. Philip Walton and Emanuel McGirt have the frame that offensive line coaches drool about. Also got to see JuCo transfer Daris Workman, and he has bulked up nicely since the only time I saw him which was on his official visit.
It looked to me that Darian Roseboro has leaned out his frame some, dropping fat in exchange for muscle. Emmanuel Olenga is also impressive physically. Both the defensive tackles Quentez Johnson and Eurndraus Bryant looked like the need to continue working on conditioning, but again nice frames. End Tyrone Riley is as long as advertised.
At linebacker it seems like every time I see James Smith-Williams he seems to be getting bigger. I have to guess he is easily in the 220s now.
Safety Jarius Morehead has a nice, solid frame for a safety, but his problem is he is part of the most physically imposing group out there.
As for positional groups as a whole, I’d have to say the defensive linemen probably looked the best physically, and fifth-year senior end Mike Rose was a natural running drills. The offensive line group also looked in good shape. Fifth-year senior tackle Alex Barr has really toned his frame nicely for his last year, and redshirt freshman Will Richardson really looked the part as well.
I was impressed with the leadership from the seniors. Brissett did a good job leading the offense and seemed to be taking Meyers under his wings. Like I mentioned earlier, Rose was very vocal, and I saw Barr really engaged with Wiltz to give him a lot of pointers.
Finally, kudos to sophomore tight end Cole Cook and walk-on junior quarterback Josh Taylor for organizing the event.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.
It was interesting to get a first look at the freshmen, so I’ll start with the class of 2015 signees.
Quarterback Jakobi Meyers physically looks like a shortstop or center fielder in baseball (which he was). However, while he needs to add some meat to the bones, he throws a spiral. The ball comes out well, and he oozes a bit of that “it” factor.
It was his job to retrieve the footballs when the older quarterbacks were throwing. He has a nice knack for making one-handed catches, perhaps signaling good hand size. In between plays he could be seen doing some light dancing to the music, appearing loose.
At running back, Johnny Frasier continues to get bigger. I have come to think he may be a bit big-boned in nature. He could probably shed a few pounds, but he has some natural physical tools you cannot teach.
Saw freshman Freddie Simmons make a nice catch over the middle once. Tall, lean build with a smooth, long stride.
All of the newcomers on the offensive line look the part, although I would say Aaron Wiltz looks the smallest at the moment. Philip Walton and Emanuel McGirt have the frame that offensive line coaches drool about. Also got to see JuCo transfer Daris Workman, and he has bulked up nicely since the only time I saw him which was on his official visit.
It looked to me that Darian Roseboro has leaned out his frame some, dropping fat in exchange for muscle. Emmanuel Olenga is also impressive physically. Both the defensive tackles Quentez Johnson and Eurndraus Bryant looked like the need to continue working on conditioning, but again nice frames. End Tyrone Riley is as long as advertised.
At linebacker it seems like every time I see James Smith-Williams he seems to be getting bigger. I have to guess he is easily in the 220s now.
Safety Jarius Morehead has a nice, solid frame for a safety, but his problem is he is part of the most physically imposing group out there.
As for positional groups as a whole, I’d have to say the defensive linemen probably looked the best physically, and fifth-year senior end Mike Rose was a natural running drills. The offensive line group also looked in good shape. Fifth-year senior tackle Alex Barr has really toned his frame nicely for his last year, and redshirt freshman Will Richardson really looked the part as well.
I was impressed with the leadership from the seniors. Brissett did a good job leading the offense and seemed to be taking Meyers under his wings. Like I mentioned earlier, Rose was very vocal, and I saw Barr really engaged with Wiltz to give him a lot of pointers.
Finally, kudos to sophomore tight end Cole Cook and walk-on junior quarterback Josh Taylor for organizing the event.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.
