Spring Practice: Five Questions.....?

Entering Spring practice this year we identified five questions that we wanted to answer about the team & where we stand. So practice is now finished, which begs the question: did we answer any of those five questions? Let's take a look at what we thought were the five most interesting story lines before Spring practice & see how things turned out:

• The defensive transition to the 3-4, particularly the front seven. Progress was the word this Spring & we're certainly headed for improvement over last year's porous defensive effort. Al Groh is energetic, demanding, & there's no questioning his knowledge. What's great to see is the fire & passion he brings to a unit that was beleaguered & oft maligned last season. There's a renewed energy & confidence amongst the defense which we definitely needed after last season. Personnel wise we have a depth chart & an idea who will play in the front seven this year (Peters, Walls, & Cross on the D-line, Egbuniwe, Jefferson, Watts, & AT Barnes/Albert Rocker at LB). The question of who would play the all-important nose tackle position was answered with the emergence of Logan Walls, who distanced himself from the competition. DE Jason Peters was our best defender this Spring & looks to be on the way to a monster year. Mike LB Brad Jefferson also stood out this Spring as he played downhill & was a disruptive force against the run. The emergence of redshirt freshman Brandon Watts was certainly a pleasant surprise. Watts, who began the Spring at #2 Will LB, made plays in almost every practice & by the end of camp was the starter. With his terrific closing speed & instincts, Watts has a chance to be a very good player for us. The battle at Sam LB between AT Barnes & Albert Rocker is a good one & won't be decided until the Fall. It was a good Spring installing the 3-4. How good we won't know until the Fall when we play against more conventional offenses. What we can say is we'll most definitely be better on defense this year than last. The question remains; how much better?
• The offensive line. Entering the Spring needing to replace three departed starters, the offensive line was a big question mark. Some questions still remain but we feel good about the direction in which we're headed. Returning All-ACC center Sean Bedford is a very good player & redshirt sophomore guard Omoregie Uzzi is a STUD. Uzzi has the potential to be just beastly. After that some questions remain. Phil Smith is still recovering from ankle surgery; his return in the Fall will be key to our success. The left guard spot is still up for grabs as Nick McRae was serviceable this Spring but didn't stand out. Watch for redshirt freshmen Will Jackson & Ray Beno to push McRae in the Fall. Nick Claytor, if he can stay healthy, will be an experienced back-up at tackle. As a whole, we're in good shape with the offensive line. My lone big question is depth; we're pretty thin along the line, particularly at center. But I expect an improvement over last season & continued success this year. A quick heads up: watch true freshman Morgan Bailey in the Fall. He was at a couple spring practices & looks very physically impressive. While he'll likely redshirt, a push on to the two-deep wouldn't surprise me either.
• #2 quarterback. No player made more progress over the course of last year than Tevin Washington. Entering the Spring I was ready to write Washington off & concentrate on the battle for the #2 QB slot between Jordan Luallen & David Sims.

Not so fast, my friend!!!!

A big mistake to overlook young Mr. Washington. Tevin emerged as a real threat with his legs -slippery & elusive while displaying a much improved arm. Perhaps Washington's most impressive trait is his command of the offense. After two full year's in the system he certainly has a good grasp of what we're trying to do. Not that Luallen & Sims played badly; they had their moments both good & bad. But Washington positioned himself as the clear #2 behind Joshua Nesbitt & a viable option if Nesbitt gets injured. Pretty easy to see in retrospect why Jaybo Shaw transferred after watching Tevin this Spring. Washington is a much better athlete & surely would have surpassed Jaybo on the depth chart. Maybe our most pleasant surprise of the Spring.....

• Wide Receiver. Who steps up with the departure of BayBay Thomas? Well, Stephen Hill played okay this Spring & finished on a high note in the T-Day game with two nice catches, one a circus grab where he wrestled the ball away from Jerrard Tarrant & the other a 74 yard TD strike. But he lacked consistency. Hill has all the physical tools & looks to be developing into a viable replacement for Thomas. After Hill it's a not-so-pretty hodge-podge of players. Tyler Melton is a good blocker but lacks the size & speed to create consistent separation. Quentin Sims has suspect hands (I'm being generous). Jeremy Moore & Daniel McKayhan must block better & show improved hands if they want to see the field. Kevin Cone has size but lacks speed. In sum, we need to find playmakers at wide receiver. After Hill, the cupboard is pretty bare. Now the argument can be made that at little as we throw the ball, all we need is one solid WR. That may be the case but Hill isn't at BayBay's level yet & will need some help. I expect Bama transfer Chris Jackson to move from A-back to WR in the Fall after his knee is fully recovered & that we'll see true freshman BJ Bostic log some time there. We can leave the "HELP WANTED" sign up into the Fall.....
• The Freshmen. We got our first glimpse of the three early enrollees this Spring & we come away VERY, VERY impressed. Safety Isaiah Johnson was nothing short of a revelation, pushing his way to splitting reps with the first unit a week into Spring practice on what may be the deepest unit on the team. He'll contribute this season & it will be interesting to see if he starts from day one. Johnson has a tremendous nose for the ball & is a physical presence out there. BJ Bostic is fast; "which way did he go?" fast. Bostic needs to gain some weight & improve his blocking but is a real threat with the ball in his hands. Don't be surprise to see him on the field in the Fall. Charles Perkins began the Spring at B-back & halfway through camp moved to A-back in an effort to get him on the field faster. Perkins is a talented runner with good size & terrific acceleration who is the heir apparent to Anthony Allen at b-back next year. In the meantime, Perkins will work at A-back in hopes of getting him on the field sooner rather than later. In sum, all three freshmen look very good & will definitely contribute sooner rather than later......

So there you have it. Five questions & their answers. Starting tomorrow we're going to take a position-by-position look at the team as it stands now that Spring practice has concluded. Until then, watch the Tommy Frazier video we posted earlier & enjoy everything good about option football.....