Here's the majority of what I've made note of this spring, while on campus, and speaking with friends/family/writers/etc.
QB:
Carr - While he has a full grasp of the offense, he occasionally hesitates pre-snap. Smooth, quick release. Arm is full strength. No lingering pain, or weakness. Footwork is excellent, but could be more fluid. Showing command of the huddle. Excellent leadership. Rarely loses himself within a play, or moment. Rarely struggles with broken progressions. Making all throws with zip. Release point is technically superior to Angeli, and Minchey. Displays the strongest arm, overall. Equal to Angeli on short to medium range accuracy, while being superior to Minchey. Most accurate of the 3 on deep passes. Good pocket awareness, but needs to climb up pocket faster on occasion.
Angeli - Full grasp of offense at all times. Minimal mistakes pre-snap, progressions. Footwork is smooth, but slow. Still struggles with pocket awareness/climbing the pocket. Occasionally displays ball security concerns. Excellent leadership. Fill command of the huddle. Release point could be better (batted passes). Locks in much more rarely than in the past. Weakest arm of the 3 on long throws. Displays a constant willingness to put in more work. Rarely lost in the moment. Can be trusted to audible with regularity.
Minchey - Quick, instinctive footwork, and pocket awareness, but occasionally messy, with sporadic poor balance. Accuracy is occasionally concerning, and a lack of touch on short to intermediate throws. Minimally rattled, but loses himself in the moment on occasion. Release, and base still messy at times. Grasps the offense well, but occasionally struggles with reads/progressions. Good leadership, but a step behind Angeli/Carr. Bails on plays too quickly on occasion. Scrambling ability is excellent.
RB:
Love - Slight top line speed increase. Hips are even better. Improved upper body strength. More adept blocker than at any other time, but room for improvement. Improved hands. Finishing with more force than last year. Showing off route running skills in an impressive manner.
Price - Showing some ball security issues (has been a problem at times). Still tries to break too many runs outside. Needs to show more patience to allow holes to develop. Improved blocking. Showing more leadership. Improved hips.
Williams - Finished with authority every time, no exceptions. Extremely adept with leverage/getting low. Emphasizing blocking. Could easily come out of the backfield more often. Displays occasional confusion on assignments.
Young - Needs work on assignments. Needs work on blocking. Needs to avoid hits better. Very aggressive. Mean steak at times. Gifted, natural runner. Fluid. Live hips.
Payne - Jack of all trades. Best he’s ever looked physically. Stronger than he’s ever been. Better attitude than he’s ever had. Dependable.
WR:
Williams - Cleaner routes. Still struggles with overall technique at times. Still struggles with assignments. Superior natural athlete. Improved hands. Still not there yet.
Greathouse - He’s arrived. Leadership is there. Hands are there. Routes are crisp. No lack of effort. Always engaged. He’s ready to make another jump.
Smith - Is generally showing improvement across the board, but it’s just not enough right now. Injury issues remain a concern.
Gilbert - Bodies up well. Always a solid target. Much improved route running. Much improved blocking to the outside. Sleeper of the group. (I'm aware he was injured in practice. This covers how he'd looked in the off-season, and at the start of practice)
Burress - Mean streak. Aggressive. Gets off the line quick. Presents an excellent target. Attacks the ball. He was a steal.
Saldate - excellent route runner, especially considering his time in the program. Needs to improve upper body strength, blocking, and route tree adaption.
Faison- Stronger upper body. Quicker than last year. Gadget man. Makes the best of tight spaces.
Pauling - Will get you what you need, and he’ll do it in heavy traffic. Very slight hitch in the foot, but it’s nearly there. Reliable as you can get.
TE:
Raridon - Athletically, he’s not what he once was. He can block. He runs clean routes. He gets open. He presents a solid target. Good to very good hands. Running after the catch, he’s just not impressive.
OL:
Jagusah - He’s a potential All-American no matter the position. There’s really not much more I can say to show how impressive he is.
Wagner - Clearly being eased in. He’s pitched counted if you will. Quicker. Better footwork. Better leverage.
Lambert - Has looked good at both positions at times. He needs to improve his hands, and footwork.
Prescod - Physical, mean streak. He’s looked off-balance at times. Good hands. Footwork good. Leverage needs work.
Absher - Looks good. Has embraced his early role well. As he’s gaining confidence, he’s looking quicker. He’s really improved his technique across the board.
Otting/Herron - They both need time. The base is there for both, but they’re not close.
Craig/Schrauth/Knapp - Rehab times are in range.
DL/DT:
Dawson - Physically imposing. Holds, and pushes upfield impressively well. Plays angry. Very strong upper, and lower body. Great technique. He’s the real deal.
Young - Is a future All-American. He needs to fill out more, and he needs to control his motor a bit better. Technique is a little messy. However, the sum of the parts is impressive.
Onye - He’ll need to trim some fat, but he’s gained muscle. He’s mentally engaged fully, and attitude is wonderful. Looks happy. Needs to work on his feet a bit, and hips.
Junior - Has seen quite a bit of time on the outside. His first step is quick. Has worked on additional moves. Hands/arms technique is very clean and technically sound.
Hinish - The short, pudgy engine that could.
Sevillano - He has to trim down. His feet are quick. He’s an immovable object. He’s got leverage for days. He’s going to be good, but he needs more time.
Mukam - Physical tools are there, but he’s still a project.
Vernon - I’m still not seeing it.
Rubio - In better shape. Little quicker. Getting better leverage, and not being washed out/pushed around. Looks good (ish).
Hughes - Big, imposing, and a bit slow. His motor is not always there. Needs to work on his lower body more. Gets washed out/pushed, too much.
Thomas - Is boom or bust. Does really well on one drill or play, sucks the next. Very inconsistent.
LB:
Faraimo - Needs to fill out, and gain experience; that’s all that limits him. Instincts are off the charts. Fluidity is very good. Frame is excellent. Motor seems unlimited.
Ausberry - He still overruns, and occasionally gets engaged with and pushed out of position. Then, other times, he absolutely blows up a drill or play, and looks amazing.
Sneed - Has learned to control his motor, and aggression. He knows where to be, and he gets there, AND stays there. He’s looking real nice.
Bowen - He comes up very well. He lays the wood. He’s good in short coverage. He’s average at best in intermediate to extended coverage.
Viliamu-Asa - He’s going to make a big leap this year. Everything is already clicking.
Rezac/Zinter - Need time.
Kahoun - Not much of note.
Secondary:
Gray - Still needs to work on his upper body. Still has occasional issues with inside/outside/body up. But, he’s almost always within range to make a play on the ball/defend. Obviously, he’s very good, but he does need to work on this things.
Moore - Baller. Looks great every single time. No real negatives.
Smith - Quick. Good speed. Physical. Great technique - He was coached well at Alabama. Always close to the receiver. Rarely gets beaten badly. Can’t catch for shit.
Talich - He’s a gamer. His frame is very unique. He’s a thumper. He isn’t fast, but has good instincts, and plays technically sound.
Thomas and Blair - ND hit on both.
Urlacher - There simply has to be a way to get him on the field regularly. He’s all over the place. He flashes all the time.
Hobbs - His footwork, and body positioning have both improved dramatically.
Shuler - The way he finished the year…..Same, same.
Minich - I haven’t seen anything that tells me he’s making a jump.
