The media was invited to view the first 40 minutes of practice today, with Brent Venables speaking to reporters after practice was over. Parker, Brandon and I put some of our initial observations from the open practice in another thread, but I figured I'd offer some more details and give my thoughts on some of the notes in that thread.
1. The offensive line
As I mentioned in that initial thread, here were the players in the first group during the offensive line drills: Andrew Raym, McKade Mettauer, Savion Byrd, Tyler Guyton and Walter Rouse.
That isn't particularly shocking on its own. Jeff Lebby suggested during his press conference Monday that four of the starting spots have already been decided: Raym at center, Mettauer at right guard, Guyton at right tackle, Rouse at left tackle.
That leaves the left guard spot up for grabs, which makes Byrd's inclusion in the first group noteworthy. The team has been high on Byrd during the offseason. Keep in mind this quote from Venables on Monday.
"Savion Byrd has got all the ability in the world, (it's) just getting him to play at that real consistent level," Venables said. "Y’all saw a little glance of him. He blocks through the whistle. I love that. He loves it. I want guy that love it. Caleb Shaffer is another guy that came in played some tackle. He’s probably more of an inside guy. I see a great competition there."
So it appears it'll be a battle between Byrd and Shaffer for the left guard spot during the remaining 22 practices. There's a lot that could change between now and September. Shaffer missed the spring and has a lot more experience under his belt. But Byrd looks to have the slight edge as of now.
2. The real quarterback depth chart is set
Jackson Arnold received the freshmen treatment during the spring, typically going third behind Dillon Gabriel and Davis Beville during QB drills.
It appears Lebby wasted no time inserting Jackson Arnold as the No. 2 quarterback as soon as fall began. Today, it was Gabriel taking the first reps during individual drills, followed by Arnold, then Beville and General Booty.
Of course, I expect no one was seriously concerned that Arnold was going to be the third-string quarterback. But considering Arnold has immediately won the backup job, it's a sign he's progressing well. He was throwing and moving in the pocket noticeably better today compared to the spring.
3. The depth chart at punt returner should be fun
With Marvin Mims gone, there's a wide open spot at punt returner. Today, as @Brandon Drumm noted, it was Gavin Freeman, Drake Stoops and LV Bunkley-Shelton taking the reps. That's consistent with how things looked during the spring.
My hunch is that Freeman will snag the spot. I do expect Freeman to have a bigger role in the offense compared to last year, and the coaching staff is obviously high on him. But it could be tough for Freeman to see significant snaps with Stoops on the roster, along with the other talented receivers. But putting him at punt returner would be a way to get him on the field in a spot where he can utilize his quickness. Obviously, time will tell.
4. Peyton Bowen is good
Great analysis, huh?
But seriously, Bowen was one of the biggest standouts to me. He simply doesn't look like a freshman when he's competing with Reggie Pearson, Billy Bowman and Key Lawrence during safety drills. I feel pretty good about this prediction — Bowen's going to play this season, and he's going to play a lot.
There's more that could be unpacked, but these are a few of my bigger takeaways from today. The media should be invited to watch at least a couple more practices in the coming weeks. There should be a lot more to analyze when that happens.
1. The offensive line
As I mentioned in that initial thread, here were the players in the first group during the offensive line drills: Andrew Raym, McKade Mettauer, Savion Byrd, Tyler Guyton and Walter Rouse.
That isn't particularly shocking on its own. Jeff Lebby suggested during his press conference Monday that four of the starting spots have already been decided: Raym at center, Mettauer at right guard, Guyton at right tackle, Rouse at left tackle.
That leaves the left guard spot up for grabs, which makes Byrd's inclusion in the first group noteworthy. The team has been high on Byrd during the offseason. Keep in mind this quote from Venables on Monday.
"Savion Byrd has got all the ability in the world, (it's) just getting him to play at that real consistent level," Venables said. "Y’all saw a little glance of him. He blocks through the whistle. I love that. He loves it. I want guy that love it. Caleb Shaffer is another guy that came in played some tackle. He’s probably more of an inside guy. I see a great competition there."
So it appears it'll be a battle between Byrd and Shaffer for the left guard spot during the remaining 22 practices. There's a lot that could change between now and September. Shaffer missed the spring and has a lot more experience under his belt. But Byrd looks to have the slight edge as of now.
2. The real quarterback depth chart is set
Jackson Arnold received the freshmen treatment during the spring, typically going third behind Dillon Gabriel and Davis Beville during QB drills.
It appears Lebby wasted no time inserting Jackson Arnold as the No. 2 quarterback as soon as fall began. Today, it was Gabriel taking the first reps during individual drills, followed by Arnold, then Beville and General Booty.
Of course, I expect no one was seriously concerned that Arnold was going to be the third-string quarterback. But considering Arnold has immediately won the backup job, it's a sign he's progressing well. He was throwing and moving in the pocket noticeably better today compared to the spring.
3. The depth chart at punt returner should be fun
With Marvin Mims gone, there's a wide open spot at punt returner. Today, as @Brandon Drumm noted, it was Gavin Freeman, Drake Stoops and LV Bunkley-Shelton taking the reps. That's consistent with how things looked during the spring.
My hunch is that Freeman will snag the spot. I do expect Freeman to have a bigger role in the offense compared to last year, and the coaching staff is obviously high on him. But it could be tough for Freeman to see significant snaps with Stoops on the roster, along with the other talented receivers. But putting him at punt returner would be a way to get him on the field in a spot where he can utilize his quickness. Obviously, time will tell.
4. Peyton Bowen is good
Great analysis, huh?
But seriously, Bowen was one of the biggest standouts to me. He simply doesn't look like a freshman when he's competing with Reggie Pearson, Billy Bowman and Key Lawrence during safety drills. I feel pretty good about this prediction — Bowen's going to play this season, and he's going to play a lot.
There's more that could be unpacked, but these are a few of my bigger takeaways from today. The media should be invited to watch at least a couple more practices in the coming weeks. There should be a lot more to analyze when that happens.
