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Attended the game Friday night. Decent crowd there.
As with any spring game, it's tough to tell. Although neither side really dominated with back and forth play most of the night. There were a few guys that stuck out as play makers. Overall, I think they definitely looked better than last spring, and there's certainly more of a Stugart stamp on the team than previously.
QB- This is going to be an interesting decision for Jed coming into fall with Najee Jackson, last year's starter coming off a pretty good year, and Cade Brister looking brilliant. I don't think that Najee did anything to lose his job, but Cade seems to bring a different level of play making ability to the table. He got reps with the 1st team and did not disappoint, throwing dimes and scrambling once for 40+ yards. If Cade does start, the Lions are going to have a very capable backup in case he gets injured.
RB- Cam Sanders looks like a monster. I really wish I would've gotten to see him run the ball a little more. He did catch one out of the back field and it made me kind of scared for our DB's going to try and tackle him. I can't wait to see him get more opportunities. Nash looked shifty and elusive as ever and held onto the ball, which I think is going to be the biggest factor for him getting touches. Considering we have Ethan Stackewics and a host of other very good RBs that didn't even get a look, we should be solid heading into the season here.
WR- Stand outs on the night were Kai Collier and Erik Henneman. Kai had a bit of a coming out party last year and it looks like he should continue with his development into a no. 1 receiver. Erik is the ideal fast, tall, athletic TE with great hands that causes match up problems across the field. I fully expect him to make waves next year. The rest of the group seemed solid in that they ran crisp routes and caught what was thrown to them. There are a couple of big bodies that could develop into nice redzone threats.
OL- There are a few new names in this group vying for playing time including 6'7" Franklin Green. I honestly think this is one of the more talented OL LU has had since moving to the MIAA... possibly the most. But it's going to hinge on getting them to gel. Breske has some nice pieces to work with. Hopefully he can find the right combination. If this OL clicks, they have the potential to be a strength of this team and there's enough talent at the skill positions that it could make for a big time scoring offense.
DL- J. Harris is the undisputed leader of this group, and really the team headed into 2018. He's moved to the interior to take advantage of his strength and size. He moved mid season last year and produced immediately. With having an entire off season to work on the position, along with the addition of Uchenna on the outside, he could be looking at Nathan Shephard type dominance. I don't think that type of production is out of his reach.
LB- Drew Seers came into his true freshman year with his hair on fire. Had he not gotten injured, he would've almost certainly broken Connor Harris freshman year numbers. He's back and healthy. CJ Bivens has another year to learn the defense. This could be another strength of the team, but it hinges on health and playing smart.
DB- This seems to be a really DEEP group with a lot of competition. The WR's were harassed on every single play. I didn't see one catch that was uncontested. (a credit to their hands considering they made as many catches as they did). Standouts: Perry, McCoy, Daniels, Rabay.... I'm sure there were more, but it was tough catching all of their numbers in time.
All in all, I didn't see anything that made me concerned. Looking forward to August when things fire up for real!
Go Lions!
As with any spring game, it's tough to tell. Although neither side really dominated with back and forth play most of the night. There were a few guys that stuck out as play makers. Overall, I think they definitely looked better than last spring, and there's certainly more of a Stugart stamp on the team than previously.
QB- This is going to be an interesting decision for Jed coming into fall with Najee Jackson, last year's starter coming off a pretty good year, and Cade Brister looking brilliant. I don't think that Najee did anything to lose his job, but Cade seems to bring a different level of play making ability to the table. He got reps with the 1st team and did not disappoint, throwing dimes and scrambling once for 40+ yards. If Cade does start, the Lions are going to have a very capable backup in case he gets injured.
RB- Cam Sanders looks like a monster. I really wish I would've gotten to see him run the ball a little more. He did catch one out of the back field and it made me kind of scared for our DB's going to try and tackle him. I can't wait to see him get more opportunities. Nash looked shifty and elusive as ever and held onto the ball, which I think is going to be the biggest factor for him getting touches. Considering we have Ethan Stackewics and a host of other very good RBs that didn't even get a look, we should be solid heading into the season here.
WR- Stand outs on the night were Kai Collier and Erik Henneman. Kai had a bit of a coming out party last year and it looks like he should continue with his development into a no. 1 receiver. Erik is the ideal fast, tall, athletic TE with great hands that causes match up problems across the field. I fully expect him to make waves next year. The rest of the group seemed solid in that they ran crisp routes and caught what was thrown to them. There are a couple of big bodies that could develop into nice redzone threats.
OL- There are a few new names in this group vying for playing time including 6'7" Franklin Green. I honestly think this is one of the more talented OL LU has had since moving to the MIAA... possibly the most. But it's going to hinge on getting them to gel. Breske has some nice pieces to work with. Hopefully he can find the right combination. If this OL clicks, they have the potential to be a strength of this team and there's enough talent at the skill positions that it could make for a big time scoring offense.
DL- J. Harris is the undisputed leader of this group, and really the team headed into 2018. He's moved to the interior to take advantage of his strength and size. He moved mid season last year and produced immediately. With having an entire off season to work on the position, along with the addition of Uchenna on the outside, he could be looking at Nathan Shephard type dominance. I don't think that type of production is out of his reach.
LB- Drew Seers came into his true freshman year with his hair on fire. Had he not gotten injured, he would've almost certainly broken Connor Harris freshman year numbers. He's back and healthy. CJ Bivens has another year to learn the defense. This could be another strength of the team, but it hinges on health and playing smart.
DB- This seems to be a really DEEP group with a lot of competition. The WR's were harassed on every single play. I didn't see one catch that was uncontested. (a credit to their hands considering they made as many catches as they did). Standouts: Perry, McCoy, Daniels, Rabay.... I'm sure there were more, but it was tough catching all of their numbers in time.
All in all, I didn't see anything that made me concerned. Looking forward to August when things fire up for real!
Go Lions!
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