The one group that impressed me the most on Saturday was the cornerbacks. There's a lot to like at that position right now with three very good, experienced guys in D.J. Dean, Jared Collins and Henre' Toliver, and Cornelius Floyd was impressive on Saturday, as well.
And based on the one full practice we've seen, it certainly appears there's another one on the way in true freshman Ryan Pulley.
Early in the practice, Robb Smith and Bret Bielema jumped Pulley pretty hard for not acting out the tackling motion (which is basically scooping both of your arms up into the air) when Pulley arrived to the ball carrier. Smith was doing the motion when he ran up to Pulley and said, "Ryan, do this. Right now, do it. Do it 100 times." Bielema, standing about 10 yards away, was getting after him at the same time.
After Smith let off of him and began to walk away, Pulley gave two thumbs up as if to say, "Okay, I've got it now." And from that point forward he was arguably the most impressive newcomer we saw for the rest of the day. He made play after play after play.
Also, and Trey touched on this in another post Saturday evening, Dean deserves credit for the leadership role he's taken on this year. He was always one of the most vocal guys, even in his true freshman year, but now he's putting to good use while trying to bring on the younger guys. That's good to see out of the junior. I've mentioned before that he's one of the funniest people I know, but DJ is serious when it comes to football and competing.
JoJo Robinson is another receiver that stood out at different times throughout the day. He made a couple of big-time catches, including one from Austin Allen over Santos Ramirez.
I like the move of Jamario Bell to SAM linebacker. As JaMichael Winston told us on Friday, "That guy is a freak of nature." It's funny to watch Bell in practice right now because you can look at him and just tell his head is spinning. Going from Junction City to the SEC is quite a jump, and now you throw in a position change, but he's more than capable of getting it all figured out. It'll be fun in a couple of years to look back and remember the super-talented freshman Jamario Bell who didn't know where to be at times. I have a feeling he's going to live up to the hype and be a good one in time.
As expected, they're moving Austin Cantrell around on a play-by-play basis, and I've always felt like that should be the case for him. He can be an off-the-line tight end, a fullback, a lot of different things. We'll know much more about all of these guys when the full pads are on and they start hitting, but Cantrell, Will Gragg and C.J. O'Grady sure look the part in what we've seen so far. All three are different, but all three are very good. As a side note on Gragg, he's done a nice job of changing his body since he's been here. He may weigh about the same, but some of that is because he changed some fat into muscle. He was
And based on the one full practice we've seen, it certainly appears there's another one on the way in true freshman Ryan Pulley.
Early in the practice, Robb Smith and Bret Bielema jumped Pulley pretty hard for not acting out the tackling motion (which is basically scooping both of your arms up into the air) when Pulley arrived to the ball carrier. Smith was doing the motion when he ran up to Pulley and said, "Ryan, do this. Right now, do it. Do it 100 times." Bielema, standing about 10 yards away, was getting after him at the same time.
After Smith let off of him and began to walk away, Pulley gave two thumbs up as if to say, "Okay, I've got it now." And from that point forward he was arguably the most impressive newcomer we saw for the rest of the day. He made play after play after play.
Also, and Trey touched on this in another post Saturday evening, Dean deserves credit for the leadership role he's taken on this year. He was always one of the most vocal guys, even in his true freshman year, but now he's putting to good use while trying to bring on the younger guys. That's good to see out of the junior. I've mentioned before that he's one of the funniest people I know, but DJ is serious when it comes to football and competing.
One true freshman on the offensive side of the ball that impressed me -- perhaps more than I expected him to this early -- was wide receiver Deon Stewart. I'm not saying he's definitely going to play this year or anything like that, but he did have an impressive practice.
Stewart is still very light and will definitely need to add to his frame over time, but he's got the athleticism they've been looking to add at receiver. Fellow freshman Ty Storey, who also had a very good day, found Stewart on back-to-back throws in team drills, and one of them was a very tough catch that Stewart found a way to come up with.
Another true freshman on offense that continues to impress the staff is running back Rawleigh Williams. The freshman did put the ball on the ground Saturday, but during his punishment (a variation of up-downs) in the team's first water break, an assistant pointed at Williams and told me, "That kid's gonna be special here, watch." We've heard that type of stuff about him all summer, and you can watch him and tell he's got a chance to be a very good fit for what they like to do offensively.
As for the veterans, I thought wide receiver Duwop Mitchell had a very impressive day on Saturday. He had a big drop in team, but he had made several nice plays throughout the afternoon and leading up to that play. The key for him is consistency. He looked better on Saturday than I've ever seen him, but he has to catch the ones that should be caught. If he does that in practice, then he'll help them at receiver.Stewart is still very light and will definitely need to add to his frame over time, but he's got the athleticism they've been looking to add at receiver. Fellow freshman Ty Storey, who also had a very good day, found Stewart on back-to-back throws in team drills, and one of them was a very tough catch that Stewart found a way to come up with.
Another true freshman on offense that continues to impress the staff is running back Rawleigh Williams. The freshman did put the ball on the ground Saturday, but during his punishment (a variation of up-downs) in the team's first water break, an assistant pointed at Williams and told me, "That kid's gonna be special here, watch." We've heard that type of stuff about him all summer, and you can watch him and tell he's got a chance to be a very good fit for what they like to do offensively.
JoJo Robinson is another receiver that stood out at different times throughout the day. He made a couple of big-time catches, including one from Austin Allen over Santos Ramirez.
I like the move of Jamario Bell to SAM linebacker. As JaMichael Winston told us on Friday, "That guy is a freak of nature." It's funny to watch Bell in practice right now because you can look at him and just tell his head is spinning. Going from Junction City to the SEC is quite a jump, and now you throw in a position change, but he's more than capable of getting it all figured out. It'll be fun in a couple of years to look back and remember the super-talented freshman Jamario Bell who didn't know where to be at times. I have a feeling he's going to live up to the hype and be a good one in time.
One final thought on Saturday's practice: It was very, very hot. I planned on getting all of my work done and then having some friends over Saturday night, but all I wanted to do when I got home was kick back on the couch and not move a muscle. I've basically been here ever since.
