The conditions finally felt like summer on Monday morning at Yulman Stadium, but coach Willie Fritz did not offer much sympathy for players who were dragging at the end of the workout. After four uncharacteristic practices under cloud cover, low humidity or both last week, the humidity was up and the clouds were thin today.
Still, Fritz felt it was nowhere near as sweltering as some of the August practices in his first two years after he blew the final whistle at 9:53 a.m.
"Comparatively speaking (to the last few practices) it was hot, but this was nothing," he said. "I told the guys if you're considering this a hot day, get ready. This is nothing."
Southern Miss transfer Keon Howard was in uniform at practice today, shadowing Jonathan Banks and the other QBs without taking any reps. He was slapping the hands of offensive teammates as practice went on.
"He's just trying to learn the offense," Fritz said. "He's a little bit behind the other guys. He wasn't here in the summer and missed the first couple of days, but he'll pick it up. He's a smart kid. He's going to have a different role obviously. He's going to have sit out and not compete in games, so he's going to have to help us out in a little bit different way than what he's used to, but he'll do a good job. He's a good young man."
With the Wave entering the second week of preseason drills, I concentrated on the depth chart today and the defensive line specifically. The first-team defense had no changes up front, with Cameron Sample, De'Andre Williams, Robert Kennedy and Patrick Johnson.
"Cam Sample we think can be an All-Conference type guy for us," Fritz said. "He's a great student. He got in here just on his academic prowess. It had nothing to do with football. He's a member of SAC (I'm not sure what that is, can anyone fill me in?) and he retains things. That's the other part of figuring out who you are going to play, how quickly a guy can pick things up and be able to go out and execute on the field. If they have a tough time doing it, you're going to have to keep working with them."
Kennedy, the only upperclassman on the two-deep depth chart, definitely looks healthier than he did when he returned from a torn ACL more than midway through 2017--he had 15 tackles in the last five games. He is lining up inside after starting three game at end late last year.
"He's just kind of an old-fashioned player," Fritz said. "He's just tough, hard-nosed and when he's on, he can be very explosive, too. The first game that I coached here against Wake Forest, he made a bunch of plays in that game and dominated that game. Then a few weeks later he got hurt (causing him to miss two games and be ineffective when he returned), but he's a good player. The guy ran a 22-something 200 meters in high school. He's a good athlete. He got the confidence the last couple of weeks (a year ago) that he was OK and could play it."
I liked Williams in the spring--he absolutely has more mobility at this point than Johnson or Wright--and Fritz confirmed my thoughts today.
"In recruiting, we talk about retaining the guys and then developing the guys," Fritz said. "He has really developed. He is a much, much, much better player than he was when he first got here. He happens to be from the same high school as Tanzel Smart, and he has a work ethic like Tanzel. He's up here extra. His body has noticeably changed. He's a guy that I thought might play limited snaps for us, but he's probably going to play a lot.
Williams is much lighter than Johnson (6-3, 320), but he is quicker on his feet.
"He's moving well," Fritz said. "He's about 280-285. We got to have enough mass, but you also have to move up there. Jeffery Johnson is still getting in shape a little bit. He's going to be a great player and we need him to be a great player this year. Davon Wright, those freshmen are a little up and down. I call it hitting the freshman wall. They go good for the first week and then they start hitting a wall and start de-gressing instead of progressing with their improvement."
The second-team defensive line consisted of four freshmen--Alfred Thomas, Johnson, Wright and Carlos Hatcher.
At linebacker, Zach Harris was out, so Lawrence Graham and Marvin Moody worked with the first team together. Both of them will play a ton this year anyway, likely rotating with Harris in a three-man group, so it probably was helpful to have them working together. KJ Vault remained on the second unit, but Quentin Brown earned a promotion to the second unit because of Harris' absence.
The secondary had an interesting change. Thakarius Keyes, now wearing No. 26 instead of his old 37, practiced at cornerback with the first team. Donnie Lewis, back from an injury that sidelined him Thursday and Friday, worked with the second team along with Willie Langham. I'll watch that competition some more on Wednesday--tomorrow's practice is closed because players will be available at Media Day--to get a better handle on what is going on at Tulane's most competitive position. I can't envision a scenario where Lewis does not start against Wake Forest, though.
The first-team nickelback continues to be Larry Bryant, with Tirise Barge running second and Will Harper third.
Rod Teamer and P.J. Hall are the iron-clad starting safeties. Macon Clark, wearing Keyes' old No. 37, was on the second team along with Taris Shenall. Chase Kuerschen still has not practiced yet this preseason. The third-string safeties today were Sean Harper and freshman Larry Brooks.
The first-team offensive line has not changed at all since the start of camp, with impressive transfer Noah Fisher at left tackle, Dominique Briggs at left guard, Corey Dublin at center, John Leglue at right guard and Keyshawn McLeod at right tackle. The second unit had Joey Claybrook at left tackle, Cameron Jackel at left guard, Hunter Knight at center, Devon Johnson at right guard and Tyler Johnson at right tackle. Devon Johnson replaced walk-on Ben Bratcher out of the picture; otherwise. there were no changes.
NOTES
---Devin Glenn looks sharp. He still has his work cut out for him at one of the team's deepest positions, but for the first time since Fritz arrived, I see a real plan for him other than on special teams. He is making quick, decisive cuts in practice, but the real test will come on the rare days when contact is allowed.
---Charles Jones remained out with an unspecified injury. In his absence, the guy making the most plays is Will Wallace, not Kendal Ardoin. Freshman Tyrick James, who is wearing No. 80, is getting reps, too.
---The receivers had more trouble getting separation than in the first few practices. Either that, or the quarterbacks were indecisive, but there were several plays where the whistle blew before they released the ball.
---Still have not seen one second of the kicking game. Either they work on it during the first 45 minutes of practice when I am not there or have not devoted any time to it on the main field. The kicker get work on the small practice field outside the stadium.
---Freshman running back Ygenio Booker returned to practice after missing a couple days. He made one nice catch. Wide receiver Jacob Robertson was back, too.
Still, Fritz felt it was nowhere near as sweltering as some of the August practices in his first two years after he blew the final whistle at 9:53 a.m.
"Comparatively speaking (to the last few practices) it was hot, but this was nothing," he said. "I told the guys if you're considering this a hot day, get ready. This is nothing."
Southern Miss transfer Keon Howard was in uniform at practice today, shadowing Jonathan Banks and the other QBs without taking any reps. He was slapping the hands of offensive teammates as practice went on.
"He's just trying to learn the offense," Fritz said. "He's a little bit behind the other guys. He wasn't here in the summer and missed the first couple of days, but he'll pick it up. He's a smart kid. He's going to have a different role obviously. He's going to have sit out and not compete in games, so he's going to have to help us out in a little bit different way than what he's used to, but he'll do a good job. He's a good young man."
With the Wave entering the second week of preseason drills, I concentrated on the depth chart today and the defensive line specifically. The first-team defense had no changes up front, with Cameron Sample, De'Andre Williams, Robert Kennedy and Patrick Johnson.
"Cam Sample we think can be an All-Conference type guy for us," Fritz said. "He's a great student. He got in here just on his academic prowess. It had nothing to do with football. He's a member of SAC (I'm not sure what that is, can anyone fill me in?) and he retains things. That's the other part of figuring out who you are going to play, how quickly a guy can pick things up and be able to go out and execute on the field. If they have a tough time doing it, you're going to have to keep working with them."
Kennedy, the only upperclassman on the two-deep depth chart, definitely looks healthier than he did when he returned from a torn ACL more than midway through 2017--he had 15 tackles in the last five games. He is lining up inside after starting three game at end late last year.
"He's just kind of an old-fashioned player," Fritz said. "He's just tough, hard-nosed and when he's on, he can be very explosive, too. The first game that I coached here against Wake Forest, he made a bunch of plays in that game and dominated that game. Then a few weeks later he got hurt (causing him to miss two games and be ineffective when he returned), but he's a good player. The guy ran a 22-something 200 meters in high school. He's a good athlete. He got the confidence the last couple of weeks (a year ago) that he was OK and could play it."
I liked Williams in the spring--he absolutely has more mobility at this point than Johnson or Wright--and Fritz confirmed my thoughts today.
"In recruiting, we talk about retaining the guys and then developing the guys," Fritz said. "He has really developed. He is a much, much, much better player than he was when he first got here. He happens to be from the same high school as Tanzel Smart, and he has a work ethic like Tanzel. He's up here extra. His body has noticeably changed. He's a guy that I thought might play limited snaps for us, but he's probably going to play a lot.
Williams is much lighter than Johnson (6-3, 320), but he is quicker on his feet.
"He's moving well," Fritz said. "He's about 280-285. We got to have enough mass, but you also have to move up there. Jeffery Johnson is still getting in shape a little bit. He's going to be a great player and we need him to be a great player this year. Davon Wright, those freshmen are a little up and down. I call it hitting the freshman wall. They go good for the first week and then they start hitting a wall and start de-gressing instead of progressing with their improvement."
The second-team defensive line consisted of four freshmen--Alfred Thomas, Johnson, Wright and Carlos Hatcher.
At linebacker, Zach Harris was out, so Lawrence Graham and Marvin Moody worked with the first team together. Both of them will play a ton this year anyway, likely rotating with Harris in a three-man group, so it probably was helpful to have them working together. KJ Vault remained on the second unit, but Quentin Brown earned a promotion to the second unit because of Harris' absence.
The secondary had an interesting change. Thakarius Keyes, now wearing No. 26 instead of his old 37, practiced at cornerback with the first team. Donnie Lewis, back from an injury that sidelined him Thursday and Friday, worked with the second team along with Willie Langham. I'll watch that competition some more on Wednesday--tomorrow's practice is closed because players will be available at Media Day--to get a better handle on what is going on at Tulane's most competitive position. I can't envision a scenario where Lewis does not start against Wake Forest, though.
The first-team nickelback continues to be Larry Bryant, with Tirise Barge running second and Will Harper third.
Rod Teamer and P.J. Hall are the iron-clad starting safeties. Macon Clark, wearing Keyes' old No. 37, was on the second team along with Taris Shenall. Chase Kuerschen still has not practiced yet this preseason. The third-string safeties today were Sean Harper and freshman Larry Brooks.
The first-team offensive line has not changed at all since the start of camp, with impressive transfer Noah Fisher at left tackle, Dominique Briggs at left guard, Corey Dublin at center, John Leglue at right guard and Keyshawn McLeod at right tackle. The second unit had Joey Claybrook at left tackle, Cameron Jackel at left guard, Hunter Knight at center, Devon Johnson at right guard and Tyler Johnson at right tackle. Devon Johnson replaced walk-on Ben Bratcher out of the picture; otherwise. there were no changes.
NOTES
---Devin Glenn looks sharp. He still has his work cut out for him at one of the team's deepest positions, but for the first time since Fritz arrived, I see a real plan for him other than on special teams. He is making quick, decisive cuts in practice, but the real test will come on the rare days when contact is allowed.
---Charles Jones remained out with an unspecified injury. In his absence, the guy making the most plays is Will Wallace, not Kendal Ardoin. Freshman Tyrick James, who is wearing No. 80, is getting reps, too.
---The receivers had more trouble getting separation than in the first few practices. Either that, or the quarterbacks were indecisive, but there were several plays where the whistle blew before they released the ball.
---Still have not seen one second of the kicking game. Either they work on it during the first 45 minutes of practice when I am not there or have not devoted any time to it on the main field. The kicker get work on the small practice field outside the stadium.
---Freshman running back Ygenio Booker returned to practice after missing a couple days. He made one nice catch. Wide receiver Jacob Robertson was back, too.
