With minor injuries mounting, the receivers had a brutal morning at Yulman Stadium after looking pretty good in the first five. The drop squad was out in full force during 7-on-7 practice that ended at 9:30.
Leading returning receiver Jaetavian Toles remains sidelined with an unspecified injury--he has been nowhere in evidence but is still on the team--and Jha'Quan Jackson did not practice because of the left arm injury he sustained in Monday's workout when he landed hard on the turf. Jackson was out there with no visible brace or sling, and he participated in post-practice exercises, so my best best is it will be a short-term absence. Dane Ledford was in a red no-contact jersey today as well. Unfortunately, the feed on the Zoom call with Willie Fritz wigged out on me for the first time, so I did not have a chance to ask about injuries.
Mykel Jones, who continues to be held out of team drills, set the tone by dropping a pass from Michael Pratt in receiver drills that hit him in the hands and was not thrown hard.
Once 7-on-7 seven drills began, Sorrell Brown dropped a beautiful throw by Pratt that eluded the outstretched hands of a defender. Sophomore Tyrek Presley, whose body says big-time receiver but whose performance has been lacking, showed indifferent effort on a seam pass Justin Ibieta threw over the top, letting it sail a couple yards past him when it appeared he had a play on the ball. On the next play, he dropped an easy catch.
Running back Cam Carroll, who usually has good hands, joined the party by dropping an easy one near the sideline from Pratt. One of the defenders on the play mocked him, saying "come on, Cam."
A little later, Jacob Robertson dropped one on contact for what would have been a 20-yard gain over the middle. Freshman safety Cornelius Dyson raced to the sideline to pick off a Keon Howard throw. Cornerback Kyle Meyers broke up a pass for Presley, with yet another DB showing better ball instincts than Presley, who did bounce back to catch consecutive short passes near the end of 11-on-11 work. Walk-on cornerback Rishi Rattan, whom I dismissed as a non-factor when he had an interception on the second day of practice, broke up a pass for Duece Watts beautifully, slapping it the ground with quick acceleration. Rattan, from Shawnee, Kansas, is 5-9, 165 and unlikely to contribute, but he makes plays every day.
The 11-on-11 work, which did not last long, started with a busted coverage as Phat Watts ran down the seam with no one near him for an easy catch from Pratt. I'm not sure who was at fault, but Kerr looked irritated. On the next snap, Brown dropped another pass.
The two best plays of the day came from combos we will not see in games. Pratt threw a gorgeous deep ball to walk-on quarterback Josh Coltrin, who filled in due to the shortage at receiver, leading to a huge celebration. Later, Pratt, who has tremendous arm talent, threw a perfect deep out to freshman walk-on Stephen Payne, who just had room to get his feet inbounds. Payne is 5-10, 165 pounds.
Eric Hicks got some reps with the first unit at tackle today and Ajani Kerr stepped in for an injured Chase Kuershen at free safety. Willie Langham replaced Kerr at nickelback. Kevin Henry was back with the first unit alongside Marvin Moody, which is the duo I expect to start the season, with Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams getting plenty of time, too.
Overall, this is the most athletic defense Tulane has had under Fritz. If the Wave gets good play at free safety and from the two grad transfer DBs, the defense should be really strong. Clearly, the only real questions are in the secondary, but I like Monroe and Larry Brooks.
There was no Angelo Anderson sighting anywhere on the field. I will ask about him tomorrow if he is not practicing.
The freshman offensive lineman have not made an impact yet, but it's still early in camp. Matt Lombardi is playing left tackle, with Rashad Green at left guard and Joseph Solomon at right guard while Josh Remetich sits out. I did not notice Trey Tuggle today and will have to check on him.
Ygenio Booker missed his second consecutive day. He has been banged up often in his time at Tulane.
Fritz was a motivational speaker at the end of practice, telling the player he had "no new news" on the status of the season and saying "We're the Terminator. We just keep going." It has to be hard to concentrate with indecision swirling around the viability of college football, but it appears decisions by the Power Five conferences will be delayed, which is good news for the continuation of practice.
Fritz told me on the Zoom call he is as worried about hydration as coronavirus. Tulane does not have the Saints indoor facility as an option, and the offensive and defensive linemen debuted experimental shields inside their helmets today, making conditions even hotter for them. I'm not sure the cost-benefit analysis supports those, but the AAC is considering mandating them, so Tulane will have to get used to them in case they become mandatory.
Leading returning receiver Jaetavian Toles remains sidelined with an unspecified injury--he has been nowhere in evidence but is still on the team--and Jha'Quan Jackson did not practice because of the left arm injury he sustained in Monday's workout when he landed hard on the turf. Jackson was out there with no visible brace or sling, and he participated in post-practice exercises, so my best best is it will be a short-term absence. Dane Ledford was in a red no-contact jersey today as well. Unfortunately, the feed on the Zoom call with Willie Fritz wigged out on me for the first time, so I did not have a chance to ask about injuries.
Mykel Jones, who continues to be held out of team drills, set the tone by dropping a pass from Michael Pratt in receiver drills that hit him in the hands and was not thrown hard.
Once 7-on-7 seven drills began, Sorrell Brown dropped a beautiful throw by Pratt that eluded the outstretched hands of a defender. Sophomore Tyrek Presley, whose body says big-time receiver but whose performance has been lacking, showed indifferent effort on a seam pass Justin Ibieta threw over the top, letting it sail a couple yards past him when it appeared he had a play on the ball. On the next play, he dropped an easy catch.
Running back Cam Carroll, who usually has good hands, joined the party by dropping an easy one near the sideline from Pratt. One of the defenders on the play mocked him, saying "come on, Cam."
A little later, Jacob Robertson dropped one on contact for what would have been a 20-yard gain over the middle. Freshman safety Cornelius Dyson raced to the sideline to pick off a Keon Howard throw. Cornerback Kyle Meyers broke up a pass for Presley, with yet another DB showing better ball instincts than Presley, who did bounce back to catch consecutive short passes near the end of 11-on-11 work. Walk-on cornerback Rishi Rattan, whom I dismissed as a non-factor when he had an interception on the second day of practice, broke up a pass for Duece Watts beautifully, slapping it the ground with quick acceleration. Rattan, from Shawnee, Kansas, is 5-9, 165 and unlikely to contribute, but he makes plays every day.
The 11-on-11 work, which did not last long, started with a busted coverage as Phat Watts ran down the seam with no one near him for an easy catch from Pratt. I'm not sure who was at fault, but Kerr looked irritated. On the next snap, Brown dropped another pass.
The two best plays of the day came from combos we will not see in games. Pratt threw a gorgeous deep ball to walk-on quarterback Josh Coltrin, who filled in due to the shortage at receiver, leading to a huge celebration. Later, Pratt, who has tremendous arm talent, threw a perfect deep out to freshman walk-on Stephen Payne, who just had room to get his feet inbounds. Payne is 5-10, 165 pounds.
Eric Hicks got some reps with the first unit at tackle today and Ajani Kerr stepped in for an injured Chase Kuershen at free safety. Willie Langham replaced Kerr at nickelback. Kevin Henry was back with the first unit alongside Marvin Moody, which is the duo I expect to start the season, with Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams getting plenty of time, too.
Overall, this is the most athletic defense Tulane has had under Fritz. If the Wave gets good play at free safety and from the two grad transfer DBs, the defense should be really strong. Clearly, the only real questions are in the secondary, but I like Monroe and Larry Brooks.
There was no Angelo Anderson sighting anywhere on the field. I will ask about him tomorrow if he is not practicing.
The freshman offensive lineman have not made an impact yet, but it's still early in camp. Matt Lombardi is playing left tackle, with Rashad Green at left guard and Joseph Solomon at right guard while Josh Remetich sits out. I did not notice Trey Tuggle today and will have to check on him.
Ygenio Booker missed his second consecutive day. He has been banged up often in his time at Tulane.
Fritz was a motivational speaker at the end of practice, telling the player he had "no new news" on the status of the season and saying "We're the Terminator. We just keep going." It has to be hard to concentrate with indecision swirling around the viability of college football, but it appears decisions by the Power Five conferences will be delayed, which is good news for the continuation of practice.
Fritz told me on the Zoom call he is as worried about hydration as coronavirus. Tulane does not have the Saints indoor facility as an option, and the offensive and defensive linemen debuted experimental shields inside their helmets today, making conditions even hotter for them. I'm not sure the cost-benefit analysis supports those, but the AAC is considering mandating them, so Tulane will have to get used to them in case they become mandatory.
