The last spring practice of the winter took place in full pads this morning in pretty chilly conditions at Yulman Stadium, although it warmed up a bit under the sun by the 10 a.m. finish. I cleared up the Keitha Jones mystery when I noticed he was playing tight end, a move Willie Fritz confirmed after practice. Not sure why I did not see him running routes last week, but he gives the Green Wave a third scholarship tight end to go along with Will Wallace and Tyrick James. His move leaves Tulane with six scholarship inside linebackers in the spring--starters Marvin Moody and Lawrence Graham, sometime-first unit guy Nick Anderson, Quentin Brown, K.J. Vault and true freshman Dorian Williams.
Justin McMillan was sharp at the end of practice in an 11-on-11 drill, throwing accurately. He hit Amare Jones on an inside route, and I cannot stress enough how much Tulane needs to throw to the backs next fall. It was not a viable part of the playbook under Doug Ruse, but Will Hall appears willing and able to incorporate these guys into the passing game. At the moment, most of the running backs are better receivers than any wideout other than Darnell Mooney and Jalen McCleskey.
McMillan threw an interception earlier in the practice that safety Macon Clark snagged near the sideline. McMillan hurt his left leg on the play and had to go to the sideline to flex the leg, but he returned soon and looked completely fine.
"He (Clark) is getting bigger," Fritz said. "He was a 170 pounds max when he got here and he's 188, 189 now. He runs well, he's got good instincts, he's a good, physical player. He knows how to pull the trigger. Some guys, everything has to be perfect for them to come up and make a play. Rod Teamer was great at that. When he played run, he went and played run, and Macon has some of those characteristics. He can make the hit and make the interception."
Clark, it turns out, is only working with the first team at strong safety because Chase Kuerschen is recovering from offseason back surgery. Kuerschen is practicing, but Fritz said he was not 100 percent.
"If he was, he'd be out there working with the first group," Fritz said. "He improved big time last season as well and was really good in the kicking game and did some good things on the defensive side of the ball as well. We're just being safe with him. We don't have a game until August 29."
Kuerschen made 60 tackles as a true freshman in 2017, the fourth most on the team, while starting eight games, but he was exposed in open space in some games and was moved to linebacker last spring. That decision did not pan out, so he went back to safety in the fall but did not play much early. His role expanded as the season progressed, and he finished with 23 tackles and three starts.
"A big part of my job is figuring out where to put these guys," Fritz said. "Sometimes a (position coach) who's working with a guy every day can't really see it. You have to step back a little bit and look at it. It's like Rod Teamer this last year. We moved him to a different position (strong safety from free safety) and it was gold for him and gold for us. We did the same thing with Chase. You have to make sure you're accenting what a guy's skill set is all about."
Keon Howard still needs to improve his accuracy. He rolled out nicely to avoid pressure on one play but threw behind Jorrien Vallien and off his hands on what could have been a nice gain.
Both quarterbacks elected to keep the ball and scramble downfield on several pass plays, which is hard to analyze when they are not allowed to be tackled. Redshirt freshman Cam Carrroll showed some pop on running plays, but again, it's a little hard to gauge when the drill is not totally live. This is one talented running back group, so the more the coaches find a way to get them a lot of touches, the better.
Brown grad transfer Christian Montano is getting good reviews at center after four practices. For starters, every one of his snaps has been perfect. Corey Dublin was adequate but not perfect in that department last year, and his move to left guard to accommodate the Brown transfer's arrival has strengthened two positions.
"Obviously he's a highly intelligent guy," Fritz said. "He's got good football sense. He's getting better every practice. He's going against better players than he normally would go against in his practices at Brown. He's a battler. He's got a competitive streak in him that I really like. He finishes blocks. He's just going to a good player for us."
Fritz obviously never saw Montano play in person, but his film was impressive.
"It looked like he was big enough to play at the level," Fritz said. "He's 6-3, 300 pounds and has excellent strength. He's a 400-pound plus bench presser. He's a mid-500-pound squatter, so he's got the mass and the strength to play inside. I watched his first game last year and he played in 28 snaps (before suffering a season-ending foot injury). I watched him the year before at tackle. Those guys that can snap and move and play and block, it's a little tougher than the other spots. They've got to be calling stuff out. It kind of gave us two new players, putting him at center and putting Corey back at guard, his natural position. Corey's improved his strength level probably 20 percent since he got here, and that's significant."
Dublin is suited more for guard. A few too many of his snaps were a little off target last year, and he started every game at left guard as a true freshman, where he is now.
"For stepping in there and having to play center last year (when Junior Diaz transferred to FAU) he did an excellent job," Fritz said. "But at guard, he does a good job of pulling, climbing into the second level, comboing up with defensive linemen. He's a really good run blocker. Our guards have got to be able to create vertical movement, and he's got a lot of power to him. I really think this is a good move for Corey. He's very competitive. It's good to have those two guys side by side. We have a lot of competitive guys up on the offensive line."
It really is amazing how many active bodies Tulane has on the defensive front. I've never seen anything like it since I started covering the team in 2010, with DeAndre Williams, Jeffery Johnson, Alfred Thomas and Jamiran James inside and Patrick Johnson, Cam Sample, Carlos Hatcher, Juan Monjarres and Davon Wright outside giving the Wave nine capable players.
"It's big time," Fritz said. "That's where you want to start your defense off, and the best pass defense is a good rush. We've got some guys that are natural pass rushers. Patrick Johnson obviously, Cam Sample, but all those guys had sacks last year. We had 41 sacks, which I believe is the most in school history (Tulane had 46 in 1973) and the third best in the nation (actually eighth). Besides that, they are all big enough and strong enough to play at the point. We are a lot stronger team now. We've got a bunch of guys benching over 400, a bunch of guys squatting 500 and over 600 pounds, which is hard to do. To do 600 pounds, that's tough to do, and there are not a whole lot of guys who really do a 600-pound squat, and we've got six or seven guys doing that."
Fritz said Christian Daniels, a redshirt freshman who is practicing as the third string QB, is not close to 100 percent after having a serious knee injury last fall when he was working at receiver. Daniels did not show much at QB at the beginning of 2018, but he's still young.
"He's doing a nice job," Fritz said. "Guys are doing a good job of staying off him and he's doing a good job of not cranking it loose. He really has (made a quick recovery). I'd rather have guys in their rehab doing football stuff than be standing here on the sideline doing other stuff. I tell him every day he's got to be smart out there. Don't all of a sudden do a cut you're not ready to do yet, but we need him ready to go July 31 when we start preseason camp and he'll be ready then."
About 25 players headed out of the stadium about two minutes before practice ended because Fritz sends them on their way an hour before the start of their 11 am. classes. That's one constant at Tulane I almost never saw in the 17 years I covered Florida--missed practice time due to classwork-- but they did not miss anything today. They took off during a water break, and Fritz ended practice at the end of the break.
Tulane will have its fifth practice Thursday morning, with Pro Day taking place at the Saints Indoor facility at noon. Unless The Advocate tells me I have to cover it, I will skip Pro Day this year. Tulane's draft prospects are small, with maybe Donnie Lewis getting taken, and that event is interminable with every senior hoping to catch an NFL scout's eye plus players from McNeese and other small colleges participating. I've sat through it the last two years and been bored.
We talked to Montano, Dublin and Clark after practice today. I don't have time to transcribe them, but I will get that stuff up tomorrow. And yes, I will get the long interview with Kyle Speer I had last week on the site soon.
Justin McMillan was sharp at the end of practice in an 11-on-11 drill, throwing accurately. He hit Amare Jones on an inside route, and I cannot stress enough how much Tulane needs to throw to the backs next fall. It was not a viable part of the playbook under Doug Ruse, but Will Hall appears willing and able to incorporate these guys into the passing game. At the moment, most of the running backs are better receivers than any wideout other than Darnell Mooney and Jalen McCleskey.
McMillan threw an interception earlier in the practice that safety Macon Clark snagged near the sideline. McMillan hurt his left leg on the play and had to go to the sideline to flex the leg, but he returned soon and looked completely fine.
"He (Clark) is getting bigger," Fritz said. "He was a 170 pounds max when he got here and he's 188, 189 now. He runs well, he's got good instincts, he's a good, physical player. He knows how to pull the trigger. Some guys, everything has to be perfect for them to come up and make a play. Rod Teamer was great at that. When he played run, he went and played run, and Macon has some of those characteristics. He can make the hit and make the interception."
Clark, it turns out, is only working with the first team at strong safety because Chase Kuerschen is recovering from offseason back surgery. Kuerschen is practicing, but Fritz said he was not 100 percent.
"If he was, he'd be out there working with the first group," Fritz said. "He improved big time last season as well and was really good in the kicking game and did some good things on the defensive side of the ball as well. We're just being safe with him. We don't have a game until August 29."
Kuerschen made 60 tackles as a true freshman in 2017, the fourth most on the team, while starting eight games, but he was exposed in open space in some games and was moved to linebacker last spring. That decision did not pan out, so he went back to safety in the fall but did not play much early. His role expanded as the season progressed, and he finished with 23 tackles and three starts.
"A big part of my job is figuring out where to put these guys," Fritz said. "Sometimes a (position coach) who's working with a guy every day can't really see it. You have to step back a little bit and look at it. It's like Rod Teamer this last year. We moved him to a different position (strong safety from free safety) and it was gold for him and gold for us. We did the same thing with Chase. You have to make sure you're accenting what a guy's skill set is all about."
Keon Howard still needs to improve his accuracy. He rolled out nicely to avoid pressure on one play but threw behind Jorrien Vallien and off his hands on what could have been a nice gain.
Both quarterbacks elected to keep the ball and scramble downfield on several pass plays, which is hard to analyze when they are not allowed to be tackled. Redshirt freshman Cam Carrroll showed some pop on running plays, but again, it's a little hard to gauge when the drill is not totally live. This is one talented running back group, so the more the coaches find a way to get them a lot of touches, the better.
Brown grad transfer Christian Montano is getting good reviews at center after four practices. For starters, every one of his snaps has been perfect. Corey Dublin was adequate but not perfect in that department last year, and his move to left guard to accommodate the Brown transfer's arrival has strengthened two positions.
"Obviously he's a highly intelligent guy," Fritz said. "He's got good football sense. He's getting better every practice. He's going against better players than he normally would go against in his practices at Brown. He's a battler. He's got a competitive streak in him that I really like. He finishes blocks. He's just going to a good player for us."
Fritz obviously never saw Montano play in person, but his film was impressive.
"It looked like he was big enough to play at the level," Fritz said. "He's 6-3, 300 pounds and has excellent strength. He's a 400-pound plus bench presser. He's a mid-500-pound squatter, so he's got the mass and the strength to play inside. I watched his first game last year and he played in 28 snaps (before suffering a season-ending foot injury). I watched him the year before at tackle. Those guys that can snap and move and play and block, it's a little tougher than the other spots. They've got to be calling stuff out. It kind of gave us two new players, putting him at center and putting Corey back at guard, his natural position. Corey's improved his strength level probably 20 percent since he got here, and that's significant."
Dublin is suited more for guard. A few too many of his snaps were a little off target last year, and he started every game at left guard as a true freshman, where he is now.
"For stepping in there and having to play center last year (when Junior Diaz transferred to FAU) he did an excellent job," Fritz said. "But at guard, he does a good job of pulling, climbing into the second level, comboing up with defensive linemen. He's a really good run blocker. Our guards have got to be able to create vertical movement, and he's got a lot of power to him. I really think this is a good move for Corey. He's very competitive. It's good to have those two guys side by side. We have a lot of competitive guys up on the offensive line."
It really is amazing how many active bodies Tulane has on the defensive front. I've never seen anything like it since I started covering the team in 2010, with DeAndre Williams, Jeffery Johnson, Alfred Thomas and Jamiran James inside and Patrick Johnson, Cam Sample, Carlos Hatcher, Juan Monjarres and Davon Wright outside giving the Wave nine capable players.
"It's big time," Fritz said. "That's where you want to start your defense off, and the best pass defense is a good rush. We've got some guys that are natural pass rushers. Patrick Johnson obviously, Cam Sample, but all those guys had sacks last year. We had 41 sacks, which I believe is the most in school history (Tulane had 46 in 1973) and the third best in the nation (actually eighth). Besides that, they are all big enough and strong enough to play at the point. We are a lot stronger team now. We've got a bunch of guys benching over 400, a bunch of guys squatting 500 and over 600 pounds, which is hard to do. To do 600 pounds, that's tough to do, and there are not a whole lot of guys who really do a 600-pound squat, and we've got six or seven guys doing that."
Fritz said Christian Daniels, a redshirt freshman who is practicing as the third string QB, is not close to 100 percent after having a serious knee injury last fall when he was working at receiver. Daniels did not show much at QB at the beginning of 2018, but he's still young.
"He's doing a nice job," Fritz said. "Guys are doing a good job of staying off him and he's doing a good job of not cranking it loose. He really has (made a quick recovery). I'd rather have guys in their rehab doing football stuff than be standing here on the sideline doing other stuff. I tell him every day he's got to be smart out there. Don't all of a sudden do a cut you're not ready to do yet, but we need him ready to go July 31 when we start preseason camp and he'll be ready then."
About 25 players headed out of the stadium about two minutes before practice ended because Fritz sends them on their way an hour before the start of their 11 am. classes. That's one constant at Tulane I almost never saw in the 17 years I covered Florida--missed practice time due to classwork-- but they did not miss anything today. They took off during a water break, and Fritz ended practice at the end of the break.
Tulane will have its fifth practice Thursday morning, with Pro Day taking place at the Saints Indoor facility at noon. Unless The Advocate tells me I have to cover it, I will skip Pro Day this year. Tulane's draft prospects are small, with maybe Donnie Lewis getting taken, and that event is interminable with every senior hoping to catch an NFL scout's eye plus players from McNeese and other small colleges participating. I've sat through it the last two years and been bored.
We talked to Montano, Dublin and Clark after practice today. I don't have time to transcribe them, but I will get that stuff up tomorrow. And yes, I will get the long interview with Kyle Speer I had last week on the site soon.
