I will have a much more lengthy write up from the first day of spring practice later, but I wanted to give you guys five quick thoughts on what I was able to see and observe during today's open practice. Obviously it is still the first day so naturally a lot of the new guys were pretty gassed, but it was a chance to see some things.
* First off Anu Solomon looks healthy and like that ankle is not bothering him at all. He was moving very well and not favoring it in any way. The second thing on Anu is that he looked much faster than I remember ever seeing him. He was quicker when running with the ball and just overall looked faster.
That might have something to do with his frame. He looked noticeably more trim but also with some added bulk in his upper body and shoulders. Overall he just looks much better and more along the lines of what I'm sure the coaches want to see. He mentioned afterward that his 40 time has improved and that his numbers in the weight room have gone up now as well too.
He looks like he has taken the last two months seriously.
* The second thing that stuck out to me is that DaVonte' Neal's move to corner already looks like it will be a good one. He mostly ran with the second group but he had a number of PBU's and was one of the fastest corners during the individual portion. However, it is similar to how he looked during practice at receiver as well, so we might not get a real read for how good he can be at the position until the season gets here.
He did look very good and like one of the top options at corner for Arizona during his first day at the new position.
* Devon Brewer is going to be someone to watch as things get going. The newcomer played a ton at free safety today with the second and third groups and considering there is not a ton of depth there behind Jamar Allah he could end up seeing some time this season if he can keep it up. Clearly, the staff has already taken a liking to him and it was already high on him when he originally committed.
* I know you guys want to know about new guys. Of that group Brewer was the one who stood out to me most. Paul Magloire was also running with that second group at bandit. His size is going to be big for Arizona and it will allow him to cover a variety of positions and give UA some flexibility. If he can get things down over the spring and summer I think he pushes Tellas Jones for that starting job by the time the season arrives.
Anthony Fotu didn't really stand out too much, but he was running with that second defense as well.
I'll get into the other guys later.
* Lastly, the starting offensive line is a big one. Carter Wood is a bit smaller than the others, but the 'Cats look big up front now all across the board. Tagaloa is a monster and the 'Cats had Lene Maiava on the other side with Cayman Bundage and Jacob Alsadek at the guard spots. I like the direction that group is going right now and it will only continue to get deeper as time goes on.
Those are just some brief observations for you guys to chew on for now. I will have plenty more from the first day of spring practice so stay tuned.
This post was edited on 3/4 10:41 PM by Matt Moreno
* First off Anu Solomon looks healthy and like that ankle is not bothering him at all. He was moving very well and not favoring it in any way. The second thing on Anu is that he looked much faster than I remember ever seeing him. He was quicker when running with the ball and just overall looked faster.
That might have something to do with his frame. He looked noticeably more trim but also with some added bulk in his upper body and shoulders. Overall he just looks much better and more along the lines of what I'm sure the coaches want to see. He mentioned afterward that his 40 time has improved and that his numbers in the weight room have gone up now as well too.
He looks like he has taken the last two months seriously.
* The second thing that stuck out to me is that DaVonte' Neal's move to corner already looks like it will be a good one. He mostly ran with the second group but he had a number of PBU's and was one of the fastest corners during the individual portion. However, it is similar to how he looked during practice at receiver as well, so we might not get a real read for how good he can be at the position until the season gets here.
He did look very good and like one of the top options at corner for Arizona during his first day at the new position.
* Devon Brewer is going to be someone to watch as things get going. The newcomer played a ton at free safety today with the second and third groups and considering there is not a ton of depth there behind Jamar Allah he could end up seeing some time this season if he can keep it up. Clearly, the staff has already taken a liking to him and it was already high on him when he originally committed.
* I know you guys want to know about new guys. Of that group Brewer was the one who stood out to me most. Paul Magloire was also running with that second group at bandit. His size is going to be big for Arizona and it will allow him to cover a variety of positions and give UA some flexibility. If he can get things down over the spring and summer I think he pushes Tellas Jones for that starting job by the time the season arrives.
Anthony Fotu didn't really stand out too much, but he was running with that second defense as well.
I'll get into the other guys later.
* Lastly, the starting offensive line is a big one. Carter Wood is a bit smaller than the others, but the 'Cats look big up front now all across the board. Tagaloa is a monster and the 'Cats had Lene Maiava on the other side with Cayman Bundage and Jacob Alsadek at the guard spots. I like the direction that group is going right now and it will only continue to get deeper as time goes on.
Those are just some brief observations for you guys to chew on for now. I will have plenty more from the first day of spring practice so stay tuned.
This post was edited on 3/4 10:41 PM by Matt Moreno
