SAN ANTONIO, TX - Tuesday morning was a cold, wet day at Jerry Comalander Stadium. Once again the West team went through a slow and methodical day of work, but on this cold morning there was a bit more action than we saw in the previous days practice. After a bit of a slow one-on-one period and various walk-through periods, the West went into some live team drills. During this period we saw a bit more action, with the line getting after it and the run game being a point of emphasis.
Here are some of my observations from the day:
OBSERVATIONS
The equipment for Notre Dame OL commit Matt Hegarty (Aztec, N.M./Aztec) finally arrived in San Antonio. Being in his own gear seemed to suit Hegarty quite well, as the five-star tackle looked much healthier today than he did during Monday’s practice. Today Hegarty had his orange knee braces on that he wore during his senior season at Aztec. During the practice Hegarty rotated back and forth between left tackle and left guard. The limp that I saw yesterday from Hegarty seemed to be gone. During pass drills he showed very good quickness off the line, never getting beat to the point of attack. He only got beat on one play by DE Jermaurio Rasco, and on the play Hegarty showed one area where he needs a bit of work. He will have an adjustment to the size of players at the next level. In New Mexico he rarely faced players who could match him size wise, and early on it took him a few times to adjust. Once he got adjusted he was very good. Hegarty was solid on the backside, and showed tremendous agility as pass rushers tried move after move to beat ESPN’s No. 24 overall player. None of those moves worked, as Hegarty mirrored each end that he faced. This will be a big strength for Hegarty at the next level once he adds some strength to his game.
At the beginning of the team period Hegarty lined up at left guard. He showed good quickness off the ball and used his hands well in the run game. On several plays he lined up against four-star DT Marquis Anderson (Oklahoma verbal). Each time Hegarty beat Anderson off the line and sealed off the backside running lane. Not only did Hegarty use his athleticism to beat Anderson, he also did a great job using his hands to get a punch and a push off the ball. The most impressive plays for me with Hegarty were when he was lined up against ViliamiMoala (6-2, 325, CA). Moala is a massive DT prospect with offers from USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, and Oregon State. Moala is also ESPN’s No. 97 ranked player. Moala is the kind of matchup that you would think wouldn’t bode well for Hegarty, who is still a bit undersized. Hegarty won his battles against Moala, showing the ability to use his quickness to beat Moala off the ball as well as flashing quick hands to get inside leverage against the massive DT prospect. What was most impressive is that once he got locked onto Moala he was able to hold his own and even get a push on several plays. At times Hegarty would get his feet crossed up on the edge, which is a technique issue that will need to be corrected.
Overall it was a very good day for Hegarty.
Fellow Notre Dame commit George Atkinson (Livermore, Calif./Granada) had a solid day of practice, but he had fewer balls thrown his way today. Atkinson got beat once up the seam by Jaxon Shipley (Texas verbal) for a touchdown, but that play was more about a great pass by J.W. Walsh (Oklahoma State verbal) and a great catch by Shipley as Atkinson had very good coverage on the day. Atkinson again showed very good quickness and fluidity. I was also impressed by his foot quickness when he was asked to come up in coverage in the slot. Atkinson more than held his own in coverage against George Farmer (USC verbal), who is one of the nation’s best receivers.
OTHER NOTES
Oklahoma State commit J.W. Walsh had a very good day, at least during the routes on air and 7-on-7 periods. Walsh is a talented runner from the quarterback position, but I have always questioned his ability to throw the football at an elite level. While he still has some questions in this regards, he was quite impressive today. Walsh spins the ball with very good velocity, as the ball jumps out of his hand very well. I was very impressed with his ability to throw the vertical routes (posts, go’s, flags, deep ins) with great power. Walsh was very confident and comfortable dropping during the 7-on-7 periods, but was less comfortable during the team period. Nebraska commit Bubba Starling again showed great arm strength, by far the best on the West squad; but he once again showed he is a very, very raw passer. Starling was very erratic and inconsistent on the day. Hopefully the West coaches will allow Starling and Walsh to start using their feet a bit more. USC commit Cody Kessler continues to underwhelm. He has an awkward release that causes his arm to dip, which is not good for a shorter quarterback. He also lacks the kind of arm strength of his peers. His power throws (deep outs, comebacks, deep ins) really die on him. He does throw a nice outside go route and he throws okay on the run. Other than that I was not impressed. Kessler is also not nearly the athlete that Walsh and Starling are.
USC commit Victor Blackwell had a very good day. He ran good routes, often burning the West defensive backs. He also made some very good catches on the day. Where he needs work is to get stronger and be more consistent with his concentration catching the football. Fellow USC commit George Farmer showed his tremendous talent today, making several big plays on the deep ball. But he also shows a poor work ethic and on-field attitude. He has to be more consistent catching the football. Texas commit Jaxon Shipley is a tremendous route runner and shows great hands. He is also a much better athlete than he gets credit for. He is very quick and fluid, looking very good down here in the slot. Odell Beckham Jr. showed very good quickness on the day, as well as the speed to beat defenders over the top. Washington commit Kasen WilliamsAustin Seferian-Jenkins is a physical receiver with very good hands. He looked better getting out of his breaks today than he did yesterday. Tight end (Washington verbal) is a good pass catcher, and he uses his size to really gain position on defenders. He does not run as well as other players at the position and could grow into a defensive tackle, but he could also still end up as a solid tight end.
Arkansas commit Tevin Mitchell had a really rough day in coverage. Mitchell is obviously a good athlete, but he was consistently burnt on the day. USC commit DeAnthony Thomas was very quick in coverage, but his lack of size allowed several balls to get caught over top of him. Nebraska commit Charles Jackson was solid on the day, making several plays and getting beat a couple of times. He’s got very good feet and seems to have natural cover skills. The best cornerback on the day was Stefan McClure. He was very quick and constantly stayed right on receivers. He’s an uncommitted prospect who is not being heavily recruited, but I expect that to change after the week he is having so far. That young man can flat out cover, at least so far.
At linebacker the one player who continues to standout is California native Colt Lyerla. Lyerla is a physical and athletic player who is all over the field. He was good again today in coverage, making at least one interception on the day. He also plays hard against the run. My only knock on him is he plays a bit out of control.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Ben Koyack started turning heads at the Under Armour All-America Football Game as soon as he showed up, literally.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Under Armour All-Americans are having their last day of practice before Wednesday night's game. Irish Sports Daily is on the scene to bring you updates from DaVaris Daniels, Ben Koyack, Savon Huggins, Amir Carlisle and more.
SAN ANTONIO - We'll be having live updates from the Tuesday AM practice for the West squad.
SAN ANTONIO - Notre Dame commit George Atkinson (Livermore, Calif./Granada) is going to play wide receiver at Notre Dame. But the Granada star will be playing free safety during the Army All-American Bowl. Although his future and heart are on offense, he is enjoying his time down in San Antonio.
