Watched most of the spring game today and came away impressed with more than few guys. I think this is going to be a team that can compete in the Big 12 race.
At the same time, it's hard to tell much based on a scrimmage where vanilla defenses are called, and several guys were injured or held out. With that said, these are the guys that stood out today to me.
Byron Pringle: Biggest recruiting steal of the last cycle in my opinion. He showed that today with his speed and ability to separate from the defensive backs. The narrative has been that this last recruiting class was god awful, but with Pringle, I think he is a home run get. We are going to have a guy that can flat out worry the hell out of defensive coordinators (just like Lockett did). He has NFL written all over him.
Denzel Goolsby: Made a great catch for those that didn't watch the game today. Has the great athletic ability that will be a tremendous compliment to Pringle in this offense. Has a high ceiling and is going to be one to watch in fall camp.
Jesse Ertz: How he is running around and playing at the level he showed today after just 7 months on an ACL injury I have no idea. But he looked really good! His accuracy is the difference to me and he has better speed than one would think watching him. I think he is going to be a perfect blend of Klein and Waters. If he remains healthy, I like the QB situation.
Craig Settles: No doubt the defensive tackle position is a key one. I thought Settles really played well for the 2nd unit in this spring game. He used his hands extremely well and was able to stuff the gaps and clog the running lanes. If he continues to play like that, the rotation between Geary, Dishon, and Settles will be a solid one. I was impressed with his play.
Johnathan Durham: To me, the most pleasant surprise of the day was how well Durham played at corner. He showed great footwork and instincts in closing on the ball. While he certainly didn't play a perfect game, he was contesting really good passes that in prior years were easily caught for first downs. In fact, a couple of times Wyatt and Stan had to watch the replay to determine how the ball was not completed, and it was Durham on both occasions who got his hand in there to knock out a perfectly thrown pass. At cornerback, this is a huge deal because the impression going into the spring was that the position is too thin. However, with Starks back in fall camp, Durham competing for a starting spot, and newcomers D.J Reed and Cedric Dozier arriving, suddenly the defensive backfield looks a whole lot better. My feeling after today is that the competition for that spot opposite of Shelley is going to be a fierce one.
Overall, this is going to be a much better team than in 2015 in several ways. Leadership, speed and skill at WR, and the QB position will be much improved.
At the same time, it's hard to tell much based on a scrimmage where vanilla defenses are called, and several guys were injured or held out. With that said, these are the guys that stood out today to me.
Byron Pringle: Biggest recruiting steal of the last cycle in my opinion. He showed that today with his speed and ability to separate from the defensive backs. The narrative has been that this last recruiting class was god awful, but with Pringle, I think he is a home run get. We are going to have a guy that can flat out worry the hell out of defensive coordinators (just like Lockett did). He has NFL written all over him.
Denzel Goolsby: Made a great catch for those that didn't watch the game today. Has the great athletic ability that will be a tremendous compliment to Pringle in this offense. Has a high ceiling and is going to be one to watch in fall camp.
Jesse Ertz: How he is running around and playing at the level he showed today after just 7 months on an ACL injury I have no idea. But he looked really good! His accuracy is the difference to me and he has better speed than one would think watching him. I think he is going to be a perfect blend of Klein and Waters. If he remains healthy, I like the QB situation.
Craig Settles: No doubt the defensive tackle position is a key one. I thought Settles really played well for the 2nd unit in this spring game. He used his hands extremely well and was able to stuff the gaps and clog the running lanes. If he continues to play like that, the rotation between Geary, Dishon, and Settles will be a solid one. I was impressed with his play.
Johnathan Durham: To me, the most pleasant surprise of the day was how well Durham played at corner. He showed great footwork and instincts in closing on the ball. While he certainly didn't play a perfect game, he was contesting really good passes that in prior years were easily caught for first downs. In fact, a couple of times Wyatt and Stan had to watch the replay to determine how the ball was not completed, and it was Durham on both occasions who got his hand in there to knock out a perfectly thrown pass. At cornerback, this is a huge deal because the impression going into the spring was that the position is too thin. However, with Starks back in fall camp, Durham competing for a starting spot, and newcomers D.J Reed and Cedric Dozier arriving, suddenly the defensive backfield looks a whole lot better. My feeling after today is that the competition for that spot opposite of Shelley is going to be a fierce one.
Overall, this is going to be a much better team than in 2015 in several ways. Leadership, speed and skill at WR, and the QB position will be much improved.
