Practice #2 was this morning (the first was when I was in Denver) and the Aggies were out there in helmets and shoulder pads. I didn't notice anyone missing who wasn't already known to be out.
The way things were set up today made so you had to pick to watch either the offense or the defense, so I went with the offense for the most part.
You couldn't tell much about what the offensive line looked like because they were cross-training. You had right tackles at left tackle, left tackles and right tackle, left tackles at center...you get the idea. Guard Blake Ivy was getting a lot of work with the injury to Ar'maj Reed-Adams, and he looked like he's in improved shape. He's the same weight, but he's slimmed down and looks stronger, at least. Mark Nabou was out there, which is obviously a huge positive. He did not appear to be limited.
One guy who stood out was freshman Lamont Rogers. Not because he did anything, just because...well, he's friggin' huge. I'm talking tall and muscular, not fat. I was curious during last year's recruiting process whether he would be a guard or a tackle, and after seeing him today, he definitely has the physique of a tackle.
So I did get a good look at the tight ends, running backs and receivers. One thing is certain: A&M wanted bigger, heavier tight ends who can block. Nate Boerkircher and Micah Riley are both big dudes and they're definitely here to block first, but both had some really nice catches during the open session today. They're not just one-trick ponies; they can catch given the opportunity. Theo Ohrstrom looks like he's gotten a little bit bigger and stronger, and he's TE1 right now. Amari Niblack and Kiotti Armstrong are definitely the catch-first tight ends of the group, and Armstrong is really fluid and has some speed to him. He looks almost thin, but he's 265 pounds. He's just really tall, too. Both Armstrong and Niblack seem, at first glance, to be very athletic.
We didn't know if EJ Smith was even going to be on the team this year; he's not only out there, but he was running with what I guess you could call the ones today. Rueben Owens was up next, then Jamarion Morrow and Tiger Riden. Owens looks healthy and a bit stouter, but he's still got his speed; I was really impressed by how fluid Morrow and Riden were. Both looked really good in the few minutes we got to watch.
Marcel Reed seems a little more confident this spring. He's definitely the guy, and he seems less...I don't know, antsy. He didn't have to make any tough throws, but he seemed more consistent. Miles O'Neill still has that fastball. You can tell when he's throwing it.
With the receivers, they're undersized but much faster. Mario Craver is extremely fluid and doesn't even look like he's trying hard when he's running routes at high speed. I don't know; maybe he isn't, but he's still fast. KC Concepcion brings some zip and runs some sharp routes. It's nice to see someone wearing 7 going at maximum effort all the time. Two guys who stood out to me were Ashton Bethel-Roman and Kelshaun Johnson. Bethel-Roman looks like he's put on some muscle and looked really smooth. Johnson is just flat out fast and has great acceleration.
On the defensive side, DJ Hicks looks like he's lost fat and gained muscle. Dealyn Evans is much bigger than he was last year, but it doesn't seem to be a bunch of bad weight. Cashius Howell looked like he's gotten bigger and Kendall Jackson still looks slender at 270 pounds. Deyjhon Pettaway and Jordan Shaw were with the nickels, as expected.
The way things were set up today made so you had to pick to watch either the offense or the defense, so I went with the offense for the most part.
You couldn't tell much about what the offensive line looked like because they were cross-training. You had right tackles at left tackle, left tackles and right tackle, left tackles at center...you get the idea. Guard Blake Ivy was getting a lot of work with the injury to Ar'maj Reed-Adams, and he looked like he's in improved shape. He's the same weight, but he's slimmed down and looks stronger, at least. Mark Nabou was out there, which is obviously a huge positive. He did not appear to be limited.
One guy who stood out was freshman Lamont Rogers. Not because he did anything, just because...well, he's friggin' huge. I'm talking tall and muscular, not fat. I was curious during last year's recruiting process whether he would be a guard or a tackle, and after seeing him today, he definitely has the physique of a tackle.
So I did get a good look at the tight ends, running backs and receivers. One thing is certain: A&M wanted bigger, heavier tight ends who can block. Nate Boerkircher and Micah Riley are both big dudes and they're definitely here to block first, but both had some really nice catches during the open session today. They're not just one-trick ponies; they can catch given the opportunity. Theo Ohrstrom looks like he's gotten a little bit bigger and stronger, and he's TE1 right now. Amari Niblack and Kiotti Armstrong are definitely the catch-first tight ends of the group, and Armstrong is really fluid and has some speed to him. He looks almost thin, but he's 265 pounds. He's just really tall, too. Both Armstrong and Niblack seem, at first glance, to be very athletic.
We didn't know if EJ Smith was even going to be on the team this year; he's not only out there, but he was running with what I guess you could call the ones today. Rueben Owens was up next, then Jamarion Morrow and Tiger Riden. Owens looks healthy and a bit stouter, but he's still got his speed; I was really impressed by how fluid Morrow and Riden were. Both looked really good in the few minutes we got to watch.
Marcel Reed seems a little more confident this spring. He's definitely the guy, and he seems less...I don't know, antsy. He didn't have to make any tough throws, but he seemed more consistent. Miles O'Neill still has that fastball. You can tell when he's throwing it.
With the receivers, they're undersized but much faster. Mario Craver is extremely fluid and doesn't even look like he's trying hard when he's running routes at high speed. I don't know; maybe he isn't, but he's still fast. KC Concepcion brings some zip and runs some sharp routes. It's nice to see someone wearing 7 going at maximum effort all the time. Two guys who stood out to me were Ashton Bethel-Roman and Kelshaun Johnson. Bethel-Roman looks like he's put on some muscle and looked really smooth. Johnson is just flat out fast and has great acceleration.
On the defensive side, DJ Hicks looks like he's lost fat and gained muscle. Dealyn Evans is much bigger than he was last year, but it doesn't seem to be a bunch of bad weight. Cashius Howell looked like he's gotten bigger and Kendall Jackson still looks slender at 270 pounds. Deyjhon Pettaway and Jordan Shaw were with the nickels, as expected.
