Nelson's thoughts on teammates

One of Riley Nelson’s strengths coming into Spring ball was his leadership — he knows his teammates and how to motivate them. I caught up with him after practice today to get his thoughts on several players who have stood out to me the past few weeks. I asked for only a sentence or two, but quickly found out that Nelson likes to talk about his teammates. A lot. Here’s what he said:

McKay Jacobson: “Obviously very fast. Speed is the first thing that stands out. And then also how much he cares about the game. He’s a quarterback’s best friend in that he’s always looking for a way to set up the defense so he can be that much more wide open. He’s a playmaker.”

Cody Hoffman: “We’re lifting buddies and he’s one of my better friends on the team. I know he’s a hard worker and has lots of talent. He’s a young kid, but he’s going to be a great player here.”

Devin Mahina: “He is long, man. He is tall and he’s got long arms. He’s really a big target out there, so if you just put it anywhere close to him you know he’s coming down with it. It’s nice what he brings to the table.”

Mike Muehlmann: “Mike’s another guy who’s just a hard worker. He comes out here every day and gives it his all. That dude is sprinting in drills where it’s not required, so I really admire that about Mike.”

Vic So’oto: “Vic has got a motor, man. I’ve never seen that dude tired. He comes off that edge hard and fast every time. And not only that, he’s a hard, hard worker in the weight room. He’s really a guy who the rest of the team looks up to as far as his work ethic in the weight room and conditioning programs. And it shows on the field because he’s making a lot of plays.”

Josh Quezada: “Josh is a great, great young player. The fact that he’s been able to produce like he has after just being in high school a few months ago is really impressive. I think he’s a very natural runner. There are some guys who are fast or strong or bruising backs — and I think Josh has all those things — but I think his biggest quality is his ability to read blocks and read plays in order to give himself the best chance to break one.”

Brian Logan: “He’s a fun-loving dude. He’s always having a lot of fun in the locker room keeping the guys light. He’s obviously got all the tools as far as being quick and smart and fast to be a lock-down corner on the outside.”

JD Falslev: “JD’s a fellow Cache Valley guy — he’s from my hometown. He’s just got a lot of heart along with a lot of quicks. That guy’s got some of the best feet on the team as far as agility is concerned. He just makes plays and he’s a hungry player. It’s fun to have a guy like him on the team.”

Here are a few other notes from today’s practice …

April Fool’s: As a practical joke, Riley Nelson and James Lark switched uniforms for today’s practice. Nelson wore Lark’s number 3 while Lark donned Nelson’s number 13. Nelson said he even warmed up with his right hand, though not particularly well.

“We didn’t have time to plan anything elaborate, so we just switched [our jerseys] for fun,” Nelson said. “I was warming up right-handed and everything trying to fool the camera. The camera was out here getting some b-roll and I was throwing right-handed trying to confuse them. We were just having a little bit of fun.”

So, if you watch the news tonight and think to yourself, ‘Man, how did James Lark get a scholarship to play quarterback at BYU?’ just remember that it’s just Nelson goofing around.

Quarterback checkup: Here’s how the quarterbacks did during the in-practice scrimmages today …

Nelson: 4-7, 50 yards, one touchdown (a 16-yarder to tight end Devin Mahina that capped off a two-minute drill), one rush for 17 yards

Heaps: 5-9, 51 yards

Nelson was helped by a sweet catch by Matt Marshall, who reached behind him and made a one-handed snag over the middle of the field. Mahina scored on the very next play.

“I hadn’t been able to complete the objective yet in the two-minute drill, so to do that felt really good,” Nelson said. “Now, Matt Marshall made a great play, a one-handed catch behind his back. The it was a great play call by coach Anae and Devin Mahina really executed the double move at the end.”

Frazier standing out: Junior linebacker Jameson Frazier picked off another pass today, his third interception in the past week. He’s been filling in for the injured Jordan Pendleton and has been a pleasant surprise for the coaches.

“Jameson Frazier has been one of the brightest spots of the Spring,” BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “He’s been a special teams player and a backup player, and he’s making play after play and has really done a nice job in the absence of Jordan Pendleton. So, what we’ve found this Spring is we know we have Jordan, but now we find we have some depth at that spot.”

Injuries continue: Practice was shortened by about half an hour today due in part to an increasingly lengthy list of injured players.

“The injury report this morning was a little heavier that I would have liked, knowing that we’d like tomorrow’s practice to be maybe the heaviest of our Spring,” Mendenhall said. “So it seemed like a great chance to polish a few things up, not install anything new, get our assignments sound, spend a little more time in the meeting rooms, and then hopefully be able to go a little longer tomorrow as far as scrimmage.”

Mendenhall also said that junior defensive lineman Matt Putnam, who has been playing left end for the first-team defense, will likely not play the rest of the Spring due to a concussion he suffered earlier in the week.