Practice report day four
PROVO — It can be assumed that Cody Hoffman, Ross Apo, and JD Falslev will be the top three receivers in the rotation this season, but who will be the fourth? The search for the final piece on the two-deep roster is the headline for the receivers this fall with a lot of options to choose from.
“I’m looking at every single one of them right now,” said wide receiver Coach Ben Cahoon. “It’s something I haven’t made a decision about and fortunately there are a lot of guys working hard for the spot and that’s what you want as a coach.”
Dallin Cutler was receiving most of the first-team reps, but has since been limited with injury. Add to that minor injuries to Apo and Hoffman serving out a suspension and there are a variety of players seeing valuable reps with the first-team offense.
“A lot of them are responding well, but all of them have a lot to work on until we feel we’ll be able to use them consistently,” said Cahoon. “Fortunately it’s still early and we’ll have a lot of opportunity to further evaluate each one.”
A unique aspect of the mass of bidding receivers is their variety as a group. Cahoon has tall types such as Mitch Mathews (6-6) and Terenn Houk (6-4) and quick, shifty types such as Cody Raymond (5-9) and Dylan Collie (5-10) to choose from.
“We’re trying to maximize what each of them can bring to the table,” said Cahoon. “The big, tall guys sometimes struggle getting in and out of breaks, but also have some obvious size advantages, so you try and maximize what each of them can do best. I feel we have the whole spectrum of wide receiver types here and that makes it a challenging evaluating who is best, but it’s fun — it’s fun and will be a good thing for us having such a great variety.”
Cahoon has been pleased with each of his returning players and the progress they’ve made since spring. As for new guys, such as true freshman Dylan Collie and Alex Kuresa, he likes their potential.
“Dylan has a swagger about him and thinks he should be starting right now,” said Cahoon. “He wants the ball all the time and he has complete confident in his ability to make plays. He’s very well-schooled being a Collie and it’s like that family has cloned him, which is obviously a good thing.”
“Alex Kuresa is a great athlete, but just needs to work on some of the basic skills of being a good receiver,” added Cahoon. “He has the desire to work and understands it’s going to take some time, but we’ve been happy with his progress so far.”
Practice notes
-Alani Fua saw action with the 1s at Sam linebacker with Spencer Hadley seeing time with the 2s. Kyle Van Noy took a full set of reps with the 1s at Will.
-Craig Bills saw action at free safety with Joe Sampson being held out with Mike Hague seeing reps with the 2s.
-Riley Nelson went 7-7 for 104 yards unofficially with a 50-yard touchdown pass thrown to David Foote. Foote went unaccounted for in the flat and was able to take the ball downfield for the score.
-Offensive lineman Braden Brown accounted for a reception, taking down a ball that was batted up in the air by Eathyn Manumaleuna for a minimal gain.
-Riley Stephenson connected on two of his three field goal attempts from 34 and 39 yards.
Thanks for the coverage, G-Man. Look forward to your blog every day.
How accurately can they really assess the TEs and RBs at this point? We have serious logjams at those positions that really need to be sorted out before the season starts.
It’s not easy to do a full assessment on anything at this stage, but it’s very apparent that Michael Alisa is the top RB on the team. He looks to have added a burst and has really been running well.
The TEs haven’t been all that involved early, but we’ll note their progress as best we can moving forward.
Aside from starters, who do you think has come out and impressed the most this fall camp?
I think it’s Riley Nelson and Michael Alisa on offense and Jordan Johnson on defense. Nelson has been more accurate than anticipated and Alisa has run very well.
Jordan Johnson is the best cover corner on the team and has really impressed through 4 days. It will be interesting to see him man-on-man against Hoffman in future practices.
I just realized that I didn’t answer your question. On defense I’d go with Craig Bills and Alani Fua. On offense I’d go with Jamaal Williams. I’ll be able to tell more once they strap on the pads and scrimmage.
When did Alex Kuresa move from QB to receiver?
During the offseason…has looked good so far.
Why isn’t Sorensen kicking field goals?
He’s limiting his work until cleared by trainers
What ever happened to Zack Stout? (hopefully that the spelling)
Zac Stout is out there getting reps with the 2s and the 3s at Mike linebacker
I excited that Riley’s accuracy is doing much better. I read that he needs to be above 60%. Regardless, how are the backup QB’s looking?
The other quarterbacks have been less consistent that Riley Nelson so far. Taysom Hill generates the most excitement and has a very strong arm.
Has Brett Thompson done anything yet? So is Alani Fua looking better than Spencer Hadley at this point?
Brett Thompson caught a 50-yard bomb from Nelson today. Fua is looking good and I’m anxious to talk to Poppinga about how that battle at Sam LB is shaping up.
How is Ziggy doing, where is he playing the most in practice and what is being said about him?
The big test for Ziggy will be how he can take a block. He’s always been someone who shined during pass rush situations and non-contact drills, but disappears during contact work when having to defend the run.