W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
As we roll out our pre-spring practice pieces and turn the page to spring football, our attention has turned to practice storylines, key position battles, new players, and reserves who will step into bigger roles this season.
Here's a look at some of the aspects of practice that I will personally be focused on - no criteria, no set reason - just what interests me personally.
Pickens and Hilinski
These two were the highest ranked signees in the class for a reason and seeing how quickly either can make some noise when they're thrown into the fire that is spring football practice is the most intriguing thing about camp this year to me.
Pickens combination of size - both from a weight and length standpoint - and athleticism/quickness off the edge is going to make him tough to keep off the field, but he'll have to prove he can do all the little things right to immediately jump to the top of the depth chart.
With J.J. Enagbare's size now at 265 pounds, it appears that he'll be playing more defensive end than defensive tackle. That means that Pickens will have quite a battle on his hands at that spot with Keir Thomas also a possibility there (though he will no doubt play defensive tackle too) and Aaron Sterling back. Still, my guess is we hear a lot about Pickens making splash plays and being tough for Carolina's offensive linemen to handle.
As for Hilinski, I think it will be difficult for anyone to unseat Jake Bentley at quarterback, but I am still intrigued to see what Hilinski looks like in the new environment. Spring practice for early enrollees can be a grind, but that's especially true for quarterbacks due to the mental wear of playing the position. But one thing that I think gives Hilinski a slight edge over most true freshmen in his position is the quality of competition that he played in high school.
If you watch a lot of high school quarterbacks' tape you'll often see them hitting wide open receivers. Playing in the league he did, Hilinski's tape shows him hitting receivers in tight windows and often doing so while under the duress of a pass-rush due to his team having a crazy number of injuries on the OL. That doesn't mean he's going to be immune to bad days, but I do think it helps.
The progress of Dakereon
Maybe I'm just in a quarterback mood today, but it's for sure one of the most interesting rooms in the building right now when you consider the wide range of experience and various skillsets at the position.
Despite a portion of people already assuming his transfer, Joyner has put his head down and gone to work this offseason. He's no doubt one of the more dynamic runners on the team and I'm curious to see how far along the passing game has come with an entire year in the system now.
Is Joyner the for-sure No. 2 QB right now or does Hilinski or even Jay Urich push for that spot? And either way, does the staff look for some creative ways to try and get his playmaking ability into the mix? With Deebo Samuel gone, having another potential playmaker could be big.
Does the Turner move stick?
Now that A.J. Turner is listed as a defensive back on the official roster, it seems like that's his position - at least for now.
As a senior, Turner already knows the ins and outs of the running back position, so if he's going to potentially play both ways - something he has mentioned having interest in doing, though I think that's a tough ask - or if he's going to make a full move, spending the spring at defensive back makes a lot of sense. If the position switch doesn't work out, or there's a need at running back, he can always move back with ease.
Looking at cornerback/nickelback, Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu are surely starters at two of the positions, but there's a need for a third and Turner could be an X-factor along with transfer Jamel Cook. If either of those guys is going to make a big move, though, best do it now before the reinforcements arrive this summer. Carolina's four defensive back signees are going to surely have a say in the DB depth chart too.
The impact of Thomas Brown
South Carolina will need to get the most possible out of its running backs group this year. Is that a position that a new coach can truly make a difference? I dunno, but we're about to find out.
For the most part, we know what Carolina will get out of Rico Dowdle and Mon Denson, but a new voice in the room always has the possibility to help. The transfer of Ty'Son Williams (who it appears will most likely end up at BYU, though he hasn't decided yet) and Turner working at DB, opens up reps for some of the younger players on the roster.
Can Deshaun Fenwick make a big jump in his second year in the program? Is Lavonte Valentine back to 100 percent? What should we expect this year from newcomer Kevin Harris? All questions I'm interested in learning the answers to.
Here's a look at some of the aspects of practice that I will personally be focused on - no criteria, no set reason - just what interests me personally.
Pickens and Hilinski
These two were the highest ranked signees in the class for a reason and seeing how quickly either can make some noise when they're thrown into the fire that is spring football practice is the most intriguing thing about camp this year to me.
Pickens combination of size - both from a weight and length standpoint - and athleticism/quickness off the edge is going to make him tough to keep off the field, but he'll have to prove he can do all the little things right to immediately jump to the top of the depth chart.
With J.J. Enagbare's size now at 265 pounds, it appears that he'll be playing more defensive end than defensive tackle. That means that Pickens will have quite a battle on his hands at that spot with Keir Thomas also a possibility there (though he will no doubt play defensive tackle too) and Aaron Sterling back. Still, my guess is we hear a lot about Pickens making splash plays and being tough for Carolina's offensive linemen to handle.
As for Hilinski, I think it will be difficult for anyone to unseat Jake Bentley at quarterback, but I am still intrigued to see what Hilinski looks like in the new environment. Spring practice for early enrollees can be a grind, but that's especially true for quarterbacks due to the mental wear of playing the position. But one thing that I think gives Hilinski a slight edge over most true freshmen in his position is the quality of competition that he played in high school.
If you watch a lot of high school quarterbacks' tape you'll often see them hitting wide open receivers. Playing in the league he did, Hilinski's tape shows him hitting receivers in tight windows and often doing so while under the duress of a pass-rush due to his team having a crazy number of injuries on the OL. That doesn't mean he's going to be immune to bad days, but I do think it helps.
The progress of Dakereon
Maybe I'm just in a quarterback mood today, but it's for sure one of the most interesting rooms in the building right now when you consider the wide range of experience and various skillsets at the position.
Despite a portion of people already assuming his transfer, Joyner has put his head down and gone to work this offseason. He's no doubt one of the more dynamic runners on the team and I'm curious to see how far along the passing game has come with an entire year in the system now.
Is Joyner the for-sure No. 2 QB right now or does Hilinski or even Jay Urich push for that spot? And either way, does the staff look for some creative ways to try and get his playmaking ability into the mix? With Deebo Samuel gone, having another potential playmaker could be big.
Does the Turner move stick?
Now that A.J. Turner is listed as a defensive back on the official roster, it seems like that's his position - at least for now.
As a senior, Turner already knows the ins and outs of the running back position, so if he's going to potentially play both ways - something he has mentioned having interest in doing, though I think that's a tough ask - or if he's going to make a full move, spending the spring at defensive back makes a lot of sense. If the position switch doesn't work out, or there's a need at running back, he can always move back with ease.
Looking at cornerback/nickelback, Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu are surely starters at two of the positions, but there's a need for a third and Turner could be an X-factor along with transfer Jamel Cook. If either of those guys is going to make a big move, though, best do it now before the reinforcements arrive this summer. Carolina's four defensive back signees are going to surely have a say in the DB depth chart too.
The impact of Thomas Brown
South Carolina will need to get the most possible out of its running backs group this year. Is that a position that a new coach can truly make a difference? I dunno, but we're about to find out.
For the most part, we know what Carolina will get out of Rico Dowdle and Mon Denson, but a new voice in the room always has the possibility to help. The transfer of Ty'Son Williams (who it appears will most likely end up at BYU, though he hasn't decided yet) and Turner working at DB, opens up reps for some of the younger players on the roster.
Can Deshaun Fenwick make a big jump in his second year in the program? Is Lavonte Valentine back to 100 percent? What should we expect this year from newcomer Kevin Harris? All questions I'm interested in learning the answers to.
