Today was practice 5 this morning, it has been really good. Been smart with water breaks and the structure of practice (heat). Competition everywhere and young guys coming out of their shell now. Heavy installation still. They will scrimmage on Thursday and start making position moves and setting depth charts after that.
Attitude and effort has been really positive.
On who has jumped out so far, he came in with an open mind, offensively, Tyreek Kelly is a young guy they've been excited and Khafre Brown (Chaf-ree) has been a guy who really excited him that they didn't see in the spring coming off an injury. Sean Atkins is a guy who has played a bunch of football, but is now an older guy.
The RB room is good and deeper than they thought. Donovan Jennings they are seeing for the first time has been exciting as has Mike Lofton who is taking some giant steps. The TE room is deep and has been exciting.
Defensively, he thought they had depth on the edge rushing the passer and they've been exciting to watch. Been awesome to have Rashad Cheney back out there and he is a leader and he didn't practice like Jennings.
They moved around a lot of guys in the secondary and it has been great to have Matt Hill back. Logan Berryhill has taken a bunch of steps forward. Ben Knox has really stood out. They didn't go as much in the spring, those are the names that stand out to him.
Golesh said they spent the first five days teaching them how to practice without pads on. That is a constant learning curve, really elite teams know how to practice and take care of each other. You've got to be able to get your work in. They will be amped up to hit and put the pads on. Both sides of the ball OL/DL physicality stepped up and they know assignments that they didn't in the spring and are going in the right direction.
Golesh on the injury, it was a precautionary only. They will know more this afternoon, they cut practice short after he went down. They cut it 10 minutes short, hope it will be alright. Golesh said they feel okay after talking to the doctors. Didn't say who was the guy who went down.
Golesh said the OL started off slow and picked up in practice 3, 4 and 5. In what they do it is hard to play fast with what they do until you are confident in assignments. Donovan is big there because he knows what it should look like. Mike Lofton has done a great job at center, they moved him there and he has taken charge there to get them lined up and to the right guys. RJ Perry has had his best camp. Derrell Bailey has shown a ton of growth. Deonte Bowie who came in via JUCO through spring was trying to figure it out, he has taken steps. Zane Herring who got here this summer has put a ton of work in and the assistant OL guys have got him ready at guard. He can play guard (repped both LG and RG) and center. Donovan has played guard and tackle. Andrew Kilfoyl has taken a bunch of steps. It has been really encouraging. Cole Skinner is a young guy that is pushing for the two-deep along with Nikola Milovac. They've gelled and taken a step from an attitude and physicality standpoint and are being more like Coach Hoodie.
Golesh recruiting Zane at UCF and he was interested and uninterested quickly after with them, they reconnected via Ephi Levy who was at FSU when they recruited Herring when he went in the portal. He played a ton of football and he had a bunch of options and his connection with Hoodie and himself helped and he has fit right in. He is easygoing, he came here to take a job. He has elite feet and is big and powerful and what they are looking for.
Dominic Gonella was an interesting addition, we lost a back in the portal and they were trying to figure out what they were going to do. They had depth with Kelley Joiner and Mikey Dukes and at that time you didn't know much else. They got Nay'Quan Wright who has been as advertised. Dom called and said four years of Fargo he was ready to come home. He was going to leave in the spring and summer to play baseball. He had been with the Diamondbacks org, but he loves football, he has played a ton of football and two years ago played a lot. He wanted the culture to come in and help USF. He knows what a winning culture is and winning. Golesh has added maturity to that room and is competing for PT now. The RB is physical in pass pro and they've been really intentional and Dom is a big part of that.
Immanuel Hickman is in that Dom mold, he is mature beyond his years guy, really thought out in his actions and how he approaches work. We talked about him gaining weight and playing inside and outside for us and he has. He started at ECU and he has respect for Coach Houston and how that program was built. He brings that.
Golesh only wants guys who add to the culture, he doesn't want guys who pull from the culture. They are all his guys, but the guys they are bringing in and the guys who chose to stay are seeing the type of dudes they brought in. Hickman loves to be coached and works hard. He has been great and will play inside and outside.
Zach Perkins is competing on the OL like crazy at the guard sport he has taken steps and he is a huge body and he is getting his body right. Zach is mature and is on the right bodies to block.
On how he plans to use the TEs in the offense, he loves them and they've paid his bills for a long time. It is a cool group of guys like Jayson Littlejohn who is a JUCO guy that didn't play a lot of football but is athletic and fast and roll, gives you multiplicity. Weston Wolff can do the same thing play on the edge or in the box and Gunnar Greenwald is a grizled vet, more of a box guy but has done a ton on the perimeter and he has gotten stronger and faster. Those three guys they feel like give them the ability to create matchups to play in 12 and 13 personnel and change up pictures. Having three ready to roll, allows you to build formations. Colin Affleck is a walk-on that has shown flashes and Teigan Martin transferred in and he wasn't healthy until a couple of weeks ago and he has shown flashes. Gerard Edimo, the young guy they signed late, it is hard on them, but he thinks he will be as special as they come. They tell him not to jinx him. He may be able to help them this year at some point as he grows physically. It is as deep a room as he has coached since Iowa State. They are unique and different and allow you to be flexible offensively.
