Excellent notes here from our new writer, @Conor Bonfiglio. Give it a read below!!
• There were many observations from this mornings practice, the final open practice of the spring. I will begin by breaking down the players into positional groups.
• Quarterbacks: Steven Montez, Sam Noyer and Tyler Lyttle commanded most of the snaps today. Josh Goldin was involved, but not as much as the other three. Montez and Lytle looked solid in their warmup routes and in the 11-on-11 situational drill. Early in the practice, Montez was tossing dimes to receivers and tight ends such as Laviska Shenault, Chris Bounds, Juwann Winfree, Maurice Bell, and KD Nixon. In the 11 on 11, Montez had a performance similar to the Spring Showcase. He threw multiple interceptions, but also scored multiple touchdowns, both passing and rushing. Tyler Lytle might have shown enough to take over the second spot in the QB depth chart. His footwork was solid, his drop backs were crisp and concise, and his throws were powerful but not out of control. In the first hour, Lyttle threw many darts to receivers running different routes. Only two were incomplete; one overthrown and one dropped. Lyttle, a redshirt freshman, could be the next big-time quarterback for the Buffs down the road.
• Running backs: There are four potential starting running backs for the Buffs, not including Travon McMillian who will arrive on campus in the Fall. Donovan Lee, Alex Fontenot, Beau Bisharat and Kyle Evans took the majority of the snaps today. Evans and Lee have similar playing styles and similar running threats. They are short but stocky and quick as all heck. Their lateral agility and ability to find the hole are their biggest assets as runners for the Buffaloes. Bisharat and Fontenot are the exact opposite. They command the run game through their physical presence. Bisharat is 220 pounds and Fontenot is 195 pounds. Both of them are over 6 feet. In the 4 corners drill, the differences in the running backs styles of play was evident. Lee and Evans cut hard and quickly around the poles. Bisharat and Fontenot bulled their way through the drill. In the 11 on 11 drill, Fontenot broke multiple tackles and cruised up the left side into the end zone. Lee, Evans and Bisharat got caught multiple times in the pack for small gains.
• Receivers & Tight ends: The most impressive receiver by far was Laviska Shenault. Shenault made the entire defense look silly multiple times during the practice. He only dropped one pass in the entire three-hour practice. He had multiple touchdowns on different sides of the field. Juwann Winfree and Maurice Bell looked impressive in the slot and in short routes. KD Nixon was a deep threat as well, catching two touchdown passes on go routes. The two tight ends that stood out the most were Chris Bounds and Darrion Jones. Both were solid in their route running and blocking. Jones made the sled look like a fisher price toy.
• Offensive line: The offensive line is young and inexperienced this year, but a few players stood out as potential stars in the making. Brett Tonz, Aaron Haigler, Chance Lytle and Hunter Vaughn were all impressive. Their footwork and work rates were exceptional as well as their quickness after the snap. They had a skirmish with the defensive line during a 1 on 1 drill, but it was quickly broken up. A lot of the offense vs. defense drills lead to tussles because of the highly competitive nature and intensity of the game. On one particular play, Aaron Haigler took on a double swarm from two defenders with ease as he handled each of them with one hand. It looked deceptively easy from the sidelines.
• Defensive line: The defensive line has some big bodies that can make plays and have plenty of experience. Guys like Jase Franke, Javier Edwards and Chris Mulumba stood out in today’s practice as the difference makers. Edwards, who could be two or three combined people, is large enough to beat any offensive tackle or guard in the country. Franke and Mulumba have the ability to beat their men with swift moves as well. Terrance Lang also had an impressive morning, throwing the sled into a pile of dirt on the ground with ease several times. At 6’7” 245, he is not being messed with.
• Defensive backs & Linebackers: Delrick Abrams was a monster this morning. Not only did he grab three interceptions (the defense had six takeaways today), he made crucial tackles and broke up multiple deep passes from Lytle, Montez and Noyer. In addition to Abrams, Nate Landman controlled the line backing core with his play. Shamar Hamilton and Akil Jones also made multiple plays on the quarterbacks, forcing bad passes and two deflections. No player had a better showing defensively than Dante Sparaco. Sparaco was all over the place; he attacked the drills aggressively and was the first to the quarterback almost every time. He deflected passes, forced a fumble, broke blocks easily, and encouraged his teammates when their effort was lacking. He had a massive impact this morning.
• Kickers: Davis Price and Bailey Landwehr kicked field goals and punts respectively. Both of them looked pretty shaky in the entirety of practice. The Buffs’ special teams might be the biggest weakness of the team. However, James Stefanou could propel them in the right direction, though he did not take kicks today.
• Other notes:
o Carson Wells and Jase Franke had good penetration on the quarterbacks multiple times during 11 on 11
o Donovan Lee plays with a swagger that is unmatched by anybody on the field. He was dancing between drills, talking trash to his teammates, and attacking every drill at 110%. Impressive stuff from a fifth-year senior.
o Shenault and Nixon had a few catches where they picked up many yards after catch.
o Sam Noyer has a lot of work to do. He threw away many passes intentionally out of bounds. This could have been because of a strong defensive showing, or lack of comfortability in the pocket.
o Chris Miller, the cornerback, had an interception and some big plays towards the end of practice. As a redshirt freshman, he has a long time to improve and could be the next Isaiah Oliver.
o The music was outstanding. Combination of country, rap, club hits, pop, and electronic. It pumped up the team and helped the players go harder.
• There were many observations from this mornings practice, the final open practice of the spring. I will begin by breaking down the players into positional groups.
• Quarterbacks: Steven Montez, Sam Noyer and Tyler Lyttle commanded most of the snaps today. Josh Goldin was involved, but not as much as the other three. Montez and Lytle looked solid in their warmup routes and in the 11-on-11 situational drill. Early in the practice, Montez was tossing dimes to receivers and tight ends such as Laviska Shenault, Chris Bounds, Juwann Winfree, Maurice Bell, and KD Nixon. In the 11 on 11, Montez had a performance similar to the Spring Showcase. He threw multiple interceptions, but also scored multiple touchdowns, both passing and rushing. Tyler Lytle might have shown enough to take over the second spot in the QB depth chart. His footwork was solid, his drop backs were crisp and concise, and his throws were powerful but not out of control. In the first hour, Lyttle threw many darts to receivers running different routes. Only two were incomplete; one overthrown and one dropped. Lyttle, a redshirt freshman, could be the next big-time quarterback for the Buffs down the road.
• Running backs: There are four potential starting running backs for the Buffs, not including Travon McMillian who will arrive on campus in the Fall. Donovan Lee, Alex Fontenot, Beau Bisharat and Kyle Evans took the majority of the snaps today. Evans and Lee have similar playing styles and similar running threats. They are short but stocky and quick as all heck. Their lateral agility and ability to find the hole are their biggest assets as runners for the Buffaloes. Bisharat and Fontenot are the exact opposite. They command the run game through their physical presence. Bisharat is 220 pounds and Fontenot is 195 pounds. Both of them are over 6 feet. In the 4 corners drill, the differences in the running backs styles of play was evident. Lee and Evans cut hard and quickly around the poles. Bisharat and Fontenot bulled their way through the drill. In the 11 on 11 drill, Fontenot broke multiple tackles and cruised up the left side into the end zone. Lee, Evans and Bisharat got caught multiple times in the pack for small gains.
• Receivers & Tight ends: The most impressive receiver by far was Laviska Shenault. Shenault made the entire defense look silly multiple times during the practice. He only dropped one pass in the entire three-hour practice. He had multiple touchdowns on different sides of the field. Juwann Winfree and Maurice Bell looked impressive in the slot and in short routes. KD Nixon was a deep threat as well, catching two touchdown passes on go routes. The two tight ends that stood out the most were Chris Bounds and Darrion Jones. Both were solid in their route running and blocking. Jones made the sled look like a fisher price toy.
• Offensive line: The offensive line is young and inexperienced this year, but a few players stood out as potential stars in the making. Brett Tonz, Aaron Haigler, Chance Lytle and Hunter Vaughn were all impressive. Their footwork and work rates were exceptional as well as their quickness after the snap. They had a skirmish with the defensive line during a 1 on 1 drill, but it was quickly broken up. A lot of the offense vs. defense drills lead to tussles because of the highly competitive nature and intensity of the game. On one particular play, Aaron Haigler took on a double swarm from two defenders with ease as he handled each of them with one hand. It looked deceptively easy from the sidelines.
• Defensive line: The defensive line has some big bodies that can make plays and have plenty of experience. Guys like Jase Franke, Javier Edwards and Chris Mulumba stood out in today’s practice as the difference makers. Edwards, who could be two or three combined people, is large enough to beat any offensive tackle or guard in the country. Franke and Mulumba have the ability to beat their men with swift moves as well. Terrance Lang also had an impressive morning, throwing the sled into a pile of dirt on the ground with ease several times. At 6’7” 245, he is not being messed with.
• Defensive backs & Linebackers: Delrick Abrams was a monster this morning. Not only did he grab three interceptions (the defense had six takeaways today), he made crucial tackles and broke up multiple deep passes from Lytle, Montez and Noyer. In addition to Abrams, Nate Landman controlled the line backing core with his play. Shamar Hamilton and Akil Jones also made multiple plays on the quarterbacks, forcing bad passes and two deflections. No player had a better showing defensively than Dante Sparaco. Sparaco was all over the place; he attacked the drills aggressively and was the first to the quarterback almost every time. He deflected passes, forced a fumble, broke blocks easily, and encouraged his teammates when their effort was lacking. He had a massive impact this morning.
• Kickers: Davis Price and Bailey Landwehr kicked field goals and punts respectively. Both of them looked pretty shaky in the entirety of practice. The Buffs’ special teams might be the biggest weakness of the team. However, James Stefanou could propel them in the right direction, though he did not take kicks today.
• Other notes:
o Carson Wells and Jase Franke had good penetration on the quarterbacks multiple times during 11 on 11
o Donovan Lee plays with a swagger that is unmatched by anybody on the field. He was dancing between drills, talking trash to his teammates, and attacking every drill at 110%. Impressive stuff from a fifth-year senior.
o Shenault and Nixon had a few catches where they picked up many yards after catch.
o Sam Noyer has a lot of work to do. He threw away many passes intentionally out of bounds. This could have been because of a strong defensive showing, or lack of comfortability in the pocket.
o Chris Miller, the cornerback, had an interception and some big plays towards the end of practice. As a redshirt freshman, he has a long time to improve and could be the next Isaiah Oliver.
o The music was outstanding. Combination of country, rap, club hits, pop, and electronic. It pumped up the team and helped the players go harder.
