Texas just concluded its first padded football practice on Wednesday. Tom Herman is going to speak after practice, and I will provide you with a report of what he said. For now, here are a few quick observations from Wednesday’s practice.
- We have heard a lot about veteran players helping out younger guys, and what occurred between junior Collin Johnson and TE/WR Malcolm Epps is a perfect example. During a rip-and-run drill, Epps was assigned to defend Johnson. Epps blocked Johnson, but did not go hard. After the first rep, Johnson told Epps, “Malcolm, don’t just stand there.” When it was Johnson’s turn to defend Epps, the veteran showed the young man how it is supposed to be done. Johnson jammed Epps at the line of scrimmage and ran him out of bounds The second-time Epps was assigned to defend Johnson, he stepped up the intensity. Then, when Johnson defended Epps, the freshman aggressively powered his way through Johnson, which assistant coach Corby Meekins loved. Meekins told Epps, “You messed up now. You did it once. I know you can do it again.” Meekins slapped Epps’ hand, and it is clear the young man has potential.
- You have heard this before, but Texas quarterback Shane Buechele throws the best ball when he is not being rushed in practice. We did not watch any offense vs. defense drills, but when throwing to receiver, Buechele’s passes are crisp, and he has a knack of hitting guys in stride.
- One thing receiver Jerrod Heard has to work on is catching the ball with his hands. On more than one occasion, Heard cradled passes with his body instead of using his hands. Receivers coach Drew Mehringer reminded Heard to use his hands during Wednesday’s practice.
- The footwork of P.J. Locke III and Brandon Jones is impressive. When both guys break out of their backpedal, they explode to the ball with quickness.
- I thought every running back excelled during blocking sled drills. Keaontay Ingram looked extremely strong during those drills. He is in great shape, and I do not believe blocking will be an issue for him.
- Speaking of running backs, Kirk Johnson looked great when attacking the blocking sled. He has a quick first step, and Johnson knows how to finish blocks. Running backs coach Stan Drayton was very pleased with the entire unit during that drill.
- D’Shawn Jamison was “jogging” back-and-forth on the sidelines during practice. I would say he was jogging, but it was more like a slow walking. He was not with a trainer. I will have to ask Herman about it after practice.
- Texas receiver Joshua Moore knows how to grab a ball out of the air. Coaches praised his ability to make difficult catches during practice.
- Right before the media was escorted out of practice, Locke was assigned to tackle Johnson during a tackling drill. When they collided, but guys struggled to get the upper hand. As Johnson began to power fast Locke, both men began falling to the ground, and the safety tossed the receiver as they went to the ground. Johnson immediately got up and pushed Locke, and he pushed back. It was a brief exchange, but you could tell the intensity was there on the first day of pads.
Alex Dunlap will provide you with an in-depth report on Wednesday afternoon.
- We have heard a lot about veteran players helping out younger guys, and what occurred between junior Collin Johnson and TE/WR Malcolm Epps is a perfect example. During a rip-and-run drill, Epps was assigned to defend Johnson. Epps blocked Johnson, but did not go hard. After the first rep, Johnson told Epps, “Malcolm, don’t just stand there.” When it was Johnson’s turn to defend Epps, the veteran showed the young man how it is supposed to be done. Johnson jammed Epps at the line of scrimmage and ran him out of bounds The second-time Epps was assigned to defend Johnson, he stepped up the intensity. Then, when Johnson defended Epps, the freshman aggressively powered his way through Johnson, which assistant coach Corby Meekins loved. Meekins told Epps, “You messed up now. You did it once. I know you can do it again.” Meekins slapped Epps’ hand, and it is clear the young man has potential.
- You have heard this before, but Texas quarterback Shane Buechele throws the best ball when he is not being rushed in practice. We did not watch any offense vs. defense drills, but when throwing to receiver, Buechele’s passes are crisp, and he has a knack of hitting guys in stride.
- One thing receiver Jerrod Heard has to work on is catching the ball with his hands. On more than one occasion, Heard cradled passes with his body instead of using his hands. Receivers coach Drew Mehringer reminded Heard to use his hands during Wednesday’s practice.
- The footwork of P.J. Locke III and Brandon Jones is impressive. When both guys break out of their backpedal, they explode to the ball with quickness.
- I thought every running back excelled during blocking sled drills. Keaontay Ingram looked extremely strong during those drills. He is in great shape, and I do not believe blocking will be an issue for him.
- Speaking of running backs, Kirk Johnson looked great when attacking the blocking sled. He has a quick first step, and Johnson knows how to finish blocks. Running backs coach Stan Drayton was very pleased with the entire unit during that drill.
- D’Shawn Jamison was “jogging” back-and-forth on the sidelines during practice. I would say he was jogging, but it was more like a slow walking. He was not with a trainer. I will have to ask Herman about it after practice.
- Texas receiver Joshua Moore knows how to grab a ball out of the air. Coaches praised his ability to make difficult catches during practice.
- Right before the media was escorted out of practice, Locke was assigned to tackle Johnson during a tackling drill. When they collided, but guys struggled to get the upper hand. As Johnson began to power fast Locke, both men began falling to the ground, and the safety tossed the receiver as they went to the ground. Johnson immediately got up and pushed Locke, and he pushed back. It was a brief exchange, but you could tell the intensity was there on the first day of pads.
Alex Dunlap will provide you with an in-depth report on Wednesday afternoon.
