David Shaw
"We had a good day today. We rested KJ. There was no need for him to go. I thought Davis (Mills) went in there and did really well. Starting in 7-on-7, he threw some great balls, some unbelievable balls for touchdowns. He got guys on the move. I thought he had a really good day.
“The first team defense came and like you'd kind of expect this early they were tough to run the ball on. It's great to see guys step up and make some plays. Jovan Swann has had a really good camp. He continues to grow and mature. He really stayed on the attack.
"Our inside linebackers in particular in this scrimmage — has Curtis Robinson and Jacob Mangum-Farrar — made some plays. The outside linebackers made plays also. That was good to see.
"At the end of the scrimmage the offense took some shots down the field. After giving up a couple early the defense came back and made some plays. They got a big red zone stop after an explosive play. That was good to see."
On Nathaniel Peat and Austin Jones: "Those two young running backs showed exactly what we thought when we recruited them. We didn't anticipate them getting this much work but we have a couple guys out for precautionary reasons. Austin Jones made some really nice cuts. He has quick feet. Both in 7-on-7 and team Mr. Peat showed his speed and athleticism."
Diron Reynolds
What is your impression of the defensive line group at this point in camp?
"I like the way they're developing. I like how deep we have the possibility of being. We're at the point now I feel like I can throw a second group in there and not even blink. I didn't feel that way last year. These young man have all grown up and they've gotten a lot stronger. They're more sure of the playbook and keep rising."
Joshua Pakola moved to the defensive line this past week. Apparently once the defensive linemen saw Pakola working in one-on-one drills they went to an OLB meeting to try to woo away Pakola. They brought Pakola a donut to show him some"love" as they say in recruiting. I asked Reynolds about that: "Our D-line room is a little different, as all of them are. (Reynolds was laughing.) They saw what he could bring to the table and they know he likes to eat. They thought of a peace offering to persuade him to come to the D-line and put on the extra weight. They brought him a donut with bacon on it."
What have you seen from him as a defensive lineman?
"He's 260 already. He still has a lot of frame to fill out. The first thing you notice about him is his twitch, the way he can get off the ball. He's such a fast learner. He might be the one of the best I've had in the room as a freshman already getting up on the board, learning stuff. He's only been in the room a couple days and he's popping stuff off really quick. He's a really sharp young man, physical. I think he's going to fit right into our bunch and elevate it."
Any individuals you want to give shoutouts to?
"Mike Williams has been steady and continues to get stronger and hold that inside. He's doing an outstanding job anchoring the nose position. Jovan Swann is starting to roll off the ball a lot better, being more consistent with what he's doing knocking people back.
"And Booker continues to shine. I have seen him continue to be on the rise and play with more confidence. Those first three, I feel really good about.
"Thomas Schaffer, we're starting to see some things. His strength and pass rush ability is starting to show up. He's using his length a whole lot better. Ryan Johnson is starting to get more snaps. I tell him all the time, your best ability is availability. He has been available this year so you can start to see his growth. We have to keep Dalyn Wade-Perry healthy. He has been doing some great things in camp, but right now we have to keep him healthy and get him more reps.
"I feel really solid about that first six."
Colby Parkinson
When you think of the progress of the offense at this point what jumps out at you?
"I think as a whole we're a lot closer. Something we've been talking a lot about this offseason is being connected and being one unit. We have a lot of stuff to work on the next couple weeks but we're more on the same page than we have been in the past. I'm excited about what we can do this year."
What have you seen from Davis Mills and how he did today?
"We went to The Opening together so we have a bit of history. Davis is awesome. Obviously KJ is our guy. We hope he gets back and ready to go soon. Davis stepped up and he's playing great. It's exciting to play with him. He's a guy from my class and he's going to be special. He's a stud."
How would you evaluate your camp so far?
"Last season I didn't block much as a tight end. I was more of a receiver. This offseason I put a lot of work into the weight room. I gained about 10 pounds. I'm excited that I'm able to hold my own out there blocking. That's something I've emphasized and it has come to fruition. Obviously there is stuff to work, but I have seen it come to life."
So you like the film you've seen?
"I have, but don't worry there is definitely stuff to work on."
The team has a lot of receiving talent. Are there any individuals you want to give shoutouts to?
"Everyone has been making plays. I'm stoked to see Connor (Wedington) have a full season under his belt. He is going to have a breakout year. I'm excited to see Mike (Wilson) in his second year. Simi (Fehoko) and Brycen (Tremayne) made some big plays today. It's going to be a great group."
KJ Costello
What's your take on the offense right now?
"I like the perimeter. I like seeing our vision come to life as far as seeing the wide receivers be active on the perimeter, catch and run. They block really well. Simi is coming along. He's not JJ; no one is going to replicate JJ. Simi is his own person. He can take the top off better than anyone I've seen in a while. He's also able to run intermediate runs. He's a fade guy and blocks well.
"Mike is a workhorse. Connor is doing all kinds of stuff. Colby is expanding his route tree. I want to make sure we can keep flow throughout the game when they're trying to shut one or two things down. When they track to pack the box we know what to do when they do that. When they play two high and invite us to run the ball we're able to run the ball.
"Drew Dalman is doing a great job running the ship at center. We're a little thin. We had some guys go down. But the O-line is working hard. I like the direction we're headed."
On Cameron Scarlett: "Today he looked nice. He looked good. He's physical and smart. What we''ve seen here at camp is what he has been doing a lot of -- hard, physical runs. He's hard-nosed for 10, 12, maybe break one for 25 or 50 yards. What I want to see during the year is building him into the progression. I want to exhaust progressions and don't force the ball. If that means throwing to him three, four, five times a guy then great."
"We had a good day today. We rested KJ. There was no need for him to go. I thought Davis (Mills) went in there and did really well. Starting in 7-on-7, he threw some great balls, some unbelievable balls for touchdowns. He got guys on the move. I thought he had a really good day.
“The first team defense came and like you'd kind of expect this early they were tough to run the ball on. It's great to see guys step up and make some plays. Jovan Swann has had a really good camp. He continues to grow and mature. He really stayed on the attack.
"Our inside linebackers in particular in this scrimmage — has Curtis Robinson and Jacob Mangum-Farrar — made some plays. The outside linebackers made plays also. That was good to see.
"At the end of the scrimmage the offense took some shots down the field. After giving up a couple early the defense came back and made some plays. They got a big red zone stop after an explosive play. That was good to see."
On Nathaniel Peat and Austin Jones: "Those two young running backs showed exactly what we thought when we recruited them. We didn't anticipate them getting this much work but we have a couple guys out for precautionary reasons. Austin Jones made some really nice cuts. He has quick feet. Both in 7-on-7 and team Mr. Peat showed his speed and athleticism."
Diron Reynolds
What is your impression of the defensive line group at this point in camp?
"I like the way they're developing. I like how deep we have the possibility of being. We're at the point now I feel like I can throw a second group in there and not even blink. I didn't feel that way last year. These young man have all grown up and they've gotten a lot stronger. They're more sure of the playbook and keep rising."
Joshua Pakola moved to the defensive line this past week. Apparently once the defensive linemen saw Pakola working in one-on-one drills they went to an OLB meeting to try to woo away Pakola. They brought Pakola a donut to show him some"love" as they say in recruiting. I asked Reynolds about that: "Our D-line room is a little different, as all of them are. (Reynolds was laughing.) They saw what he could bring to the table and they know he likes to eat. They thought of a peace offering to persuade him to come to the D-line and put on the extra weight. They brought him a donut with bacon on it."
What have you seen from him as a defensive lineman?
"He's 260 already. He still has a lot of frame to fill out. The first thing you notice about him is his twitch, the way he can get off the ball. He's such a fast learner. He might be the one of the best I've had in the room as a freshman already getting up on the board, learning stuff. He's only been in the room a couple days and he's popping stuff off really quick. He's a really sharp young man, physical. I think he's going to fit right into our bunch and elevate it."
Any individuals you want to give shoutouts to?
"Mike Williams has been steady and continues to get stronger and hold that inside. He's doing an outstanding job anchoring the nose position. Jovan Swann is starting to roll off the ball a lot better, being more consistent with what he's doing knocking people back.
"And Booker continues to shine. I have seen him continue to be on the rise and play with more confidence. Those first three, I feel really good about.
"Thomas Schaffer, we're starting to see some things. His strength and pass rush ability is starting to show up. He's using his length a whole lot better. Ryan Johnson is starting to get more snaps. I tell him all the time, your best ability is availability. He has been available this year so you can start to see his growth. We have to keep Dalyn Wade-Perry healthy. He has been doing some great things in camp, but right now we have to keep him healthy and get him more reps.
"I feel really solid about that first six."
Colby Parkinson
When you think of the progress of the offense at this point what jumps out at you?
"I think as a whole we're a lot closer. Something we've been talking a lot about this offseason is being connected and being one unit. We have a lot of stuff to work on the next couple weeks but we're more on the same page than we have been in the past. I'm excited about what we can do this year."
What have you seen from Davis Mills and how he did today?
"We went to The Opening together so we have a bit of history. Davis is awesome. Obviously KJ is our guy. We hope he gets back and ready to go soon. Davis stepped up and he's playing great. It's exciting to play with him. He's a guy from my class and he's going to be special. He's a stud."
How would you evaluate your camp so far?
"Last season I didn't block much as a tight end. I was more of a receiver. This offseason I put a lot of work into the weight room. I gained about 10 pounds. I'm excited that I'm able to hold my own out there blocking. That's something I've emphasized and it has come to fruition. Obviously there is stuff to work, but I have seen it come to life."
So you like the film you've seen?
"I have, but don't worry there is definitely stuff to work on."
The team has a lot of receiving talent. Are there any individuals you want to give shoutouts to?
"Everyone has been making plays. I'm stoked to see Connor (Wedington) have a full season under his belt. He is going to have a breakout year. I'm excited to see Mike (Wilson) in his second year. Simi (Fehoko) and Brycen (Tremayne) made some big plays today. It's going to be a great group."
KJ Costello
What's your take on the offense right now?
"I like the perimeter. I like seeing our vision come to life as far as seeing the wide receivers be active on the perimeter, catch and run. They block really well. Simi is coming along. He's not JJ; no one is going to replicate JJ. Simi is his own person. He can take the top off better than anyone I've seen in a while. He's also able to run intermediate runs. He's a fade guy and blocks well.
"Mike is a workhorse. Connor is doing all kinds of stuff. Colby is expanding his route tree. I want to make sure we can keep flow throughout the game when they're trying to shut one or two things down. When they track to pack the box we know what to do when they do that. When they play two high and invite us to run the ball we're able to run the ball.
"Drew Dalman is doing a great job running the ship at center. We're a little thin. We had some guys go down. But the O-line is working hard. I like the direction we're headed."
On Cameron Scarlett: "Today he looked nice. He looked good. He's physical and smart. What we''ve seen here at camp is what he has been doing a lot of -- hard, physical runs. He's hard-nosed for 10, 12, maybe break one for 25 or 50 yards. What I want to see during the year is building him into the progression. I want to exhaust progressions and don't force the ball. If that means throwing to him three, four, five times a guy then great."
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