Hanging out at Spring Practice #4 for the Hilltoppers this fine Monday evening, here are some notes from the session below:
- During the first 7-on-7 drills, tight end Deon Yeldon made a spectacular one-handed diving catch over the middle of the field. Nacarius Fant and Taywan Taylor also shined. I continue to like what I see from Louisville transfer Keith Brown at linebacker, he can cover a lot of ground at the position.
- The first 11-on-11 drills were lively. WR Lucky Jackson made a nice catch on the sidelines and Joel Iyiegbuniwe was able to get to quarterback Nelson Fishback and bat a pass up in the air. Both Fishback and Mike White shared equal snaps with the first-team offense throughout.
- The Hilltoppers took a break and went into their second 11-on-11 session of the day, but held off a bit on tackling during the second session. Shaq Johnson made a nice catch slanting toward the sidelines over the outstretched hands of T.J. McCollum to kick things off. Drew Eckels finished off 11-on-11's well as the Hilltoppers were executing near the redzone.
Other notes:
- The quarterback battle still appears to be even with nobody really separating themselves from the pack so far. Fishback had a good command and made accurate throws throughout the entire practice. Tyler Ferguson showed some accuracy issues in his first week, but probably had his best throwing session on Monday. Drew Eckels closed Monday's practice well, making nice pinpoint throws while WKU was working on their redzone offense.
- The wide receivers struggled mightily with drops throughout practice on Monday. It's easy to see that Taywan Taylor is going to get a lot of attention from opposing defenses during the fall, so the question is who will step up and be the #2 go-to threat. I'm really liking what I see out of redshirt freshman Lucky Jackson. As I mentioned last week, he could emerge as a major player in the passing game this upcoming season to go along with Nacarius Fant, Nicholas Norris, and aforementioned Taylor. While he struggled a bit with drops, I also like redshirt freshman WR Devin Nixon as well. I think he still has a ways to go in fighting for playing time but I like his athleticism and ability, just needs to show more consistent hands.
- Former WKU QB Brandon Doughty made an appearance toward the end of practice to check things out. Should be a fun Pro Day to cover tomorrow with Doughty and Higbee involved. We'll be back at Houchens-Smith Stadium in the a.m. for coverage of that.
- During the first 7-on-7 drills, tight end Deon Yeldon made a spectacular one-handed diving catch over the middle of the field. Nacarius Fant and Taywan Taylor also shined. I continue to like what I see from Louisville transfer Keith Brown at linebacker, he can cover a lot of ground at the position.
- The first 11-on-11 drills were lively. WR Lucky Jackson made a nice catch on the sidelines and Joel Iyiegbuniwe was able to get to quarterback Nelson Fishback and bat a pass up in the air. Both Fishback and Mike White shared equal snaps with the first-team offense throughout.
- The Hilltoppers took a break and went into their second 11-on-11 session of the day, but held off a bit on tackling during the second session. Shaq Johnson made a nice catch slanting toward the sidelines over the outstretched hands of T.J. McCollum to kick things off. Drew Eckels finished off 11-on-11's well as the Hilltoppers were executing near the redzone.
Other notes:
- The quarterback battle still appears to be even with nobody really separating themselves from the pack so far. Fishback had a good command and made accurate throws throughout the entire practice. Tyler Ferguson showed some accuracy issues in his first week, but probably had his best throwing session on Monday. Drew Eckels closed Monday's practice well, making nice pinpoint throws while WKU was working on their redzone offense.
- The wide receivers struggled mightily with drops throughout practice on Monday. It's easy to see that Taywan Taylor is going to get a lot of attention from opposing defenses during the fall, so the question is who will step up and be the #2 go-to threat. I'm really liking what I see out of redshirt freshman Lucky Jackson. As I mentioned last week, he could emerge as a major player in the passing game this upcoming season to go along with Nacarius Fant, Nicholas Norris, and aforementioned Taylor. While he struggled a bit with drops, I also like redshirt freshman WR Devin Nixon as well. I think he still has a ways to go in fighting for playing time but I like his athleticism and ability, just needs to show more consistent hands.
- Former WKU QB Brandon Doughty made an appearance toward the end of practice to check things out. Should be a fun Pro Day to cover tomorrow with Doughty and Higbee involved. We'll be back at Houchens-Smith Stadium in the a.m. for coverage of that.
