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Fall Camp News

Scscsc89

By Scscsc89
in Pac12 Sports

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Card Tricks Advanced Member

Card Tricks

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Stanford had their second open scrimmage (and thanks to our early start, the last one of Fall camp). A few notes of interest:

  • Keller Chryst has apparently been a bit up and down in both public scrimmages. The coaching staff seems to sing nothing but praises of his command of the offense but the railbirds believe he's still in the process of knocking off some of that rust he built up during his ACL recovery. We'll see how he fares against Rice but I'm relieved to hear he's officially starting Game 1. Quarterback is a position that I hope/expect to be improved from last season but much of that depends on Chryst's development. By all accounts, his understanding of the playbook is finally where it needs to be (something that cost him the starting job at the beginning of last season). But his ability to read the defense and not lock onto receivers like he did last year is what's ultimately going to determine our offensive improvement (or lack thereof)
  • We look loaded at TE right now. Dalton Schultz (JR.) should vie for All-Conference honors this season (although I expect some stiff competition from Daniel Imatorbhebhe at USC) and his backups have been looking sharp as well. Apparently Kaden Smith (FR.) and Scooter Harrington (FR.) picked up a lot from their redshirt seasons because they've looked like seasoned veterans out on the field. Kaden Smith came to Stanford with much acclaim (the #2 TE in the 2016 recruiting cycle) but struggled to make his mark during Spring football. Now, he's snagging balls and making plays with much more authority. Ditto on Harrington, who looks to be a very proficient blocker. But the surprise of the group has to be true freshman Colby Parkinson. It probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that a 5-star would turn heads early on but Parkinson showed up to campus very underweight (just under 220 lbs.) and looked like he would need at least a year of building up his body to get into playing shape. But apparently a few months with our renowned S&C coach, Shannon Turley, have done him wonders. He was the star of today's scrimmage, making acrobatic catches all over the field. If he continues his impressive ascent, he will very likely become the first true freshman tight end to see the field for Stanford in over a decade (yes, believe it or not Fleener, Ertz, and Hooper all redshirted)
  •  The O-line has been shifting a lot of guys around through Fall camp. A surprising amount actually. Every open practice/scrimmage has seen a new starting five despite returning 4 starters from last year's O-line. Part of the reason is because last year's O-line badly underachieved. The other is because apparently some of the younger guys are really stepping up their games. Devery Hamilton (FR.) is a name that continues to come up amongst the coaches. He's been rotating in with the 1s frequently and may just snag one of the starting tackle spots at some point this season. Curiously, Casey Tucker (SR.) has not locked down his starting spot. He is Stanford's most experienced O-lineman yet the coaches continue to cite RG as one of the few remaining open competitions right now. Tucker started his career by playing RT in 2015. Then moved to LT in 2016. Then moved back to RT after just three games (due to an injury that limited him). Then, during Spring football, he was moved over to RG to "better utilize his strengths" according to the coaching staff. And now, he finds himself heading into the season with no guarantee of a starting job. A lot of fans think something's up. I've already read a few posts suggesting he must have been caught fooling around with Shaw's wife. I disagree. My money's on Bloomgren's (his position coach)
  • If I had to project a starting O-line for the start of the season, it would look like this:
    • LT: Dave Bright (SR.)
    • LG: Nate Herbig (SO.)
    • C: Jesse Burkett (JR.)
    • RG: Brandon Fanaika (JR.) / Casey Tucker (SR.)
    • RT: A.T. Hall (JR.)
  • If I had to project what the starting O-line might look like by midseason, it would probably look more like this:
    • LT: Devery Hamilton (FR.)
    • LG: Nate Herbig (SO.)
    • C: Jesse Burkett (JR.)
    • RG: Casey Tucker (SR.)
    • RT: Dave Bright (SR.)
  • That's no slight to our two new 5-star tackles, Walker Little (FR.) and Foster Sarell (FR.). By all accounts, they've been playing well ahead of their years and should see the field this season. In fact, Walker Little already looks like our best pass-blocking O-lineman and he's only 18. But something tells me their limited understanding of the playbook and Shaw's tendency to avoid starting true freshmen (see: McCaffrey, Christian) will ultimately prevent them from locking down their spots until next season
  • Speaking of true freshmen, one of the themes of Fall camp has been how impressive our 2017 recruiting class has looked so far. According to Coach Bloomgren after practice today, he said this freshman class came in with "better knowledge and talent than any group of freshman (they've) ever had". Guys that seem to be a lock to play at this point are Connor Wedington (WR/RB), Osiris St. Brown (WR), Colby Parkinson (TE), Paulson Adebo (CB), Walker Little (OT), and Foster Sarell (OT). Considering we signed a class of 14, that means about half our new guys will be seeing the field from Day 1. From an overall % standpoint, that may be the most true freshman we've ever played before at once. Don't be surprised to see Sione Lund (RB) find a way onto the field as well. At over 250 lbs., he's a true power back in every sense of the word and has been consistently pushing the pile with authority in scrimmage/practice
  • Defensive line continues to be our biggest question mark. Losing Solomon Thomas was a huge blow and we may not have the necessary personnel to replace him this season. But the bigger concern at this point is whether we even have the necessary personnel to win most of our battles at the point of attack. Harrison Phillips (JR.) has been relentless throughout Fall camp and has really stepped up in Thomas's absence. But he's a one-man show right now and won't be able to hold down the entire line by himself. Dylan Jackson (SO.), the other returning starter from last season, has been coming along well but pass rush continues to be his weakness. Eric Cotton (SR.), our only other D-lineman with any experience, appears to be no more than a stopgap and can't be consistently counted on to make plays. Apparently, Mike Williams (FR.) and Jovan Swann (FR.) have stepped up nicely to provide depth at NG and DE. But I'm frightened at what our D-line would look like if Phillips went down with injury. He's without question our most valuable player on the entire roster right now
  • One of the surprises of Fall camp has been the fact that Joey Alfieri (JR.) has also not yet locked down a starting spot despite starting last year at OLB. Over the Spring he was moved to ILB and even though he's our most talented/athletic linebacker, the transition has apparently brought a few challenges. Bobby Okereke (JR.) is locked in at one ILB spot and looks to be a legitimate breakout candidate this season. But Alfieri is still competing with Kevin Palma (SR.), a returning starter at ILB who would seem to have the edge right now. Given Alfieri's talent level, I would say it's only a matter of time until he eventually seizes the opportunity. But with the way things have played out in Fall camp so far, that may not happen until well into the season
  • The secondary just keeps making plays and forcing turnovers. It's been said before but I'll say it again: they're going to be very very good this year. The starters are pretty much set in stone: Quentin Meeks (JR.) and Alijah Holder (JR.) will man the corner spots while Justin Reid (JR.) and Brandon Simmons (JR.) will line up at safety. But even our backups, Alameen Murphy (JR.), Ben Edwards (JR.), Frank Buncom (SO.), and Malik Antoine (FR.) could probably start for a lot of other teams. This is as deep and talented a secondary as I can ever remember at Stanford. Can't wait to see them take the field in two weeks!
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Mano Advanced Member

Mano

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11 hours ago, Mano said:

A lot of chatter that Tyler Huntley will be named starting QB for Utah over Troy Williams. They are supposed to announce tomorrow.

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/2017/08/21/utah-football-sophomore-tyler-huntley-is-named-utah-starting-quarterback-edging-out-senior-troy-williams/

It is official, Tyler Huntley will be the starting QB at Utah to start the season.

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Mano Advanced Member

Mano

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Just now, Scscsc89 said:

Wow -- that seems like a huge upset.  Is it?  Is it more of a sign of a better fit for the system they want to run?

Huntley is definitely more mobile, however whenever I have heard Taylor asked about what attribute he looks for in a QB, accuracy is always #1 on his list. I don't know how close the competition was, seems like Williams would have been the easier choice, however Huntley may have transferred if that happened. I am hoping that Huntley really is all that, but we will have to wait and see.

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Scummy Dick Douglas Advanced Member

Scummy Dick Douglas

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22 minutes ago, Mano said:

Huntley is definitely more mobile, however whenever I have heard Taylor asked about what attribute he looks for in a QB, accuracy is always #1 on his list. I don't know how close the competition was, seems like Williams would have been the easier choice, however Huntley may have transferred if that happened. I am hoping that Huntley really is all that, but we will have to wait and see.

Huntley would have to really impress coaches for them to give him the nod over a returning senior captain QB. Kid must be pretty damn good.

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