UND will be hosting their annual spring scrimmage at Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 11:30am. Being the staff is only in their second season, there is obviously a ton of jobs up for grabs. Here are some #hottakes on what we are looking for and positions to pay attention to:
- Three spots on the OL are up for grabs. LT – C – RG. Brandon Anderson (LG) and Sean Meehan (LT) have their spots locked down.
- Don’t be surprised if Mat Cox is getting reps at center come fall camp. UND seems a bit uneasy about the center position. Dan Bell and Brandon Miller could see reps there as well to see who can adjust the best.
- If AJ Stockwell doesn’t stay healthy come fall camp, Cox could be the starting left tackle. He has had a decent spring. Overall depth at tackle is still scary right now.
- The RG position is a battle right now between Brandon Miller and Demon Taylor. We would give the edge to Miller at the moment but this one will go into fall.
- Meehan has adjust very well at RT. He has looked solid all spring and will be an anchor over there.
- Looking forward to seeing Ja’won Arrington run the ball in a game situation. Will also pay attention to Patrick Sharp and Kyle Norberg as they battle for the backup spot. Sharp has been running at a different tempo this spring.
- Jawon Johnson had had a nice spring at safety. Fully expect him to win the job opposite Cole Reyes.
- Watch for depth chart position battles at ILB. After Ratelle and Rich, there are some battles going on at each spot, specifically at “Sam” between Tajhe Hartley and Connor O’Brien.
- Dylan Harmston has been coming on strong lately in spring practices and has been noticeable making plays in the backfield. He’s one to watch and should get lots of reps tomorrow at OLB.
- Corner is a position that is 100% up for grabs. Both spots. Deion Harris has the inside track on one of them but we will be watching Chris Brown, Chris Carter, and Harris to see who sticks out. We have heard that Charles Flowers got dinged up and will not play in the game. Too bad.
Several of the Class of 2015 signees will be on hand, including Zack Williams, Mason Bennett, Brady Oliveira, Brad Heidlebaugh, Patrick Rooney, Ty Carter, and Bryce Blair.
UND will also be hosting around 10 juniors on unofficial visits from Minnesota, Colorado, and North Dakota. Names we have seen as visitors are:
- Nathan Leithead – Pine Creek, CO
- Kacin Nowlin – Pine Creek, CO
- Matt Fine – Bloomington, MN
- Zane Van Matre – Rock Canyon, CO
I agree with CB being up for grabs. Frankly, I hope we get in another transfer, a freshman comes in and blows everyone away or one of these guys in camp steps it up because we don’t have a lock down CB. I think Brown is the best but even he has been inconsistent.
Don’t be surprised if Blackmon starts at FS. I think he and Arnell are the only players in camp with the necessary skill set. Both Reyes and Johnson are SS types and it was shown last season that Reyes plays better the closer he is to the LOS. Keep in mind, nothing is written in stone after Spring…got a long summer and fall camp.
Has Boas fallen off that much compared to the rest? I wouldn’t say Center was a strong point last year but it appeared he started last year and was in the mix on some of the drills I’ve watched this spring. Seems like a lot of rotation at a few spots (as you noted), was just curious.
Not saying he has fallen off but they need depth there. They also need somebody who can consistently play well and their were way too many mistakes last fall for the center spot. If he is the guy, great. But he needs to be pushed and inserting other center’s will do that. Francis still has a lingering knee issue and cannot be counted on at center, anyways.
I think they already have talent at CB they just need to know how to develop what they have and that’s at every position!
Would like to see thoughts after springball
Looks like Stockwell has put on some weight since last year. Wonder if it’s attributed to his surgery or if it will impact his play/athleticism come fall, assuming he stays healthy
Good to hear about Patrick Sharp. Hopefully UND will get a bit more production out of him. I also think UND needs one more body at RB and another at CB would definitely help. Both are thin IMO but i must say i like the guys we have at corner currently. If not one of those two positions another DL wouldn’t hurt. Hopefully the staff adds one more FBS dropdown on top of the gopher LB. Overall, the feel of this offseason is much, much better than last year. For obvious reasons.
I see coach Bohl is now in charge of transfers to UND? What a great coach!
Yah he is something. Taking a year away from a walk-on foreign student because he chose UND to transfer to. Hell of a guy. Not surprised, just thought he might do the right thing.