As always, this is a non-transcript.
- Day 2. Excited about yesterday’s practice. We’re really concentrated on is going 1-0 and being more processed oriented and getting in the next play. Position coaches give 1% of what they are trying to get better at. Mine was effort, get 1 more rep, had great energy. Can tell the team likes to practice and loves football. Very happy today.
- [Davion Carter in a boot] Rolled his ankle, feel he will progress back. Mo had a stomach issue and was able to finish practice. Dylan Shaw had a great spring and has done really well. Lucky to have Caleb Rogers and his versatility, he’s getting right guard and left tackle. Excited about Dalton Merryman and playing left tackle. Talking about opportunity and step-up. It’s exciting and am hoping that we keep talking about the depth of this team.
- [Secondary] I feel good and went back and watched the 1st day of practice, Coach Perry says I am mental, and our offensive skill is so much better. Josh Kelly had a huge catch from Morton and B.J. Jordan had great coverage, Caleb Douglas had a 1-handed catch and Bralyn Lux was right there. In the secondary we are right there to make plays and closer than in the past. Guys that jump out are Chapman Lewis at free safety and at Star BJ Jordan and AJ McCarty, they have done a good job of being physical.
- [On Chapman Lewis] I love his approach to everything, as a mid-year freshman he went through the whole spring. He loves football and is a physical kid. He’s 185 right now and feel bad for when he gets to 195 or 200, he has a high IQ, you feel really good he picks stuff up. He knows he’s the guy, there’s a different confidence going out there and playing.
- [Lewis is naturally slender] He is slender but has a high metabolism, it is calorie intake with him when you are going through camp, it is not going through to get to 190, but maintaining 185 with the heat and the upload of how much we are practicing. He’s serious about it and he can help us win games.
- [Comparison to Rabbit] Both love football and have high IQ, Rabbit is the reason that Lewis, BJ Jordan and Jordan Sanford, he took them under his wing and worked with them. Similar in that they are really fast and can cover a lot of ground, Chapman is pushing 6’1″ and Rabbit is 5’10”, his length can help him, Rabbit has experience.
- [Other receivers] Kelby Vaslin, we have a red and black practice going on, black is the younger field and brought him to the red practice because of what he did yesterday. Excited about Kelby, last rotation had TJ West getting some outside receiver. Really excited how those guys are coming along.
- [Backup to Tahj Brooks] Going good, they are pushing each other. Cam Valdez, I love him, we were walking together and he asked what’s my 1% from you, and we talked about being more physical in pass-protection. Cameron Dickey checks all of the boxes and loves to play the game. Had both of those guys with the 1’s.
- [J’Koby Williams] He had a really good day yesterday, he did fumble the ball, I try to sit in different guys meetings, yesterday I sat in tight ends and this morning in running backs, we usually do a good job of protecting the ball. Adam Hill is in that room too, those guys will show up in special teams early.
- [Defensive line] First time I’ve seen James Hansen in pads. De’Braylon Carroll is coming on, Quincey Ledet is coming on. The young guy most impressive is Jayden Cofield.
- [Practice Schedule] The reason we brough our guys in so early, 3 days on and 1 day off, do this through game week, will go through shoulder pads tomorrow, and then won’t be on the field and then do another day of shoulder pads.
We had the HC on the 🎙️ for the start of fall camp!@JoeyMcGuireTTU | @PlainsCapital pic.twitter.com/490t9mHHLp
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) August 1, 2024
Some stray links:
+ Red Raider Sports’ Jarrett Ramirez: Physicality becoming a standard for Texas Tech secondary
+ Dallas Morning News’ Justin Apodaca: Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks enters 2024 with all-time rushing record in sight
+ Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams: Texas Tech football star Tahj Brooks says he ‘wasn’t in it for the payday’
+ [NOT FOOTBALL RELATED BUT WORTH THE READ] The Athletic’s Justin Williams and Stewart Mandel ($): The unprecedented million-dollar recruitment of the nation’s best softball player