Following Saturday’s morning practice, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey sat down with the media for the first time since spring and talked about everything from the quarterbacks to the offensive line to Omarion Hampton. Here is a look at our biggest takeaways from what he had to say.
All Three Quarterbacks are Still Taking Snaps With the Ones
Mack Brown said in his press conference following the first night of spring practice that he wanted to have just two quarterbacks splitting the reps after the first ten days, but that is not the case as of Saturday. Lindsey says that Max Johnson, Conner Harrell and Jacolby Criswell are still all spending time with the ones with each guy continuing to work on different aspects of the game. As expected, Criswell is focusing on learning his fourth different playbook in the 18 months and keeping himself alive in the race. Meanwhile, Johnson is focused on perfecting his drops while Harrell trying to prove that he can be more accurate. Lindsey said that there is no separation right now with the trio continuing to be up and down from practice to practice, making the likelihood of the team having to use at least two quarterbacks in the opener exponentially higher. Hopefully, someone can finally start separating themselves this week.
Offensive Line is Hungry
The praise for the offensive line this offseason continued on Saturday when Lindsey was asked about the overhauled group. He was very complimentary of how the rebuilt unit has been gelling, especially the four transfers that the team brought in to help remake the room. That foursome along with the rest of this group, are hungry to prove themselves, especially since this is the first opportunity for most of them to play a big role. Lindsey said they are well aware of what they have behind them in Omarion Hampton and that protecting the quarterback will be incredibly important this season with Drake Maye no longer being back there. Let’s hope that all of this positivity gives this group the confidence it needs to do just that.
Omarion Hampton is a Special Talent and Will Be Leaned On
Speaking of praise, Omarion Hampton continues to get it from everyone besides the ACC media. His offensive coordinator said that he has never been around a player who is as good as he is and still as grounded as he is. He praised his “workmanlike attitude”, telling the story of him trying to sneak into a full contact period while the staff is trying to limit the hits he takes in the preseason. While that is a smart move by the staff, don’t let it fool you into thinking that Hampton isn’t doing everything that he can to reach the next level this season, which he has identified as the 2,000-yard mark.
Search For No. 1 Pass Catching Threat Continues
This shouldn’t be shocking or concerning with the team still splitting reps at quarterback, but it was an interesting revelation from Lindsey. Three guys look to battling for that top target role. Bryson Nesbit is back healthy after missing the spring after recovering from offseason surgery, while Nate McCollum has bounced back from his rough finish to last year. J.J. Jones is also vying for that role after thriving in it during the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Having three guys that you can rely on is very encouraging and that top receiving target will emerge once the quarterback position is settled.
Thursday Night Had Some Sloppy Moments
Thursday night the team held their first scrimmage of the fall in the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby and the weather wasn’t the only thing that was sloppy. While he said there was some good and some bad, the pre-snap penalties are something that were concerning. Brown preached earlier this month that one of the main focuses in fall camp is on discipline and this is certainly not what he was hoping to see. With less of a margin for error this year because of the state of the quarterback position, this simply can’t happen on this side of the ball if this team wants to be able to move the ball consistently.
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