For those who don't know, UTSA had an open practice Friday. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to talk about it.
EDIT: I was told I could report what was seen at practice
UTSA held a 2.5 hour practice in front of fans and media on Friday. It was a normal practice with a focus on position drills. The attention to detail was noticeable. This new staff has a different feel about it and it was a very noticeable change to the people in attendance. The focus early is on teaching. The coaching staff put players through drills and if it wasn't done correctly, that drill was continued. "It felt like what a college practice was supposed to look like" was a telling quote to me. We'll just go through it position-by-position.
QB
Manny Harris got most of the first team snaps. He took first-team reps in each of the two "team" sessions. Harris did his best work from the pocket. He didn't look as great when asked to roll out or forced to leave the pocket due to pressure. That may be a big deal behind this offensive line.
Dalton Sturm looked bigger. He was the most consistent QB and that makes sense because of his experience. There is a lower ceiling for Sturm than Harris (as a passer), but his experience and ability to move with his legs may give him the advantage for this team. It likely comes down to the type of offense UTSA wants to run.
Jaylon Henderson is the third QB on the depth chart and that's clear. He's also "not a wide receiver" and that's good news for the Roadrunners. Henderson is raw as a passer and will need another year or so before he is ready to compete for a starting spot, but he's not a bad third-team QB and the addition of a grad transfer over the summer would allow him another year to evolve as a player. He can play quarterback and is best when he gets outside the pocket.
RB
Jarveon Williams did Jarveon Williams things, I'm told. He's the engine to this offense. Jalen Rhodes and Brett Winnegan had solid days. Winnegan looked stronger and is still plenty fast. There was a lot of work on pass blocking and details like that for the running backs. I'm told Corbin White ran over a few people and his frame adds a dimension to the offense. Not a lot of talk about Tyrell Clay after the practice. It was the first day with pads so the running game was a little behind.
WR
Too many drops, but, again, it was the first day with pads and still the first week of practice. Inconsistency is the name of the game right now. The starters were JaBryce Taylor and Kerry Thomas with Derrick Dick at slot. Dannon Cavil was out there and it was obvious he is still shaking off rust. It's been a long time since he played real football. The thing that stuck out to people at practice was the depth at the position. There are 6-8 guys on campus with real shots at playing a lot of football.
OL
It wasn't the best day for the UTSA offensive line. The defensive line won the day and that should be expected. The starters, from LT to RT, were: Reed Darragh, Kyle McKinney, Juan Perez, Austin Pratt and Cody Cole. Darragh lost his battles with Marcus Davenport. There seems to be clear separation between Perez and backup Clayton Woods right now. Pratt had the best practice of the starters. Cole likely won't start at RT. Stefan Beard (guard) and Tanner Meyers (tackle) had good reviews with the backups. Those two are JUCO transfers that will work their way into the starting rotation by the end of spring.
TE
Learn the name Shaq Williams. UTSA will use the TE in the traditional way and as an H-Back. Shaq's speed is a weapon UTSA will use.
DL
Davenport still had a brace, but was still a handful. Baylen Baker was a monster at defensive tackle. Kevin Strong started opposite of Davenport at DE. JT was next to Baker as a starting defensive tackle. VKW looked slimmer. TJ King worked with the backups. Defensive tackle is in good shape, but depth at defensive end remains an issue.
LB
UTSA showed a lot of formations and played linebackers at multiple spots. Marcos Curry practiced all over the place. La'Kel Bass looked good as a Mike linebacker, as did Josiah Tauaefa. Leslie Mauro wasn't participating and neither was Michael Egwuagu, Nate Gaines, Stanley Dye. That hurt the depth on the defensive side of the ball. The good news is those guys are relatively known commodities and it'll provide a lot of snaps for the younger guys.
Secondary
N'Keal Bailey and Aneas Henricks started at cornerback. Carl Austin, CJ Levine and Justin Chavez all worked with the starters at safety. It wasn't a huge day for the secondary. A lot of the passes in team drills were underneath checkdowns because of the defensive line's dominance in the trenches.
Kicking
Not good.
EDIT: I was told I could report what was seen at practice
UTSA held a 2.5 hour practice in front of fans and media on Friday. It was a normal practice with a focus on position drills. The attention to detail was noticeable. This new staff has a different feel about it and it was a very noticeable change to the people in attendance. The focus early is on teaching. The coaching staff put players through drills and if it wasn't done correctly, that drill was continued. "It felt like what a college practice was supposed to look like" was a telling quote to me. We'll just go through it position-by-position.
QB
Manny Harris got most of the first team snaps. He took first-team reps in each of the two "team" sessions. Harris did his best work from the pocket. He didn't look as great when asked to roll out or forced to leave the pocket due to pressure. That may be a big deal behind this offensive line.
Dalton Sturm looked bigger. He was the most consistent QB and that makes sense because of his experience. There is a lower ceiling for Sturm than Harris (as a passer), but his experience and ability to move with his legs may give him the advantage for this team. It likely comes down to the type of offense UTSA wants to run.
Jaylon Henderson is the third QB on the depth chart and that's clear. He's also "not a wide receiver" and that's good news for the Roadrunners. Henderson is raw as a passer and will need another year or so before he is ready to compete for a starting spot, but he's not a bad third-team QB and the addition of a grad transfer over the summer would allow him another year to evolve as a player. He can play quarterback and is best when he gets outside the pocket.
RB
Jarveon Williams did Jarveon Williams things, I'm told. He's the engine to this offense. Jalen Rhodes and Brett Winnegan had solid days. Winnegan looked stronger and is still plenty fast. There was a lot of work on pass blocking and details like that for the running backs. I'm told Corbin White ran over a few people and his frame adds a dimension to the offense. Not a lot of talk about Tyrell Clay after the practice. It was the first day with pads so the running game was a little behind.
WR
Too many drops, but, again, it was the first day with pads and still the first week of practice. Inconsistency is the name of the game right now. The starters were JaBryce Taylor and Kerry Thomas with Derrick Dick at slot. Dannon Cavil was out there and it was obvious he is still shaking off rust. It's been a long time since he played real football. The thing that stuck out to people at practice was the depth at the position. There are 6-8 guys on campus with real shots at playing a lot of football.
OL
It wasn't the best day for the UTSA offensive line. The defensive line won the day and that should be expected. The starters, from LT to RT, were: Reed Darragh, Kyle McKinney, Juan Perez, Austin Pratt and Cody Cole. Darragh lost his battles with Marcus Davenport. There seems to be clear separation between Perez and backup Clayton Woods right now. Pratt had the best practice of the starters. Cole likely won't start at RT. Stefan Beard (guard) and Tanner Meyers (tackle) had good reviews with the backups. Those two are JUCO transfers that will work their way into the starting rotation by the end of spring.
TE
Learn the name Shaq Williams. UTSA will use the TE in the traditional way and as an H-Back. Shaq's speed is a weapon UTSA will use.
DL
Davenport still had a brace, but was still a handful. Baylen Baker was a monster at defensive tackle. Kevin Strong started opposite of Davenport at DE. JT was next to Baker as a starting defensive tackle. VKW looked slimmer. TJ King worked with the backups. Defensive tackle is in good shape, but depth at defensive end remains an issue.
LB
UTSA showed a lot of formations and played linebackers at multiple spots. Marcos Curry practiced all over the place. La'Kel Bass looked good as a Mike linebacker, as did Josiah Tauaefa. Leslie Mauro wasn't participating and neither was Michael Egwuagu, Nate Gaines, Stanley Dye. That hurt the depth on the defensive side of the ball. The good news is those guys are relatively known commodities and it'll provide a lot of snaps for the younger guys.
Secondary
N'Keal Bailey and Aneas Henricks started at cornerback. Carl Austin, CJ Levine and Justin Chavez all worked with the starters at safety. It wasn't a huge day for the secondary. A lot of the passes in team drills were underneath checkdowns because of the defensive line's dominance in the trenches.
Kicking
Not good.
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