The football team is back from Vero Beach and will resume practicing on campus today. Here's all the news that was fit to print from yesterday's practice.
1. Topping the list is coach Skip Holtz telling us seven true freshmen who he thinks will be able to contribute this year, completely ruining my annual "which freshmen will see the field" odds post. Anyway, that's not important. The important part is who those seven players are -- according to Adam Adkins, they are Kenneth Durden, Darrell Williams, Elkino Watson, Thor Jozwiak, Tye Turner, Andre Davis, Ruben Gonzalez, and Antoine Pozniak, who is trying out defensive end after having been recruited as a linebacker.
Seeing Watson and Davis on the list aren't much of a surprise since most people figured they would be able to play right away. Ruben Gonzalez is a little bit of a surprise, but still not that much, and Tye Turner's odds of playing went up dramatically after Jeff Hawkins tore his ACL before camp started. Durden is at a position without a whole lot of quality depth, so seeing him on the list isn't a total shock. Jozwiak and Williams surprised me at offensive line, and Pozniak just came out of nowhere. He must be playing out of his mind if the coaches think he can contribute at defensive end with the talent that's already stocked up there.
2. Adam had a bunch of other notes from yesterday as well. Evan Landi working with the tight ends? Interesting, although he'd need to gain a little bit of weight.
3. Greg Auman has a feature on linebacker Curtis Weatherspoon as he tries to claim a starting job at OLB.
4. The official site reflects on the team's time in Vero Beach, along with photos and interviews with Holtz, B.J. Daniels, and lobster king Jeremiah Warren.
5. I'm not at all privy to the negotiations, but I bet I can guess which side caused this opportunity to break down. (Hint: Not the FHSAA.)