Link to practice notes provided courtesy of NC State.
“• The team began hitting the field around 9:15 a.m. for a 9:45 flex. There was light rain in the area at the beginning of the workout, but the rain cleared out and left behind cloudy and cool temps (67 degrees when practice began).
• The 2-1/2 hour practice included a lot of individual work in helmets. Today and tomorrow’s practices are helmets only, the team will wear half pads on Monday and Tuesday and will put on full gear for Wednesday.
• Jarvis Byrd is practicing in a slightly limited manner. He worked for the first 20 periods. “They are trying to ease me in gradually,” Byrd said after practice. “I will probably pull back a little tomorrow and then go longer on Monday.”
• The team’s hard work in the weight room was evident, especially with two of the freshmen who joined the team in the spring. Safety Germaine Pratt is up to 230 lbs. while tackle B.J. Hill is up to 300 – both have gained 30+ lbs.
• On Friday, defensive end Drew Davis was given the “Brick Squad” award for the team’s top performer during summer workouts.
• There were several great catches on offense, including grabs by Bra’Lon Cherry, Johnathan Alston, Jumichael Ramos and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
• The defense got its hands on the ball a good bit during team work – with several interceptions and knockdowns.
• Quote of the Practice – defensive end Mike Rose: “Man, I love this depth!”
• Wide receiver Gavin Locklear, who suffered a tibia/fibula fracture a few weeks ago, watched practice from the sidelines on crutches.
• Athletics Director Debbie Yow was on hand to watch the team’s first practice of fall camp.
• The specialists are gaining a new specialty. Wil Baumann lined up at running back during some defensive drills.”
On the personnel front, Kentavious Street looks like a beast and I can’t see how he doesn’t compete for time as a true freshman at defensive end behind Art Norman and Mike Rose; while Jaylen Samuels sounds like a mini version of a modern day Willie Wright.
Here are some exclusive photos from NC State's first practice of several freshmen defenders… http://t.co/jCutlQTGoO pic.twitter.com/kVSZN8rF7z
— Pack Pride (@PackPride) August 3, 2014
Expect NC State to use freshman Jaylen Samuels all over the field. He worked at tight end and in the slot today. pic.twitter.com/NRlPXAPHEq
— Pack Pride (@PackPride) August 2, 2014
I love what @PackFootball has done with this aggregation of twitter posts about practice at “Doereify”.
Lastly, if you are in a good mood about practice…then this post will get you in an even better mood.
