Day 1 of #CampKyle:
Football season is finally upon us! Though without pads, the team was back out on the grass and playing some pigskin.
The sample size is small, and we can’t draw too many ultimate conclusions from about 20 minutes of observation. However, we did learn there are two main position battles going on: wide receiver and cornerback. Position battles aren’t so much for lack of depth, but rather a lack of separation between players. We won’t see much separation until next week when the pads come on.
All three quarterbacks looked healthy, mobile and confident. Kendal Thompson has his speed back after an ACL injury last season. Travis Wilson is a year older and bigger. He’s ready to take the reins of the offense, which for probably the first time in his career, is much the same as last year.
Coach Whittingham likes to have 5-6 reliable cornerbacks who are ready to play at any point. Right now, Reggie Porter, Brian Allen, Casey Hughes, Justin Thomas, Boobie Hobbs, and newcomer junior college transfer Jordan Fogal are competing for the 3 starting spots (two corners and a nickelback). From the small sample I had today, I believe all 6 of the above-mentioned players have the athleticism to compete for the starting jobs. The separation will come from consistency, and that can only be measured over the duration of camp.
At wide receiver, we’ll see a large range of guys competing for those starting jobs. I’ll narrow the list in coming days.
We’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest news, analysis, and interviews from fall camp on ESPN700 and ESPN700sports.com.
