I was in Evanston today and was fortunate enough to catch a few minutes of scrimmaging at the end of practice. Based on that, and talking to Fitz and a couple other folks, here are some notes:
- Superback Jayme Taylor is out for the season with an ankle injury he suffered on Saturday. That's tough news for Taylor, who was Dan Vitale's primary backup in the H-back role.
- Fitz wasn't kidding about playing freshmen. All four WRs (Flynn Nagel, Jelani Roberts, Cameron Green and Charlie Fessler) will likely play, as will DT Jordan Thompson, DEs Joe Gaziano and Trent Goens, LB Tommy Vitale, DBs Montre Hartage and Alonzo Mayo, and, the biggest surprise to me, given NU's crowded backfield, RB John Moten. Nagel has been as good as any WR in camp, I was told, and Fessler is HUGE. Hartage and Mayo may just play special teams. Moten looks like a B1G back.
- Matt Frazier still isn't practicing and no one knows when he'll return. He was on the sideline, though, and didn't look like he had lost that much weight. So that may be a good sign.
- The QBs are still splitting reps and no clear-cut favorite has emerged. It seems to me like they are waiting for Clayton Thorson to take the job by the throat, but he has yet to do it. Zack Oliver had the best scrimmage of the three on Saturday.
- Right now, Jaylen Prater has the open starting outside linebacker spot -- though, of course, that could change. Cam Queiro, Vitale and Joe Jones are all still in the mix. Brett Walsh is still out with an injury.
- We know the starting four is set in the secondary, and it looks like Kyle Queiro will likely be the nickel back. Keith Watkins and Marcus McShepard are the two CB backups.
- Fitz said the OL is still a work in progress 11 days before the opener, but he says he's still sleeping well at night. I talked to OL coach Adam Cushing and G Ian Park, who said that there was an attitude problem on the OL last season and the unit's motto this year is just "play tough." Look for a story soon.
- Superback Jayme Taylor is out for the season with an ankle injury he suffered on Saturday. That's tough news for Taylor, who was Dan Vitale's primary backup in the H-back role.
- Fitz wasn't kidding about playing freshmen. All four WRs (Flynn Nagel, Jelani Roberts, Cameron Green and Charlie Fessler) will likely play, as will DT Jordan Thompson, DEs Joe Gaziano and Trent Goens, LB Tommy Vitale, DBs Montre Hartage and Alonzo Mayo, and, the biggest surprise to me, given NU's crowded backfield, RB John Moten. Nagel has been as good as any WR in camp, I was told, and Fessler is HUGE. Hartage and Mayo may just play special teams. Moten looks like a B1G back.
- Matt Frazier still isn't practicing and no one knows when he'll return. He was on the sideline, though, and didn't look like he had lost that much weight. So that may be a good sign.
- The QBs are still splitting reps and no clear-cut favorite has emerged. It seems to me like they are waiting for Clayton Thorson to take the job by the throat, but he has yet to do it. Zack Oliver had the best scrimmage of the three on Saturday.
- Right now, Jaylen Prater has the open starting outside linebacker spot -- though, of course, that could change. Cam Queiro, Vitale and Joe Jones are all still in the mix. Brett Walsh is still out with an injury.
- We know the starting four is set in the secondary, and it looks like Kyle Queiro will likely be the nickel back. Keith Watkins and Marcus McShepard are the two CB backups.
- Fitz said the OL is still a work in progress 11 days before the opener, but he says he's still sleeping well at night. I talked to OL coach Adam Cushing and G Ian Park, who said that there was an attitude problem on the OL last season and the unit's motto this year is just "play tough." Look for a story soon.
