First Day of Spring Football a Success
STILLWATER – Other than the temperature dropping nearly 20 degrees as the afternoon wore on, it was about as success of a first spring practice as Mike Gundy and Co. could’ve hoped for.
"We're obviously back at it,” head coach Mike Gundy said. “It's an exciting time for us from the standpoint of, we get to be back on the field; the fun part of what we do. No pads, but it's good to be out there and moving around. We do a lot of individual time and a lot of special teams. We try to get some really quality teaching and coaching since we don't have contact in practice. Lots of seven-on-seven and one-on-ones with our skill guys. It's fun to get back out there. The players have had a fantastic offseason. I've been very impressed with them and I think they're in excellent shape right now. Their attitudes are good, I like the cohesiveness of our group. Leadership is really good. It's an exciting time for all of us. We practice again Wednesday and Thursday and then they'll be off for spring break. When we come back, we get to go full pads. Just looking forward to getting back out there with the team."
Just to allow everyone to take a breath, receiver Tylan Wallace was at practice and participating in drills. He wasn’t going full speed as he’s still working on getting his knee back to full strength, but he looked good.
Running back Chuba Hubbard was dressed out in shorts and his jersey, but he didn’t not participate in practice. Neither did linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who’s sporting No. 7 now, safety Kolby Harvell-Peel or linebacker Calvin Bundage. All four were on the sidelines stretching and riding the exercise bikes, but were moving around easily.
Redshirt sophomore quarter back Spencer Sanders is back to full health and looked more confident and comfortable than he did last season.
“It was great, I mean I worked my tail off and I know the team worked their tail off as well,” said Spencer Sanders. “Whatever I can do to keep pushing myself to make this team better, that’s what I’m going to do.”
This was also the first time we got the chance to watch new quarterbacks coach Tim Rattay in action.
Sanders gives a ton of credit to coach Rattay, which you can read about in the article by Robert Allen.
New freshman quarterback Shane Illingworth was also out there with coach Rattay and looked to be adjusting to the college football life well.
“He’s a great kid,” Sanders said of freshman QB Shane Illingworth. “I love him off the field and on the field. He’s got a cannon of an arm; he’s 6-foot-5, so he can see over anybody and all it’s going to take is time. I’m willing to help him with anything he needs and I’ll help him any chance I get.”
New offensive lineman Josh Sills was in the house and as many people have said since he arrived on campus, he looked the part. Sills checks in at 6-6, 338-pounds and is poised to make an immediate impact for the Pokes.
“As soon as he got here, we hit it off right off the bat,” Ry Schneider said. “It’s really nice to have a guy with experience come in and help make us better.”
But it’s not just Sills that looks good on the offensive line, with nearly the entire offensive line back this season, coach Dickey should have one of the best position rooms in the West End Zone.
“It’s great; like I said, Chuba [Hubbard] wouldn’t have had the amazing season he did last year without [the offensive line],” said Sanders. “Honestly, it’s a blessing and it kind of helps keep my legs energized too. You couldn’t ask for much more. I mean, Chuba didn’t get that by himself, there’s five guys in front of him that have got to block, probably six that play. It’s amazing what they did last year; I honestly don’t think they got enough credit. Chuba’s a damn good running back, don’t get me wrong, it started up front.”
On the other side of the line, newcomer Collin Clay is fitting in nicely. Checking in at 6-3, 296-pounds, Clay should make a huge difference this season should he be granted early eligibility.
"He's fit in real well,” coach Gundy said. “We recruited him and then he committed to Arkansas early. We stayed in touch with him during that time. When he contacted us, we had had a prior relationship and it worked out well to get him back here. After the coaching change, they had over there, we're glad he's on our team."
Defensive end Brock Martin and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez are probably in the best shape of anyone on the roster following their stint with Cowboy wrestling. Defensive tackle Cameron Murray also looks solid, no pun intended, as he’s bulked up nearly 15 pounds to 303-pounds.
Safety Jarrick Bernard also made his debut at corner and according to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, played very well.
“[Bernard] had a great day," said coach Knowles. "Probably coming out of day one, I thought he was extremely impressive. I think he’s going to have – it’s one day – but the kid has over 2,000 snaps of experience, and now you’re moving to corner and he has such long arms, he’s willing to compete and has got a short memory. He just looked good out there today. He really stood out.”
This was also the first time we got to see receivers coach Kasey Dunn in his new role as the offensive coordinator.
“For me to step into this situation at this time, it could not be much easier on me,” Kasey Dunn said of becoming the offensive coordinator. “Our quarterback’s really talented, our tailbacks are talented, the receivers are veteran receivers, the offensive line is as good as it’s been in a while, the cowboy backs are all coming back. I hate to say that it’s hard to screw this up, but it kind of is. I’m just excited to get to the season, I’m excited to be here today with 14 more practices to go; this is fun for me.”
As coach Gundy mentioned above, the Pokes will be back in practice on Wednesday and Thursday this week following Pro Day on Tuesday. Pokes Report will be on hand for Pro Day and will have all the updates from that.
