Highlights from the David Cole zoom call:
- Eli Heidenreich is fully participating in spring camp except for live contact. He’s focused on refining route running, learning to run more effectively between the tackles, and increasing his football IQ by studying defenses. He’s also mentoring younger players.
- Brandon Chatman is recovering from offseason ankle surgery. He’s running again but not practicing fully yet. Like Eli, he’s helping coach younger players and reinforcing fundamentals like alignment, stance, keys, and assignments (ASK).
- Isaiah Bryant is running with the ones at A Snipe and has game experience from last year. Tyler Bradley had surgery and isn’t practicing this spring.
- TK Hodges is running with the ones at Z Snipe. Cole says he's explosive with good hands and decent top-end speed. He needs to become more aggressive as a blocker but Cole likes the energy he brings to the group.
- Cole likes Michael Barrow's (A Snipe) skill set but says he needs polish in his route running.
- Charles Robinson (Z Snipe) moved from quarterback and has impressed with his aggressiveness and willingness to block. Coaches like his size and playmaking instincts, and he’s developing quickly.
- Pope Akanna is another young player getting a lot of reps. Cole says he's powerful, runs good routes, has strong hands, and understands play concepts well. Coaches feel he may have slightly better hands than Barrow.
- Andre Gilbert was running with the twos (and briefly the ones when Bryant was dinged up) but is currently sidelined with an injury. He’s described as electric and scrappy—small but plays hard.
- Andersen Cardoza is continuing to develop and expected to grow with more reps.
- Paul Lewis brings good size and is also improving steadily.
- Jack Skidmore is an older, smart player who works hard.
- Gage Leonard contributed heavily on special teams last year but is currently limited with a wrist injury. Coaches are excited to get him back, describing him as tough and experienced.
- Shane Reynolds practices with the snipes occasionally and will be used as a big-bodied blocker in specific packages for situational value.
- Cole says the A and Z Snipes have nearly identical roles. The difference is mainly alignment: the Z goes to the call side with the tight end (Y), and the A goes away from the call. Both line up wide, in the slot, or in the backfield, and both run routes, jet sweeps, and inside handoffs.
- Amin Hassan will be TAD and remains close to the position group
