Defensive line and tight ends continue to impress

If there is one newcomer who has made the biggest strides in the first week of preseason camp, it may be defensive tackle Jon Cunningham.

The 6-foot, 290-pound freshman from Bedford, Ohio has improved each day, and he continued to be a disruptive force on Friday when the Golden Flashes practiced in full pads for the first time in camp.

“Of the young kids, Cunningham is the one who is really coming along,” head coach Paul Haynes told me after practice. “He looks really, really good, playing with great pad level and lots of energy.”

Cunningham could work his way into the platoon of players on the defensive line who hope to help the Flashes replace 2013 senior Roosevelt Nix. But as defensive coordinator Brian George reminded me today, “you just don’t replace a player the caliber of a Roosevelt Nix.”

As in recent years, though, a team strength appears to be depth on the defensive line. And while it’s nice to have a player the caliber of Nix, it can also be nice to have a large group of well-prepared players who are all capable of making an impact on a game. 

George confirmed what several of us have noticed from the sideline this week – that redshirt freshman Jontey Byrd is having a great start to camp. According to George, Byrd is one of the players who has changed his body during the offseason, and the hard work is paying off.

George also said fifth-year senior Richard Gray has “reinvented himself.” Gray has always had freakish athleticism. Missing all of 2013 while ineligible has sparked a work ethic in Gray that could make life for miserable for opposing offensive linemen in 2014. 

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS … Casey Pierce and a talented group of tight ends could play a major role in the Kent State offense in the coming season. Quarterbacks Colin Reardon and Nathan Strock found success working the middle of the field on Friday as Pierce, Brice Fackler and Ryan Malone all hauled down big catches in traffic. 

I’ve heard several fans speculate that Pierce could have a breakout season as a fifth-year senior. They may be right. The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Parma native is having one of the best camps of anyone on the roster, according to Haynes. Pierce catches anything thrown in his direction, and he is also emerging as the vocal leader of the offense.

Trayion Durham continues his
comeback from injury

Senior running back Anthony Meray continues to impress, and as more than just a runner. He did a nice job in pass protection on one particular play on Friday, getting just enough of freshman linebacker Kentrell Taylor to delay a blitz, and then peeling off to keep blitzing “star” back Elcee Refuge from getting to Reardon. 

There were a few lowlights as well. Haynes was a bit frustrated with some of the lack of enthusiasm and focus on Friday. He had to stop the action before one play during red-zone drills to ask his defensive unit, “who is talking about pad level? Who is talking about eye control? Anybody? Somebody?”

NEXT UP: TWO-A-DAYS … The first two-a-days of the preseason arrive on Saturday. I talked to Haynes if anything changes during two-a-days, and he said, “It shouldn’t.”

“It’s jut a matter of going out there in pads two times a day, but the energy and the attitude and everything else should be exactly the same,” he said. 

DURHAM IN PADS, BUT LIMITED … Bruising senior running back Trayion Durham was in full pads on Friday, but he continued to be limited just to individual work on the sideline.

Durham spent part of the morning running up the incline between the north and west stands at Dix Stadium.