There's the known quantities on this team, guys like JJ, Wags, Canada, etc. But from this fan's observation here's a handful of players names you may not be as familiar with that stood out to me.
Zach Peevey - The Hellgate grad was mostly a special teams player last year. This year it looks like Peevey is ready for an increased role. He's added more weight and has moved to play defensive tackle. This spring he's had sacks in every scrimmage, two last night, he's forced a fumble, and made a few TFLs. Peevey also still rotates out and backs up at D-end as well. He'll be a guy that is going to rotate in and can play all across the D-line, he'll also be a wrecking ball on special teams.
Jake Dallaserra - Jake has kind of hung around in depth at safety for the last two seasons but now with a battle to possible start looming he's made the most of it. While still needing to keep improving I've liked what I've seen from Jake in zone coverage. He made a great adjustment on a pass last night and picked off a Gustafson 3rd down pass. He's also a hard hitter and has really put some good shots on would-be receivers. Whitted remains ahead of Jake at the end of spring but he's helping to ease my concerns of safety depth.
John Nguyen - Outside of a healthy TraVon Van, Nguyen is the most electric runner on this team. Yes I know there's a whole thread dedicated to his ball security and that's a concern for sure. John possesses a lot of the shifty moves we got to know with his brother, Peter. He can make guys miss in the worst way and create something out of nothing. What he also has that Peter didn't have as much was power, John can run over or knock back many tacklers. John will be looked upon to contribute this year, Van's ongoing health is a concern. Improving ball security will be key for him.
Devon Dietrich - Last spring it was Will Weyer of the 5 young o-linemen who had a solid spring and this year it's Dietrich who is on the rise. With the Hines brothers still getting dinged up by injuries (looked like Logan Hines #66 was in a brace, possibly some broken fingers) Dietrich has played both guard and center and has done a pretty good job at it.
Tucker Schye - Tucker's already had a full thread dedicated to him and he's well worth the hype. Schye is going to develop into a great middle line backer and will be used for special teams duty and will rotate a ton with Kose. His pass coverage needs to improve but it would seem that will come along with experience. Schye is a disruptive force in the defense and a great tackler.
Shane Moody - I'm assuming Shane is a walk-on or maybe a preferred freshman but I like what I've seen from this guy. He's a shorter corner back but makes up for it on how physical he plays. He punishes receivers who put their hands on the ball. He made a TFL on a quick pass in the 2nd scrimmage and popped two WRs really hard to ensure that no catch would be made.
Kendrick Van Ackeren - Last year's "Special Teams Player of The Year" very well could lead this team in tackles. Great in pass coverage, good lateral speed, solid play recognition, great tackler.
Nate Bradley - Bradley in scrimmages and the few practices seems to have a knack for making a few plays. He's down there in depth as a 5-11, 250 pound nose tackle but I've seen him force a fumble, stop a few players for a loss, and get a sack. Bradley in time could develop into a Ben Hughes kind of a player.
Zach Peevey - The Hellgate grad was mostly a special teams player last year. This year it looks like Peevey is ready for an increased role. He's added more weight and has moved to play defensive tackle. This spring he's had sacks in every scrimmage, two last night, he's forced a fumble, and made a few TFLs. Peevey also still rotates out and backs up at D-end as well. He'll be a guy that is going to rotate in and can play all across the D-line, he'll also be a wrecking ball on special teams.
Jake Dallaserra - Jake has kind of hung around in depth at safety for the last two seasons but now with a battle to possible start looming he's made the most of it. While still needing to keep improving I've liked what I've seen from Jake in zone coverage. He made a great adjustment on a pass last night and picked off a Gustafson 3rd down pass. He's also a hard hitter and has really put some good shots on would-be receivers. Whitted remains ahead of Jake at the end of spring but he's helping to ease my concerns of safety depth.
John Nguyen - Outside of a healthy TraVon Van, Nguyen is the most electric runner on this team. Yes I know there's a whole thread dedicated to his ball security and that's a concern for sure. John possesses a lot of the shifty moves we got to know with his brother, Peter. He can make guys miss in the worst way and create something out of nothing. What he also has that Peter didn't have as much was power, John can run over or knock back many tacklers. John will be looked upon to contribute this year, Van's ongoing health is a concern. Improving ball security will be key for him.
Devon Dietrich - Last spring it was Will Weyer of the 5 young o-linemen who had a solid spring and this year it's Dietrich who is on the rise. With the Hines brothers still getting dinged up by injuries (looked like Logan Hines #66 was in a brace, possibly some broken fingers) Dietrich has played both guard and center and has done a pretty good job at it.
Tucker Schye - Tucker's already had a full thread dedicated to him and he's well worth the hype. Schye is going to develop into a great middle line backer and will be used for special teams duty and will rotate a ton with Kose. His pass coverage needs to improve but it would seem that will come along with experience. Schye is a disruptive force in the defense and a great tackler.
Shane Moody - I'm assuming Shane is a walk-on or maybe a preferred freshman but I like what I've seen from this guy. He's a shorter corner back but makes up for it on how physical he plays. He punishes receivers who put their hands on the ball. He made a TFL on a quick pass in the 2nd scrimmage and popped two WRs really hard to ensure that no catch would be made.
Kendrick Van Ackeren - Last year's "Special Teams Player of The Year" very well could lead this team in tackles. Great in pass coverage, good lateral speed, solid play recognition, great tackler.
Nate Bradley - Bradley in scrimmages and the few practices seems to have a knack for making a few plays. He's down there in depth as a 5-11, 250 pound nose tackle but I've seen him force a fumble, stop a few players for a loss, and get a sack. Bradley in time could develop into a Ben Hughes kind of a player.