Post-training camp grades: Special teams

Training camp is wrapped up and game week is upon us. There's a crazy amount of excitement going around, and why the hell not? But sometimes it's easy to get caught up in excitement when you see an impressive product in practice.

Seeing weaknesses and imperfections gets a little bit harder though. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and give an honest critique of what I've seen through camp and break down every position group and give them a preseason grade. So let's get at it!

Part 1 of 3: Special teams

KICKERS
This one worries me a little bit, simply because it seems that Nick Diaz hasn't solidified the job he had locked down to finish last season. Diaz was 10-of-13 last season with one blocked kick and two misses appearing to be centered, just without enough leg. He still hit 5-of-7 from beyond 40 yards, including a season-best 53-yarder.
Josh Thompson seems to always perform in practice, but has connected on just 10-of-16 field goals for his career, including only 8-of-14 from inside 40-yards. He's also missed two PATs in his career, which is concerning as to why Diaz hasn't been dubbed the clear-cut favorite. Younger brother Jake Thompson could very well be the guy for kickoff duties with his strong leg.
We've seen Diaz excel before and the job should remain his. The uncertainty hurts the grade for this position though.

Preseason grade: C+
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PUNTERS
The only name you need to know here is Jaron Bentrude. The job is his and he's looked solid in camp just like he did during spring practice. There's been a few flubs here and there, but his kicks have been booming at times. Now it's all about consistency.

Preseason grade: B
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KICK RETURNERS
This one is full of intrigue. A whole bunch of guys took reps in this role during camp and based on what I saw, I think this team has plenty of people capable of filling in for the fine job done here by Chuck Jacobs last season. The two I liked the most were Tay Glover-Wright and Travis Reynolds. We all know about Reynolds' athleticism and if he has room to run, he's a safe bet to produce.
Glover-Wright is who I like the most here though. Watching him run I feel like he has the potential to be the Devin Hester of the Mountain West Conference. His athleticism is just freaking ridiculous.
Kennedy Williams is one other X-factor here, and considering the success his brother had as a kick returner early in his career, it's not outlandish to think Kennedy could thrive too after the camp he's had.
Any of those three would be good bets, but I like The Hyphen best. Regardless, the outlook here seems bright.

Preseason grade: B+
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PUNT RETURNERS
Cam Webb was the perfect possession-oriented punt returner last season. With the right protection on punt returns, this season could see a higher average return than 8.8 yards from the team's go-to punt returner. This is another role where a handful of guys saw reps, but the three that stood out to me most were Jojo Natson, Travis Van Leeuwen, and Kennedy Williams. Van Leeuwen would be the safe bet kind of guy, much like Webb was, and that's not a bad thing at all. Natson and Williams are similar in that they accelerate quickly, have good speed, and crazy agility.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Natson, just because his hands seem more proven in catching the ball. Any of the three would do fine though.

Preseason grade: B-
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LONGSNAPPERS
This one is completely on lockdown by Nate Needham. Not really any question about things here either. Dude is solid all-around.

Preseason grade: A 

Mid-Monday links - 10/22

That's a whole lot of Links!!!

This has been way too long since doing this, and that's my bad. There's plenty of love to be spread on any given Monday, so let's go ahead and spread it!!

• Kyle Goon gives a recap on Saturday's basketball scrimmage over at the Aggieville Blog, which I guess will soon be his alone once he stops splitting carries with the old guy...
• Speaking of the old guy, Tony Jones is still absolutely killing it with USU football coverage, painful as it may be to see him tweeting about Ute basketball. But let's be honest, we all know where his heart still is with basketball in the Beehive State. Tony still cranked out two separate stories in the past few days on USU cornerbacks Nevin Lawson and Will Davis. He also recapped Saturday's 41-7 win over New Mexico State.
• Brad Rock over at the Deseret News talks about two different groups of Aggies heading in very different directions.
• Kraig Williams gives his own recap of Saturday's blowout, also for the D-News.
• And don't forget about Tavin Stucki, giving his take on the win over NMSU.
• Utah State Hockey opened its home schedule this past weekend with a pair of wins over Arizona State. Sean O'Sullivan gives the rundown for The Utah Statesman on the hockey team's 8-0 start to the season.
• The AggieZone makes its debut with a detailed recap of all the homecoming week festivities.
• Chris Cooley is a Washington Redskin once again!
• Nick Diaz was named the WAC's Special Teams Player of the Week after nailing a pair of long field goals on Saturday.
• Oscar Molina-Sanchez might be out with injury, but that didn't keep Megan Allen from telling his story for USU Athletics Media Relations.

Hopefully didn't forget anyone, but if I did, let me know via comment, e-mail or Twitter and I'll get it on there.

Enough reading this though... Go read everyone else's stuff today. 

Preseason Previews and Vibes, Part 1: Special Teams

Chuck Jacobs, alone in the end zone, with people behind him = Touchdowns

Part 1 of 4: Special Teams

Alright kids, it's officially game week, so let's get down to previewing this bad boy!

First up is special teams, which once again doesn't look to be anything too special.

COVERAGE
In theory, this year could see an improvement in the kick and punt coverage teams. As the talent level of the program has continued upward, the guys assigned to special teams should perform better than previous years as well. Between the linebacker and cornerback positions alone, there are 30 guys on the roster, leaving plenty of guys outside of the two-deep that you would hope are hungry enough for snaps that they'll want to make an impact on special teams. There are also a handful of young offensive linemen who could make a splash here.

Main point being though, there are quality starters and quality depth at most positions and only so many snaps to go around. There are also plenty of younger guys who will have a chance to make some big plays on special teams this year. Given the mentality that seems to be around this team now, I'm guessing we'll see a solid improvement in this area over the last few years.

Preseason vibe: Optimistic