The first week of camp is in the books.  Each week TCI will look at the players moving up and those that are moving down in the Up Downs feature.  Which players are elevating their game and their position on the depth chart?

Up

Greg Huegel – If you missed the reports from Friday’s practice you are probably asking who is Greg Huegel.  The walk-on kicker is making a move up the depth chart as the Tigers search for a kicker to replace Ammon Lakip while he is out serving his suspension.

Huegel nailed a 47 yard field goal to end practice Friday.  The kick would have been good from 50 plus.

Coach Swinney joked after practice that they found Huegel in the grocery store.  Huegel is moving up the depth chart and giving Alex Spence a run for his money.

Kelly Bryant – With Tucker Israel getting injured early in the first practice of camp, Bryant is seeing more snaps than anticipated in camp.  This will help his development over the next month before Israel returns.

The coaches aren’t ready to say it, but Israel’s injury all but locks up a redshirt for him unless there is a rash of injuries at quarterback.

Coach Swinney said the gap was wide right now between Schuessler and Bryant, but that gap could close as Bryant gets more opportunities the next month.  We will have too see if the extra reps help Bryant avoid a redshirt.

Trevion Thompson – We were all excited to see 5-star receivers Ray Ray McCloud and Deon Cain this week in camp, but the one receiver that caught everyone’s eye was Trevion Thompson.  Coach Swinney praised Thompson’s play and said he has been the one making a major move in camp.

The depth chart is stacked at receiver, but Thompson is showing he is ready to contribute this season after a redshirt year.  Trevion won’t be a starter this season, but he has shown this week that he is ready to make his contribution.

Ryan Carter – No defensive back had a better weak of camp than Ryan Carter.  By our count he had at least four interceptions this week.  On a number of other occasions he looked like a lockdown corner as he stayed in the grill of the receivers.

Carter is one of many battling for the two deep at corner.  This week he certainly made a case to see some playing time this year.  We will see if that progress continues over the next month.

Travis Blanks – One of the surprises the first few days of camp was seeing Travis Blanks getting a lot of snaps with the ones at SAM.  Blanks is back this season after a pair of knee injuries.

Coach Venables said he movement has been good in camp.  That is great news for a player that has been through some tough times the past year due to the injuries.

The battle is fierce for the SAM/Hybrid position so it won’t be easy for Blanks, but he is getting his shot to win the job.

Downs

Tucker Israel – You have to feel bad for Tucker Israel who was injured in one of the first drills of camp and will be out around four weeks with a broken foot.

The injury will likely mean any chances of avoiding a redshirt are out the window.  In the long run that is probably good for the freshman.  Israel should be back practicing before the first game, but will have missed the entire camp and likely fall behind Kelly Bryant in the battle for the No. 3 spot.

Kendall Joseph– Kendall suffered a shoulder injury in the second day of camp. The injury is not expected to be serious.

Joseph had a strong spring and the coaches believed he was ready to contribute this season.

Hopefully Joseph will not be out long.