In these very early days of fall camp, the pads are off and the players are running around in, “pajamas,” as offensive coordinator Sean Lewis described.
The pads will be coming on in Friday’s practice session while the first two days of practice consist mostly of teaching concepts and making sure everyone’s working toward a common goal. For Lewis, that goal is getting Shedeur Sanders and the offense to fully embody the Buffs’ new offensive identity.
"I want to make sure that when our fans and us as an organization turn on that tape it speaks for itself to where we're controlling the controllables, we're owning the line of scrimmage and we're maximizing our calculated shots," Lewis said.
Sanders already ticks various boxes of being a productive quarterback. Now, Lewis is simply looking to elevate his gifts, further develop his skills and be confident in his mastery of the offense.
"It's a matter of knowing where the answers are to the problems that the defenses present to us ... and he can have the answers to the test when he sees the problems that show up, he can solve them in a very rapid manner," Lewis said.
The pair is just a couple days into installing the pass game, but Sanders feels he is “80 percent” of the way there in understanding Lewis’ multi-layered offense.
Without the pads on the Buffs are limited in what they can accomplish, but Lewis can still identify potential playmakers on his side of the ball and one of them has been Xaiver Weaver.
Weaver is commanding the receiver room with his presence as a fifth-year senior. His production from USF (718 yards and six touchdowns) give him one of the strongest resumes in the unit, and he's leading by example just within the first days of fall camp.
“He has those daily disciplines that when he steps in between the white lines you know he's got a laser focus about him," Lewis said. "That's big time that the young guys like an Omarion Miller need to look to, like a Jacob Page needs to look to and say, 'Hey, that's how it's supposed to be done.' Because of that day-to-day, and what he does, that leads to the results that we're looking for.”
Weaver is setting an early precedent for the young guys like Miller, the four-star freshman, to apply to their own game. With regard to Miller specifically, he’s also coming along early.
“He’s a talented young man that is learning the craft of playing wide receiver at this level,” Lewis said. “But again, has size, length, a desire to be great, and after two days, he's flashed a little bit and looking for him to continue to grow.”
Northwestern State transfer Javon Antonio put in serious work in the weight room as he enters camp with a tight end-like build. Lewis is looking to translate his physical strength into his pass catching performance.
"He's a big body kid that can run," Lewis said. "He got a ton of collegiate experience so there's not a whole lot that phases him. It's a matter of how fast can he uptake with what's going on and then be able to apply that and use his physical gifts in that role."
While Lewis feels confident in the pass game, the assets on ground will allow him to draw up and implement some creative plays.
“I want to get the ball into as many playmakers hands as often as possible," Lewis said. "However, we're going to do that whether we throw it, we hand it, we pitch it, we shuffle it, we hide it under someone's legs and they hand it to someone else. I want to get the ball to our playmakers and utilize all their skill sets.”
The offensive line and tight ends are two groups that will gain more clarity with pads on. Lewis highlighted Michael Harrison’s back-shoulder catch in camp on Thursday and added that his move to tight end boosted the athleticism in the group.
Both groups are a work in progress at the moment, but once the pads go on Friday, Lewis and the offensive staff will be able to fully assess the players' physical abilities.
“I don't want to put a label on them just yet because again it's a pillow fight right now [that] there's no pads, and let's figure out what's real when it becomes real," he said.
