[NU Sports] Kafka!!

[Tom Maycock]

> IMHO, Fitz & Co held him out of the scrimmage  because they didn't want anyone 
>reporting on
> how he did. 

They held almost *all* the starters (and many backups) out of the scrimmage, not 
just Persa. Just like last year. 

Although Fitz does seem a little secretive with stuff, I don't think that was 
the motivation in this case. They just wanted to keep everyone healthy and give 
the young guys a chance to show their stuff and prove themselves. 

Which reminds me that I don't think I reported on my trip to the scrimmage this 
year. 

Last year, I said Zeke Markshausen was the guy to watch. That turned out to be a 
pretty good call (although I think it was obvious to anyone who was at the 
scrimmage). 

This year, it's clearly Venric Mark. Not as much of a sleeper as Zeke will be, 
as he's been getting a lot of press dating back to the recruiting process. But 
he looked REALLY good. 

I can't remember a Wildcat in recent years who seemed to have as much "football" 
speed as he does. Maybe McManis, who is probably the only other 'Cat to make 
such an immediate impression on me in recent years. 

Prediction for 2010: Venric is going to make some defenders/coverage teams look 
silly this year. Don't know if he'll work his way into the receiving rotation 
much, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does. 

Tyris Jones also looked good at RB. Don't know if he'll crack the rotation 
either, but I was intrigued. Mostly I hope Arby establishes himself as "the 
guy", with Schmidt as the valuable #2 guy. But we'll see. 

As for Persa, as long as the O-line is improved from last year, and as long as 
he's smart about avoiding unnecessary hits, I really do think he'll be 
sensational

Tom