Spring Game Recaps 2026 PT. IV (April 18 Cont'd Again)
It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
- Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnet to Orpheus
This iteration of the spring game recap series includes notes from spring games that occurred on April 18.
These teams include: Troy, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Virginia Tech, California, Memphis, San Jose State, Oklahoma State, Utah Tech, Delaware, Ohio, San Diego, Texas, Virginia, and Wake Forest.
You can find the previous version here:
One thing to note is that the quality of intel coming out of these games highly varies per program. Some plamaces have a lot of coverage, and some don’t. And even when intel is available, some coaches use these games primarily to see what young players are capable of, whereas others prefer to treat it like a pre-season game which is more informative.
Nonetheless, I’ve found that throughout the years there is always at least one interesting nugget that turns out to be useful from these spring game reports.
Also, now that we can embed tweets into Substack articles again these are going to be so much better going forward. Cheers.
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TROY
QB:
Starting quarterback Goose Crowder hit junior-college transfer Howard Kinchen on a 68-yard touchdown pass. Back-up quarterback Tucker Kilcrease threw two 30-yard touchdown passes, one to Jah’Marren Jackson and the other to Andrew Leslie.
WR:
Jah’Marren Jackson, a redshirt freshman from McKenzie, had a big day. He later caught a second touchdown pass, a 15-yarder from third-string quarterback Jack James.
RB:
The other offensive touchdown was a 3-yard run by Dennis Palmer.
UTAH STATE
QB:
Transfer McCae Hillstead, who was with the Aggies in 2023 prior to transferring to BYU, and freshman Kaleb Maryland spent the most time behind center throughout the day.
*Hillstead was announced as the starter on April 20th.
VANDERBILT
QB:
The quarterback battle
Fans got a look at both Berlowitz and Curtis at the Spring Game to see who is gaining an edge in the ever-evolving quarterback battle. Neither played their best game, but both showed flashes of talent and poise.
Berlowitz began the game at quarterback, commanding two drives. However, he never looked comfortable in those two early possessions, eventually throwing a costly pick after he escaped the pocket on the second drive. He didn’t hit on a single deep throw, missing an open receiver deep due to an underthrown ball. Berlowitz did rebound with a nice touchdown drive in the second half, capped off with a short throw to Tristen Brown to score.
Curtis, on the other hand, showed a greater ability to find receivers deep, hitting Ja’Cory Thomas for a play of 20+ yards on his first drive. The arm talent certainly flashed, as he threw a 60-yard bomb from inside the pocket just out of reach of the receiver in his first drive. He also displayed some decent touch on shorter routes, hitting a multitude of receivers on short cut routes for small yardage. On his second drive of the day, Curtis led the offense to a touchdown after hitting 3-of-4 passes.
“You see physical elements of his game that are unique to him as a human being, [such as] his potential for explosive plays, the way he can evade rush, the way he can find receivers down the field and the look that the ball has coming out of his hand,” Lea said of Curtis postgame. “There’s a lot there that we saw in evaluation and we saw in recruiting.”
He wasn’t entirely without his flaws, though. He threw a few risky balls over the middle of the field that were broken up with ease, and he often relied too heavily on his first read. Those mistakes are expected from a young quarterback in a new system, though.
It will be a challenge for any quarterback to take the reins from Diego Pavia, but Curtis showed the most impressive stuff today. Still, this quarterback battle is still open until that first snap in September. Berlowitz is the more veteran option, while Curtis projects with far more potential.
“We don’t expect [Curtis] or any of these guys to be Diego Pavia,” Lea said after the game. “But each one of these guys needs to focus on how they strengthen the unit.”
Vanderbilt’s other quarterbacks, Jack Elliott and Whit Muschamp, also competed in the game, leading select drives. Muschamp played very well, leading a successful touchdown drive after finding Thomas on a 32-yard crossing route.
This quarterback battle will only continue to develop through spring practices and fall camp.
RB:
Despite top running backs Sedrick Alexander and MK Young not suiting up for the game, Vanderbilt’s offensive line was extremely effective at creating lanes for whoever was in the backfield. The offensive struggles early on were more due to poor quarterback play than the group upfront. Offensive line coach Chris Klenakis opted to rotate the linemen throughout the game, offering many young players opportunities to gain reps.
Running backs Jamezell Lassiter and Izayah Lee found success early on due to the offensive line’s ability to generate massive holes. Lee punched in the first touchdown of the contest on the ground after solid blocking throughout that possession. The offensive line also provided holes on the outside for Kayleb Barnett, who used his speed and quickness to gain yards off short passes and jet sweeps.
WR/TE:
Lea and his staff brought in an exciting new transfer class this offseason. A few shined in the Spring Game, particularly in the pass-catching group. Old Dominion transfer wide receiver Ja’Cory Thomas looked exceptional, hauling in several catches, including a 32-yard touchdown strike from Muschamp. His speed and athleticism showed on Saturday, as he consistently broke away from his corners while displaying very steady hands. Thomas caught two balls for a total of 51 yards.
“I’m on the big side of a receiver,” Thomas said of what he brings to the team. “So, a lot of people don’t think I run routes. [But] I think I’m a true route runner now; I’ve seen my hips getting out of breaks. I get physical.”
Ball State transfer Walter Taylor, who formerly played for Vanderbilt in the 2022 season, also impressed, using his larger frame (6’5, 240 pounds) to make big catches over the middle of the field. The former quarterback and now tight end will look to carve out playing time for himself this fall in a very strong tight end group, which features veteran Cole Spence, Eastern Carolina transfer Jayvontay Conner and Brycen Coleman. Nevertheless, he made a statement in the spring game that he might deserve playing time, earning 39 receiving yards on two catches.
“Most important, it’s been a very good transition,” Taylor said postgame of coming back to Vanderbilt. “Being around guys like Cole Spence and talking to them about the position [has been helpful]. It’s been really good. They have guided me through it.”
OL:
Despite the success in the running and passing game, the offensive line committed its fair share of false starts and holding penalties. The wealth of penalties is certainly not shocking for a young group who has barely played together, but Klenakis will likely place an emphasis on limiting mistakes as fall camp approaches.
HELD OUT:
Several notable Commodores did not suit up for the spring game. Junior Sherill, MK Young, and Cole Spence were held out on the offensive side,
AUBURN
QB:
Tristan Ti’a: 15-20, 179 yards, TD, INT; 4 rush, 9 yds, TD
Byrum Brown: 7-14, 85 yds, 2 INTs; 7 rush, 6 yds
Locklan Hewlett: 4-7, 65 yards, INT
Rhys Brush: 3-5, 32 yards
Multiple interceptions of Auburn’s quarterbacks
Auburn’s defense did not let up on the offense during the spring game, starting the first half with two interceptions on Byrum Brown and Tristan Ti’a.
Ti’a’s interception came on his second drive of the game, as safety Jacoby Mathews stepped in front of his pass intended for Deshawn Spencer.
On the next series, Brown drove the Tigers all the way to red zone and threw an interception to blitzing edge rusher Jared Smith. Brown also finished the first half completing just five passes for 73 yards.
Ti’a went 8-for-13 on passes in the first half and threw a dart to Duke Smith for a 28-yard touchdown on his first drive of the game.
In the second half, Brown threw his second pick of the day to linebacker Bryce Deas on his first drive after the break. He would finish the day going 7-for-14 for 85 yards and did not lead a touchdown drive.
Ti’a shined as he only misfired on five passes, finishing with 179 passing yards and two total touchdowns.
RB:
Jeremiah Cobb: 4 rush, 57 yards
Nykahi Davenport: 10 rush, 41 yards, TD
Omar Mabson II: 7 rush, 22 yards
Bryson Washington: 8 rush, 17 yards
Tae Meadows: 3 rush, 7 yards
Cole Gamble: 2 rush, 5 yards
Running backs make do despite offensive line issues
For the majority of the afternoonm Auburn’s offensive line created running lanes for the backs. The Tigers finished with 158 rushing yards.
Jeremiah Cobb finished with four attempts for 57 yards and exploded for a 33-yard run to put Auburn in the red zone. Nykahi Davenport led the running backs with 10 rushing attempts and finished with 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Omar Mabson II had a few aggressive runs in the red zone and added 22 yards to his day. Baylor transfer Bryson Washington finished with 17 yards on eight attempts.
On the offensive line, the biggest takeaway was center Cole Best not having his strongest performance with snapping the ball.
All of the Tiger quarterbacks experienced inconsistent snaps that were either off target or too low to the ground. One of Best’s snaps led to a fumble in the first half that was eventually recovered by the offense.
WR: