Five position battles to watch ahead of Hurricanes training camp
We are within a week of Miami Hurricanes fall camp starting, with Friday set to be the first practice date, athletic director Blake James confirmed last Wednesday.
UM’s spring drills were cut short four practices into the slated 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so much still needs to be figured out regarding the depth chart.
One position not in question is the starting quarterback role. The Hurricanes officially announced last week that D’Eriq King, the star grad transfer from Houston, will be the starter, as expected.
Here are five positional battles to watch during training camp ahead of the 2020 Hurricanes football season:
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1. Linebacker
The Miami Hurricanes linebacking corps will have to rebound from losing Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, starters each of the past four seasons.
Redshirt senior Zach McCloud will start at one of the two linebacker spots — remember Miami uses the safety-linebacker hybrid of a “striker” instead of three traditional linebackers — likely in the middle. McCloud brings experience with 32 career starts, and he redshirted last season as a senior so he can lead the unit this year.
Sophomore Sam Brooks and redshirt freshman Avery Huff could be considered the favorites. Brooks played some as a freshman, and in his one start in place of Pinckney in the Independence Bowl, gave a glimpse of what he can do with 12 solo tackles. Huff took an academic redshirt last season.
Former walk-on Ryan Ragone has experience playing in a backup role on a unit decimated by injury in 2019. Veteran options who have previously dealt with injuries include redshirt sophomore Patrick Joyner and redshirt juniors Bradley Jennings Jr. and Waynmon Steed. UM also has freshmen Corey Flagg Jr. and Tirek Austin-Cave.
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2. Left tackle
In Miami’s four spring practices, new offensive line coach Garin Justice got to do some mixing and matching with his lineups up front. One of the detriments of not getting the full slate of spring work is that he couldn’t see more of certain players where he tried them out.
One of those moves involved putting redshirt sophomore John Campbell at left tackle after he saw time at right tackle and guard last season. Zion Nelson was the starter at left tackle all last season, and while he showed some flashes, he struggled plenty against more experienced pass rushers.
Since the spring, the Hurricanes brought in the grad transfer of King’s former Houston teammate Jarrid Williams. He’s most experienced at right tackle, but if needed to protect King’s blind side, could he shift over with DJ Scaife playing right tackle instead of right guard? There are several combinations that could be in play.
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3. Wide receiver
After Miami had K.J. Osborn and Jeff Thomas move on to the NFL, the natural inclination is that senior Michael Harley and juniors Dee Wiggins and Mark Pope will start or at least receive a majority of the playing time. But more than three receivers see game action and plenty should contribute in offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s spread attack.
Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Payton was a top prospect in his class. The Hurricanes then added four receivers in the past recruiting cycle: Michael Redding, Dazalin Worsham, Xavier Restrepo and Keyshawn Smith.
It’s worth watching who among these options make immediate strides and can propel themselves into spot duty as reserves or to challenge the projected three starters.
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4. Cornerback
Juniors Al Blades Jr. and DJ Ivey split time opposite of Trajan Bandy last season. Naturally, they would project to start with Bandy now gone.
Sophomores Te’Cory Couch and Christian Williams, with vastly different body types — Couch 5 foot 10, 158 pounds and Williams 6 foot 1, 183 pounds — will compete for time in nickel packages or maybe even challenge Blades and Ivey.
With Miami slim at traditional cornerback depth, any injury could make playing time decisions easier or throw freshmen Isaiah Dunson or Marcus Clarke into the mix. The Hurricanes also have the flexibility of using their strikers or extra safeties as nickel and dime corners in the event their depth gets depleted.
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5. Striker
Redshirt sophomore Gilbert Frierson and true sophomore Keontra Smith will vie for a majority of the opportunities after Romeo Finley’s departure.
Frierson (6-1, 205), originally a cornerback as a recruit, played some at the position last year and even had an interception in the Independence Bowl. Smith (5-11, 215) made the move from safety, and it’s a spot that could suit him well after he played plenty of linebacker in high school at Chaminade-Madonna.
The Hurricanes have three safeties that must see playing time at the two spots in Gurvan Hall, Amari Carter and Bubba Bolden. The three are likely to rotate, regardless of who the starters are with a chance that a freshman from the past recruiting class works his way into some playing time.
Other areas to watch
The competition for backup running back reps behind starter Cam’Ron Harris, and defensive line rotations behind a projected starting group of Gregory Rousseau and Quincy Roche at defensive end and Nesta Silvera and Jonathan Ford at defensive tackle.
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