Miami Hurricanes defensive coaches dish on their players and who has impressed

Miami Hurricanes defensive position coaches, speaking for the first time this year, offered insight on several of their players on Thursday. Some highlights:

▪ UM hopes that transfer cornerbacks Davonte Brown (UCF) and Terry Roberts (Iowa) can help replace NFL-bound Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey.

“Both have shown the ability to play and win with,” defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae said of Brown and Roberts. “We just got to clean them up continuously all the way through spring.”

The view here is Brown is a front-runner to start at one cornerback slot, opposite Te’Cory Couch.

It’s less clear what UM has with Roberts, who was effective with Iowa when he played but missed 12 games the past two seasons due to injury. Daryl Porter Jr. has played ahead of Porter during some short practice periods open to media.

“Davonte is long, aggressive, has done a really good job of playing the vertical ball down the field,” Addae said. “He’s able to make aggressive finishes; 50-50 balls, he’s going up and making that play and that’s something we need down the field.

“Not yet where we want him to be. Still a work in progress. Still got to understand the schemes, technique and eye discipline, but he shows all the physical tools to get it done.”

And Roberts? “He’s different in terms of play, more cerebral, maybe not as aggressive. Understands concepts. We’re working on trying to make sure his eyes are in elite position and we’re able to… play proactively instead of reactively.”

▪ Second-year cornerback Chris Graves has looked good this week.

“Chris came in very, very raw learning the defense and techniques,” Addae said. “If he screws it up once, he’s going to work his behind off to get it fixed. Has made some really good splash plays two practices in a row; finished it off with a pick.”

▪ Jaden Harris, a cornerback in high school, has been working at safety, where depth is very limited behind Kamren Kinchens and James Williams, who is missing the spring after shoulder surgery.

“Harris has always been a nickel for us,” Addae said. “His secondary position is safety. There are times where you will see him get some safety reps. He’s a smart enough kid to have a major in one area and a minor in another.”

Brian Balom, Markieth Williams, Harris and freshman Kaleb Spencer are the backup safeties.

Balom entered the portal and then changed his mind and returned to UM. What happened there?

“The kid enters the portal; you don’t want him to leave,” Addae said. “You talk it through and try to figure out what makes sense and where you can come together and meet at a point to keep him on the team and be a positive [factor] in what we’re doing. And he’s done so.

“When Kam Kinchens is making plays, it’s hard to sit behind that and see delayed gratification. As young men, delayed gratification is tough. As adults, delayed gratification is tough. But he’s bought into what we’re doing here. He understands it’s about the greater cause of what we’re trying to get to, which is a national championship.”

Meanwhile, Addae said Markieth Williams “has been a pleasant surprise this spring… He’s working his behind off. We’re asking him to be a more cerebral thinker. He’s got to talk, got to communicate. That boundary safety position, it gets pretty hairy in there. All the movements, all the checks are really on him. He’s got to give those communications to the corners, backers, sometimes to the d-ends, sometimes to the far end safety. It’s a man’s man position... Tip of the cap to him.”

▪ New linebackers coach Derek Nicholson, on Francisco Mauigoa, the Washington State transfer who is competing with Corey Flagg Jr. for the middle linebacker job:

“Francisco is very, very consistent. He’s very instinctive, has very good awareness. Really good football player, active, athletic. He does a lot of good things. It’s hard to find a lot of weakness. Really good football player, better person. Excited to coach him, teach him, mentor him. He’ll have a great year.”

Though Nicholson didn’t say this, Wesley Bissainthe is the front-runner for the other starting linebacker job. Keontra Smith also is competing. Chase Smith has missed the spring with an injury.

▪ Meanwhile, Nicholson said freshman linebacker Bobby Washington is an “unbelievable athlete. Long, big, athletic, tough, twitchy, can run. Very, very fast and very, very explosive. When he walks out on the field he sticks out like a sore thumb. Size, speed, length. He’s a young player, is continually learning what to do, how to use what tools. Bobby has a very, very bright future.”

Malik Bryant, the other freshman early enrollee at linebacker, has been injured this spring.

Two other freshman linebackers — Raul Aguirre and Marcelius Pullium — arrive this summer.

▪ Defensive line coach Joe Salave’a, on what he saw when watching tape of transfer defensive tackle additions Thomas Gore (Georgia State) and Branson Deen (Purdue):

“You look at their game film, how they react when things are not going their way, those guys showed grit, showed physicality, [showed] ability [to] move around. It’s all about striking, effort to the ball. Those guys have played enough football. It’s tremendous to see their growth.”

Gore and Deen aren’t as big physically as Darrell Jackson, the defensive tackle who transferred to FSU.

Salave’a didn’t rule out adding another defensive tackle in the transfer portal. “You can never have enough big bodies,” he said. “But it’s all about development.”

▪ The defensive line has been missing some key players this spring. Jahfari Harvey had surgery on both shoulders but is expected back in time for the season. Defensive tackles Leonard Taylor and Jared Harrison-Hunte also have been sidelined this spring but should be fine this summer.

Salave’a said of Taylor: “The biggest thing Leonard has done away from the football field is mental preparation. He is in there talking, answering questions. That is awesome and that’s something we’ve talked about, increasing his mental capacity and approach to the game. You can sense it now because of his delayed progress [in returning from injury] he’s able to really take the hard work, watching extra film.”

▪ Salave’a, on some of the young linemen: “[Freshmen ends] Jayden Wayne, Rueben Bain, those guys are really truly showing up. You have to recruit to those kinds of players.”

He said second-year defensive tackle Ahmad Moten is “making some progress, getting a little more reps than a year ago.”

Joshua Horton, the one defensive tackle in the 2023 class, arrives this summer.