Miami Hurricanes welcome seven new players. And coach dishes on one of deepest positions

Seven more Miami Hurricanes freshmen football players arrived on campus this week, and there’s no position area that’s getting a bigger boost than the defensive backfield.

The parade of talented new enrollees includes the nation’s No. 1 safety prospect (Avantae Williams), four-star Hialeah Champagnat standout Jalen Harrell (who was rated by Rivals as the ninth-best cornerback in the 2020 class but will begin his UM career as a safety), well-regarded Miramar High safety Brian Balom (who came on strong as a senior), Georgia-based four-star prospect Isaiah Dunson (the No. 32 cornerback prospect) and speedy Winter Park cornerback Marcus Clarke.

Those five freshmen defensive backs join a sixth freshman defensive back who enrolled in January --- South Dade High’s four-star Keshawn Washington, who was Rivals’ No. 7 safety prospect in 2020.

“I’m really excited; it’s going to be crazy,” Hurricanes co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ephraim Banda said in a phone conversation. “I have to remember their numbers! Coach [Manny] Diaz asked us to go out there and improve ourselves with players we feel can be Hurricanes in this last cycle. I feel we really did that [with] four safeties who can play multiple positions. And two young corners in Clarke and Dunson who we love their film, have high ceilings. It will be fun to watch these six guys run around and see how they fit.”

The added depth is essential, because Banda admitted that at times last season, “all of us were looking around for guys to put in the game for third down, special teams and there weren’t enough of them because of the way the game is played now. The DB position and the linebackers, you’ve got to have a lot of them because they play so many roles on special teams for coach [Jonathan] Patke and in our sub packages.”

If the six freshmen are in shape, show great effort and competence, “we will find a place for them,” Banda said, reminding us that Amari Carter played as a freshman in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

The additions of Clarke and Dunson give UM six scholarship cornerbacks, joining D.J. Ivey, Al Blades Jr., Te’Cory Couch and Christian Williams. Cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph said earlier this offseason that UM felt no need to add a cornerback in the transfer market.

Banda - who has done very good work augmenting the quality and depth of Miami’s secondary - shared thoughts on his four freshmen safeties and his three veteran returnees:

▪ He said Carter is the only player who enters camp projected as a starter, though every job is open.

“I’ve got one young man, Amari Carter, that has really done everything right,” Banda said. “He has been accountable in every phase and he’s earned the right to walk out there and be a starter like [linebacker] Zach McCloud… Nothing is set in stone.”

▪ What about veteran returnees Bubba Bolden (doing well physically after last November’s ankle injury) and Gurvan Hall?

“I’ve got veterans in Bubba and Gurvan but they’ve got to earn it and be detailed in everything important to me,” Banda said. “It’s important safeties are detailed and accountable and compete in all phases. It started with [former standout UM safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Jamal Carter]. Now it’s time for Gurvan and Bubba to take that step.”

With Hall, “the positive of Gurvan in 2019 was he showed the staff and his teammates that he will go out there and tackle consistently,” Banda said. “You have to do that if you want to play. As far as ceiling, he’s got some more to go. He’s not there yet. I know there are times he is realizing that but at the same time there are hiccups he can work out of himself to really reach that point of 100 percent focus.”

Bolden, who sustained an ankle injury after colliding with Hall during a celebration in the FSU game, will be fully cleared for practice in August, Banda said.

The former Southern California safety “played really hard” in his first season at UM, Banda said.

“I challenged him in the media and in person to tackle and he did that,” Banda said. “He showed me an ability to make plays and learn different positions. He showed me an intelligence level that is good to see. Like Gurvan, they have super high ceilings but have got to buy into all the little things and create consistency of accountability.”

▪ Banda said what stands out about Avantae Williams (who was rated the 40th overall player in the 2020 class by Rivals coming out of DeLand High) is “his tenacity and physicalness. That, combined with his really short area quickness and feel for the game, is elite. He’s a really good playmaker.”

▪ Harrell initially wanted to play cornerback but then became comfortable with a future at safety.

“It started with his desire to play cornerback; I didn’t want to force him to play a position he really didn’t want to play,” Banda said, adding that Hialeah Champagnat coach Hector Clavijo “did a great job of transitioning him to safety and he really fell in love with it and that reignited the recruitment of him playing safety, which I told him in the beginning I thought he was.

“He’s so big and so long and has such a great frame. He is more of the Jamal Carter, Rayshawn Jenkins body size. Lot of credit to coach Clavijo and Danny.”

Danny Clavijo, who was an assistant coach on his brother Hector’s Champagnat staff, tragically died in a June automobile accident.

▪ Regarding Balom, Banda said “his intelligence and maturity at the age he’s at is extremely good. Most freshmen - that’s where they struggle the most - and that’s what keeps them off the field. Some [like Balom] are more mature. He’s very intelligent, very aware, really good tackler.

“My favorite recruitment of all was Brian because he didn’t get an offer out of spring ball, maybe a couple small ones. He played behind good players, didn’t have a lot of opportunities and then blew up. That’s why you have to do due diligence and not put it on the stars [that a player gets from a recruiting service] and do your homework” and make your own evaluations.

▪ Washington, meanwhile, “has got a great frame,” Banda said. “Like Jalen, prototypical measurements in terms of size and length.” After briefly de-commiting from Miami, he recommitted and “didn’t take any other visits, was all in on Miami, very tough young man and that’s what sold us on him. He’s a tough dude. One of my favorite things was seeing his toughness on special teams; he was on every kickoff and was the first one to make the tackle.”

FYI: Besides the aforementioned freshmen defensive backs (Harrell, Williams, Balom, Clarke, Dunson), defensive linemen Quentin Williams and Elijah Roberts are the other freshmen who arrived on campus this week.

The other members of UM’s freshmen class were enrolled and on campus for spring practice -which was canceled after four sessions due to COVID-19 - though a few of them did not practice due to injuries.

Here’s my Wednesday piece with the Dolphins updating whether fans will be at games, and some eyebrow-raising comments from the Heat.

Here’s my Wednesday piece on the Dolphins preseason schedule cut in half.

Here’s my Wednesday Heat notebook with news from Erik Spoelstra and Goran Dragic.