Congratulations to former Canes Jonathon Vilma and Jeremy Shockey on their Super Bowl win last night. Vilma played a great game and was a huge factor in stopping the Colts drive late in the game that ended in a missed field goal. He showed he could cover slot receivers deep down the field as well as stop the run during the pivotal drive. And who scored the go ahead touchdown for the Saints? None other than Jeremy Shockey. Man the haters are pissed about that.
Recruiting Coordinator Filled
Aubrey Hill has been named the new Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Miami. Hill grew up in Miami and played for Carol City before playing at UF (nobody is perfect). He is the Wide Receivers Coach at UM. Hill is a young coach, just 38 years old, and has done a terrific job in his two years so far at UM. The Wide Receivers have done a great job under Hill and they are probably the best group of the team. Hill has also been a great recruiter for Miami. He was the recruiter for Stephen Morris, Allen Hurns and Travis Williams this year and has brought in players in the past such as Ray Ray Armstrong. Hill is a young Coach who knows the area, has a great relationship with players and will now take over as the new Recruiting Coordinator for the Hurricanes.
Running Back Coach Position Filled
Mike Cassano will be named the new Miami Hurricane Running Back Coach soon. Cassano will replace Tommie Robinson who left the Canes to coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Cassano previously was a volunteer Coach and Offensive Assistant at Miami from 2004-2006. The past 3 years he was the Florida International Running Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In 1998 he was the Running Backs Coach at Massachusetts under then Head Coach Mark Whipple. UM has made no official announcement but players have indicated that this is a done deal. Expect this to be announced early on this week.
2010 Schedule Released
There is no rundown or summary of the schedule. Just circle September 11 on your calendars. Nothing else matters.
***Signed*** Allen Hurns – WR – Miami (FL) Carol City – 6’2 175lbs
Hurns has 4.5 speed which is good for a wide receiver coming out of High School. He catches the ball well with his hands, usually avoids catching it with his body. He gets the ball at the highest point on a regular basis snagging it out of the air. He makes good adjustments on deep passes and knows how to position his body to box defenders out and away from the ball. His route running may be limited at this time though, in his highlights he seems to run mostly flys, posts and hooks. In Whipple’s Offense he will need to learn how to run the route tree. Allen is rated as a 3* 86th WR by scout.com, 3* 77th WR by ESPN.com and a 3* 60th WR by rivals.com. Hurns will play this year as a Freshman. He has the ability to contribute and is already enrolled and will participate in spring practice.
***Signed*** Storm Johnson – RB – Loganville (GA) Loganville – 6-1 217lbs
Storm has the best name out of all the recruits this year for the Hurricanes. Storm may also be the best Running Back in this year’s stable of Backs coming in. He is well balanced and can do it all. He has great vision, breaks tackles, can house any run once he gets in the open field and can catch out of the backfield. He is very, very strong for a High School Running Back. Storm is rated as a 3* 40th RB by scout.com, a 4* 3rd RB by ESPN.com,and 4* 7th RB by rivals.com. And I think he is underrated. He has already enrolled at Miami and will participate in the spring, that shows that he is a dedicated hard worker. Given his ability, speed, strength and hardwork – my comparison is Edge.
***Signed*** Brandon Linder – C – Fort Lauderdale (FL) – 6’6 290lbs
Linder is one of the best and well rounded Offensive Lineman in this year’s class. He has played Center and Left Tackle. He started as a Sophomore at Center and started his Senior year as a Left Tackle. He is an excellent pass blocker and run blocker. He has quick feet, he gets to the next level and flattens Linebackers and he drive blocks exceptionally well. He is clearly one of the most important recruits in this class not only because of need at Offensive Line but also his talent. He is very well coached from St. Thomas Aquinas and has nearly perfect technique for a High School Offensive Lineman. He is rated as a 4* 1st Center by scout.com, 4* 2nd Center by ESPN.com and 4* 3rd Center by rivals.com. He certainly has the talent to play Left Tackle and very well may end up there, but with A.J. Trump departing at Center and Franklin presumably taking over for Fox at Left Tackle, Linder could potentially start from Day 1 if he plays Center. I expect that is where the staff will start him out and he will almost certainly avoid a redshirt and could start right away. Because of his versatility he compares to Chris Myers.
***Signed*** Asante-Jabari Cleveland – TE – Sacramento (CA) Christian Brothers – 6’5 230lbs
Cleveland is a major sleeper. He is not rated by most recruiting sites, although rivals.com rates him as a 2*. He has been committed to Washington State until today, he has committed and signed with Miami. He had a youtube clip up earlier but I believe it has since been taken down. He is a devastating blocker as a Tight End.
***Signed*** Shane McDermott – C – Wellington (FL) Palm Beach Central – 6’3 266lbs
McDermott is projected to be a Guard or Center. He still needs to get bigger before playing. He has good technique and does well drive blocking in the run game. McDermott is rated as a 3* 13th Center by scout.com, a 3* 5th Center by ESPN.com and a 3* 31st OG by rivals.com. McDermott is enrolled at Miami for the spring and getting into the weight room will be key for him to get bigger. He would benefit from a redshirt year but competing in the spring will really give him a leg up.
***Signed*** Stephen Morris – QB – Miami Shores (FL) Monsignor Pace – 6’2 186lbs
Morris is athletic enough to run and has a strong enough arm to make all the throws. He makes good decisions and checks down when he needs to. He has a strong arm and can throw the ball deep but sometimes struggles with down field accuracy. The good thing is that he usually puts it where only the receiver can get it. At times it may take a diving catch but he won’t risk forcing into coverage. He is smart, athletic and has a strong arm. He could really flourish with Miami’s athleticism around him. He is rated as a 3* 61st QB by scout.com, a 3* 49th QB by ESPN.com and a 3* and 26th QB by rivals.com. Jacory is obviously the starting Quarterback for the next few two years, but after that Morris will be in a battle with A.J. Highsmith for the starting position. He is enrolled for the spring and will participate in spring practice.
***Signed*** Kevin Nelson – LB – Gainesville (FL) Gainesville 6’1 220lbs
Nelson had the quote of the year out of all the recruits. Nelson said of the Gators,
“I can’t wait to play them suckers, for real. I know it’s a long time from now. I just can’t wait ’till we play these suckers. They are just disrespectful.”
I love this guy already! And he is from Gainesville High on top of that. He plays Middle Linebacker and certainly has the attitude for it. He is a tackling machine tallying over 120 his junior year. He plays with great instincts and intensity. He is a terrific athlete but will need to improve in pass coverage. Nelson is rated as a 3* 22nd MLB by scout.com, 4* 3rd MLB by ESPN.com and a 3* 14th MLB by rivals.com. He should be a very good linebacker for the Hurricanes. He may see the field on special teams as a freshman. Although I expect him to be good, just based on his hatred for UF I will love this guy even if he never makes a single tackle. 2013 can’t come soon enough!
***Signed*** Keion Payne – CB – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas – 6’0 165lbs,
Payne has great speed. He has good balance and fluid hips changing direction with ease. He has good closing speed when the ball is in the air. He is a very good tackler for a Cornerback, especially for his size. He has very good hands and comes down with interceptions. He did however, play opposite possibly the best Cornerback in the Country so he probably had the luxury of facing the second best WR from each team he faced. He is great at getting to the ball for either a break up or interception once its in the air. Payne is rated as a 4* 19th CB by scout.com, a 3* 22nd CB by ESPN.com and a 3* 28th CB by rivals.com. Miami had a few freshman Corners last year so based on the fact that the Canes are young at the position there is a good chance Payne redshirts.
***Signed*** David Perry – DE – Fort Lauderdale (FL) University – 6’6 230lbs
Perry is big and fast and shows flashes of being an excellent pass rusher. He gets off of blocks well and is solid in run support. He tends to go too wide at times which can open up holes if done too much. Perry is rated as a 3* 39th DE by scout.com, a 4* 12th DE by ESPN.com and a 3* 29th DE by rivals.com. He will need to grow into his frame more and obviously has room to grow. He has a chance to play this year if he works hard in the weight room and adds some bulk.
***Signed*** Kacy Rodgers – CB – South Lake (TX) Carroll – 6’2 185lbs
Rodgers has been well coached at South Lake Carroll and has great technique. His backpedal is very impressive and he breaks on the ball well. He is a solid tackler, not huge hits but he always wraps the guy up and gets him down. He had on more than one occasion a Wide Receiver break inside for a slant without much resistance, he needs to do a better job of jamming on the line. He has great speed and should be a solid player. Rodgers is rated as a 4* 14th CB by scout.com, a 3* 32nd CB by ESPN.com and a 3* 37th CB by rivals.com. Rodgers may be underrated and could become special if he can get a little more physical at the line.
Andrew Tallman – TE – Dorchester (MA) Boston College High – 6’5 240lbs
Tallman is a big athlete with potential. There are mixed reviews on what position he is best suited for. I think in the end he would be a good blocking Tight End. He is a solid drive blocker. Andrew is rated as a 3* 53rd OT by scout.com, a 3* 47th TE by ESPN.com, and a 3* DE by rivals.com.
***Signed*** Delmar Taylor – DT – Miami Beach (FL) Miami Beach – 6’4 265lbs
Taylor played Offensive Tackle and Defensive Tackle for Miami Beach High School. Taylor will play Defensive Tackle for the Canes. The only video of him on youtube though is all Offense. You can see in his tape his pure strength, drive and nastiness. He has the attitude of a Defensive player. He has extremely strong legs and drives players for as long as he can and as far as he can, usually he just knocks them off their feet though. This guy is underrated and should be a disruptive force on the D-Line. Delmar is rated as a 2* 96th DT by scout.com, a 3* 45th DT by ESPN.com and a 3* DT by rivals.com. With only Offensive highlights its unknown how his technique is on Defense, so its unknown whether he will redshirt or not. Based on his size he probably won’t play right away. He will surpass expectations down the road though, he is so strong and never quits, he will fit right in on a Miami Defensive Line. Can’t wait to see how disruptive this guy gets as he develops a few years from now.
***Signed*** Clive Walford – TE – Belle Glade (FL) Glades Central – 6’6 225lbs
Walford is a great athlete but somewhat of a project. He obviously has size and he also has plenty of speed. He is a receiving threat and he helped lead his team to an undefeated season at Glades Central. Walford is just the latest product of Glades Central which has produced Travis Benjamin, Randy Phillips, Damien Berry and others. He is a big Tight End but very raw. He didn’t play his junior year but was a star his senior year at his High School. He is rated as a 3* 42nd TE by scout.com, a 3* TE by rivals.com and not rated by ESPN.com. He is a project but has the potential to develop into a special player.
***Signed*** Travis Williams – OLB – Norfolk (VA) Lake Taylor – 6’2 195lbs
Williams is one of the fastest front 7 Defensive Players in this class. He played a standing DE in High School and rushed mostly every play. He has great speed and a tall frame to grow into. He has phenomenal potential and has the Cane attitude. He played in the USA vs. The World game this past Saturday and after delivering a big blow on a kickoff immediately found the cameras and flashed the U. Although he mainly played Defensive End/rush OLB in High School he probably isn’t strong enough to be a Defensive End at Miami. He should be a weak side Linebacker at Miami. Travis is rated as a 3* 58th OLB by scout.com, 3* 44th OLB by ESPN.com and 4* 14th OLB by rivals.com. Based on the fact that Williams still has room to grow he will probably redshirt unless Miami wants to use him on special teams. He should be an exciting player a year or two from now.
Tavadis Glenn, Storm Johnson and Shane McDermott chose the Canes
***Signed*** Jermaine Barton – OT – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas – 6’6 270 lbs
Barton is a big Offensive Tackle who excels in down blocking (blocking a defender inside towards the Center) and he is a good kick out blocker (blocking a defender outside away from the Center). He is good in pass protection but is better at run blocking which is normal at the high school level. He does a good job of getting to the next level and blocking Linebackers. He is very well coached. Jermaine is rated as a 3* 60th best OT by scout.com, 3* 83rd OT by ESPN.com and 3* player by rivals.com. Barton probably won’t play right away but could develop into a starter a year or two down the road.
***Signed*** Jeffery Brown – DT – Evanston (IL) Evanston Township – 6’3 275lbs
Brown is very athletic for a Defensive Tackle. He is always chasing the ball carrier which is not usually the case for interior Linemen. He does need to improve on his technique though. He sometimes relies too much on pure athleticism rather than technique. He chose Miami over Toledo, Illinois State,and Eastern Michigan. Brown is rated a 3* 74th DT by scout.com, a 3* 77th DT by ESPN.com and a 2* DT by rivals.com. Jeffery would almost certainly redshirt this year unless injuries in the depth chart force him into action. He could be a project but has enough ability that if developed could pay dividends.
***Signed***Malcolm Bunche – New Berlin (NY) Milford Prep – 6’5 325lbs
Bunche signed with Miami out of High School last year but did not qualify academically. So he attended Milford Prep School, played there this fall, brought his grades up and is now enrolled at Miami for the spring. Coming out of High School in New Jersey last year he was very raw. He had the talent but was lacking in technique. Milford has some of the best prep coaches around who praised Bunche during the year. We’ll see how much he has improved over the last few months. He could be a great player for Miami. Bunche is rated as a 3* OL by scout.com and a 4* OT by rivals.com. Bunche should start out at Right Tackle this spring. He has a chance to get some playing time this fall if he continues to improve on technique.
***Signed*** Kelvin Cain – LB – Clovis (CA) Buchanan – 6’4 210 lbs
Caine played Defensive End in High School but could be a Linebacker in College. He is very fast and can run from sideline to sideline. In his highlight film he showed the ability to recognize screens and either bat them down or make the tackle. He may need to improve on his pass coverage skills if he plays Linebacker. Cain is rated as a 2* 113th OLB by scout.com, a 3* 71st OLB by ESPN.com and a 2* OLB by rivals.com Although the recruiting services don’t rank him all that high, I expect he will surpass expectations. Think about all the talent in Florida, and Canes coaches went all the way to California to get this sleeper. Don’t be surprised if Randy found something special everyone else overlooked. (Gotta love Cain picking the Canes)
***Signed***Eduardo Clements – RB – Miami (FL) Booker T. Washington – 5’10 185 lbs
Clements has been one of the best Running Backs to come out of Dade County this decade. There are two things that make Eduardo so special. The first is his hands, Eduardo could play Wide Receiver if he wanted to. The second is his unbelievable acceleration. He is a very shifty Back. He has been a productive player both running the ball as well as catching the ball. Clements changes direction quickly without losing speed, but he doesn’t dance. He is always headed up field, he changes direction only to quickly make someone miss without wasting time dancing. He has great vision and will be a great player for the Hurricanes. He reminds me of Brian Westbrook from the Philadelphia Eagles. He is rated as a 4* 14th RB by scout.com, a 4* 14th RB by ESPN.com, and a 4* 7th RB by rivals.com. Clements has the talent to play right away at Miami. The only thing that could keep him off the field is the depth at Running Back. Eduardo is already enrolled in Miami after graduating Booker T. Washington this December. With him having the advantage of participating and learning the plays this spring expect him to be a contributor this fall. THIS IS NOT ALL EDUARDO IN THE VIDEO. HE IS THE HB WEARING #2
***Signed*** Tyrone Cornelius – OLB – Stone Mountain (GA) Stephenson – 6’2 195 lbs
Cornelius is extremely fast for a linebacker. He is not fooled by play-action or draws. He is a solid tackler with great form and technique. He is a also a special teams demon, something that should get him on the field right away. Tyrone is rated as a 3* 61st OLB by scout.com, a 3* 26th OLB by ESPN.com and a 3* 38th OLB by rivals.com. Expect Tyrone to play right away on the Kickoff unit. He may also get some burn time at Linebacker if Miami gets a comfortable lead. He is enrolled for the spring semester and should play right away on special teams.
***Signed*** Devont’a Davis – CB – Gainesville (FL) Gainesville – 6’1 168lbs
Davis has been timed at 4.5 in the forty. He is athletic and changes direction well. He has good hands and great leaping ability. He will need to work in the weight room and add strength. He needs to improve jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Davis is rated as a 3* 113th CB by scout.com, 3* 33rd CB by ESPN.com and a 3* CB by rivals.com. Davis is a good athlete but would benefit from a redshirt year.
***Signed*** Jeremy Davis – WR – Fort Myers (FL) Cape Coral – 5’11 162 lbs
Fast! Davis is listed as a 4.5 guy on rivals, I don’t believe it. This guy is probably closer to the low 4.3s. He is projected to be a Wide Receiver at the next level. Unfortunately, in his highlight videos almost all of the plays are direct snaps or handoffs so with only a couple passing plays on display its anyone’s guess what his hands are like. Personally I don’t care how we get him the ball as long as he is getting the ball. I could try and describe how electric this guy is but instead just watch the video, you’ll realize how fast this guy is with in two or three plays. There is also the possibility that he could play corner. He is the half brother of former Hurricane All-American Phillip Buchanon. Jeremy is rated as a 3* 49th CB by scout.com, a 3* 51st ATH by ESPN.com and a 3* 75th WR by rivals.com. He still needs to get bigger but I hope that doesn’t keep him off the field this year. I wouldn’t want to redshirt this much speed. He reminds me of Trindon Holliday of LSU.
***Signed*** Johnathan Feliciano – OT – Davie (FL) Western – 6’4 283 lbs
Feliciano is probably the most underrated player in this class. When you look at his highlights they are better than a lot of 5* guys. I really don’t understand how he flew under the radar like he did. His may have not played in a high level of competition in High School, that is really the only thing I can imagine that would hold back his ranking. Even if that is the case I am still VERY impressed with him and I think he is one of the top 2 or 3 players in this class. He grew up a Canes fan and showed up at the Spring Game to give the Coaches a DVD of his games. Shortly after he received a scholarship offer and he committed on the spot. He has great technique in his blocks. He gets to the next level and flattens Linebackers, he has great strength, often knocks defenders off their feet and is excellent in pass protection. He is rated as a 3* 19th OG by scout.com, a 3* 51st OT by ESPN.com and a 3* 55th OT by rivals.com. Although some of the recruiting services don’t rank him as highly as he should be, I expect him to play as a Freshman. That is very rare, especially at Miami. But I believe if he works hard he will be in the rotation as a true Freshman.
***Signed*** Chase Ford – TE – Kilgore (TX) Kilgore – 6’6 245 lbs
Ford is a Junior College transfer. He adds depth to a position of need for Miami after losing Jimmy Graham, Dedrick Epps and Tervaris Johnson to graduation. He has been described as a great down field threat in the passing game but that his blocking needs to improve. Ford is rated as a 2* TE by scout.com and a 3* TE by rivals.com. My guess is that he will play since no one else on the depth chart has any experience.
***Signed*** James Gaines – LB – Buffalo (NY) Canisius – 6’3 205lbs
Gaines is somewhat of a mystery. I could not find any highlight tapes of him anywhere and the only other offer he received was reportedly from Buffalo. He is rated as a 2* LB by scout.com and rivals.com and not ranked at all by ESPN.com. He was a two way player in High School and registered over 120 tackles this year.
***Signed*** Tavadis Glenn – DT – Jacksonville (FL) Raines – 6’5 265lbs
Glenn has the Hurricane Swagger. He competed at this year’s Friday Night Lights, which is an all-star competition held in the “Swamp” (or as Lamar Thomas calls it the “Puddle”) in Gainesville. After making big plays he celebrated by holding up the U and saying “its all about the U!” Gator coaches kicked him out of the event. He played both Offensive Line and Defensive Line in High School and could potentially play either as a Cane. He has strength and is extremely fast for a Defensive Tackle. He still needs to develop more technique. He is rated as a 3* 35th OT by scout.com, a 4* 16th OT by ESPN.com, and a 4* 22nd DT by rivals.com Glenn will most likely redshirt this season based on his size and the room he still has left to grow into his frame but he should develop into a great player down the road. His most likely position is Left Tackle on the Offensive side. He is more groomed as an Offensive player and with his athleticism Left Tackle makes the most sense.
***Signed*** Maurice Hagens – FB – Tampa (FL) Tampa Bay Technical – 6-1 235lbs
Hagens is a tough downhill runner and has one of the best stiff arms I’ve seen. He has a very physical game and loves contact. He will be a Fullback for Miami. He played in a Wing-T Offense where he was the B-Back (the Fullback that lines up directly behind the QB with two Wing Backs on the sides). Unfortunately in his high light tapes there are no plays that show his blocking ability. I know the Hurricanes coaches evaluate game tapes and not high light films, so I’m sure the coaches have seen him block. Hagens is rated as a 3* 4th Fullback by scout.com, 3* 4th Fullback by ESPN.com, and 3* 8th Fullback by rivals.com. I expect him to redshirt since he is in a crowded backfield with Pat Hill and Mike James returning at Fullback.
***Signed*** Darion Hall – RB – Naples (FL) Lely – 6’1 200lbs
Hall has good speed, excellent vision and was a TD machine in high school. His highlight tape is almost all Touchdowns, but he doesn’t seem to be a burner, so his level of competition may be weak. He has great vision and good speed none the less. He accelerates quickly and runs draw plays better than just about anyone. He is able to get skinny when hitting the whole and finding a crease. Hall is rated as a 3* 38th RB by scout.com, 3* 30th RB by ESPN.com and a 3* 49th RB by rivals.com. Hall will probably redshirt because of the depth Miami already has at Running Back.
Rick Petri is the new Defensive Line Coach at Miami. Although Clint Hurtt will be missed, this should be considered an upgrade at D-Line Coach. Petri has 33 years of college coaching experience. He was at UM from 1993-1995 when he coached Warren Sapp, Kenard Lang, Kevin Patrick and other star players.
This is a very good hire by UM. The Canes have so much talent on the Defensive Line and having a Coach with this much experience and accomplishments should help the players realize their potential. The Defensive Line is lead by All-ACC star Allen Bailey (a potential 1st rounder next year), along with former freshman All-Americans Marcus Robinson and Marcus Forston (who red shirted last year). The Canes also get back Adawale Ojomo who missed last year with a broken jaw. Oliver Vernon was a terrific freshman Defensive End last year and will look to continue his growth. Petri inherits a load of potential and talent. He was successful in the SEC with Kentucky and comes to a team in Miami with a lot more to work with.
The recruiting coordinator vacancy still has not been filled. I expect that Randy Shannon will assume that role until after National Signing Day (Wednesday February 3rd).
Rick Petri is on Miami’s radar to be the next Defensive Line Coach. Petri was Miami’s Assistant Defensive Line Coach from 1993-1995. He is currently Kentucky’s Defensive Line Coach were he has built up a strong Line in his time there. Remember when his DE knocked out Tebow?
Petri was up for Defensive Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008. While at Miami he was the Assistant Coach of a Defensive Line that featured Warren Sapp, Kevin Patrick, Kenard Lang and Kenny Holmes. He has been coaching in the SEC since leaving Miami at South Carolina, Ole Miss and Kentucky. Petri has 33 years of coaching experience in College Football.
This looks like it may come down to Kevin Patrick and Rick Petri to become the next Defensive Line Coach. Both have UM ties with Petri having much more accomplishments and experience. At this point Petri may be Miami’s #1 guy.
Unfortunately, Clint Hurtt has left the University of Miami for Louisville. Hurtt is a former player at the University of Miami and was the Defensive Line Coach as well as the Recruiting Coordinator. This is a blow for UM to have a position coach, the top recruiter and even more importantly the Recruiting Coordinator leave just weeks before National Signing Day. Hopefully Miami is able to act quickly and fill the holes in the coaching staff.
Kevin Patrick would be a logical choice to fill the Defensive Line Coaching vacancy. Patrick is a former star from UM who played Defensive End from 1989-1993 (he played with Shannon as a player and under him as a coach). He was a starter for the 1991 National Championship team. After his UM days he had a brief career in the NFL. He is currently the USF Defensive Ends Coach. USF’s Defensive Ends have been extremely productive specializing in sacks in recent years. Patrick is also a very good recruiter at USF. We have no knowledge if Miami has reached out to Patrick yet, but this would certainly be a great fit. Hopefully Kevin Patrick will be coaching at Miami next year.
The Recruiting Coordinator is a little tougher to figure out. My guess is that either Randy Shannon will take over for now or he may pass the duties over to Michael Barrow. Barrow has been a great recruiter at the University of Miami. Barrow is a Defensive Assistant but is not a position coach, so he could potentially spend more time to focus on recruiting efforts. There have been a number of commits in the past who have cited their relationship with Barrow as their reason for choosing the University of Miami.
Clint Hurtt always has been and always will be a true Hurricane.
The Hurricanes entered the game with goals of winning their 10th game of the season and a chance to finish in the top 10 in the country in the final polls. As fast as Miami is and as slow as the Big Ten is it seemed to be a forgone conclusion to most Hurricane fans that Miami would speed right past the Badgers and win big. The opening kickoff was a reverse to the fastest player on the team, Sam Shields, and set a record for the longest kick return in Miami’s bowl history. Then Graig Cooper blew right past the Badgers on the opening play from scrimmage. The stadium felt like the old Orange Bowl from the creaking metal stadium to the raucous end zone crowd – too bad the team didn’t play like it.
For the next 58 minutes the Hurricanes put on one of the most embarrassing performances in recent history. They played a Big Ten team and lost. It seemed as if no one ever accounted for the Tight End. Both the Offensive Line and Defensive Line were dominated. Jacory Harris never had any time at all to set up in the pocket. If they had been playing a better team it could have been a major blowout. But the Badger,s thank goodness, don’t have the speed and talent to capitalize on all the opportunities Miami gave them. In fact the Badgers are so slow that Miami still had a chance to win at the end. Miami woke up with just two minutes left in the game, drove down the field, scored, pulled within 6, recovered an onside kick and had a chance to win a bowl game after sleep walking for the past 56 minutes or so of regulation. But when the pass intended for Thearon Collier fell incomplete on 4th down the thought of a bizarre comeback came to an end.
The Badgers finished 10-3, but don’t let the record fool you. This is the only game all year that they beat a ranked opponent (other than Alabama no one beat more ranked opponents than Miami). They have a cupcake schedule in the Big Ten to go along with non-conference games against: Northern Illinois, Fresno State, Wofford and Hawaii. They racked up wins against a bunch of nobodies and built a house of cards. That’s what the Big Ten does every year, and then every year they go to bowl games and have their house of cards blown down and get exposed and stripped. Not this time. Miami let a bunch of frauds beat them.
Miami threw deep twice - once to James who couldn't catch up with the ball and once to Byrd which was overthrown. Both times the receiver had clearly beaten the defender. With such a speed advantage it was clear that Miami could of thrown deep every play and won this game. If Travis Benjamin runs as fast as he can to the end zone and Jacory Harris throws the ball as hard as he can into said endzone every play this game is a blowout. Jacory would of been sacked 10 times but he also would of had 500 passing yards.
Although its only a 6 point loss to a team with a 10-3 record, this is as embarrassing a loss as Miami has experienced in a while. It will be interesting to see how this team bounces back next year. They have youth and talent but can they play consistently next year?
Brandon Linder, the Left Tackle of St. Thomas Aquinas, committed to the Miami Hurricanes this weekend after taking an official visit to see the campus. Linder has been a devastating run blocker and a rock solid pass protector at St. Thomas Aquinas. Almost all of his run blocking highlights result in the Defensive Lineman on his backside and he usually stops pass rushers right at the line of scrimmage. He is a part of a St. Thomas Aquinas squad that has played on National TV a couple times this year and looked pretty solid. In a game up in Ohio the entire O-Line bullied Ohio’s Defensive front for 60 minutes. Later this year St. Thomas played #2 ranked Byrnes High School from South Carolina where Linder was matched up against Defensive End Corey Miller, one of the most highly regarded Defensive Ends in the nation. Although he kept Miller in check the majority of the time, Miller was getting up field and got in the backfield a couple times. This was a great match up of two great recruits and was a good barometer of where they are at. Linder is very big at 6’6 280. A lot of times when a High School player is this big they rely to much on sheer strength while sacrificing technique. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Linder. He bends his knees well and keeps his shoulders square. St. Thomas Aquinas is always well coached and has produced some top notch college players over the years including: Leonard Hankerson, Tavares Gooden, Sam Young, Duron Carter, Major Wright and of course the great Michael Irvin among many others. Linder should be no different as he looks very well coached in technique. He is a dominating force when run blocking, especially down blocking (when an Offensive Lineman blocks a Defensive player inside towards the middle of the field). When he blocks aggressively like this the Defender is either driven completely out of the play or simply put on his back. Because of his versatility (he has the potential to play any of the Offensive Line positions) he compares well to former Hurricane Chris Myers.
Linder will be joined by St. Thomas Aquinas teammate Jermaine Barton who also committed this weekend. Landing these two commitments is huge for the Canes for several reasons. They are both great players, they address a need for the Hurricanes at the Offensive Line, they are local talent and they come from a powerhouse High School in South Florida. Brandon Linder is rated the #1 Center in the country (where he started as a Sophomore) by Scout.com, the #2 Center by ESPN and the #3 Tackle by Rivals.com. And teammate Jermaine Barton who measures in at 6’6 and 275 is rated as a 3* Tackle by all three recruiting services.
Brandon Willis, the Tennessee commit who was expected to switch to the Hurricanes this weekend remains a Tennessee commit. He says that he is no longer considering Miami and sites Miami’s deep depth chart at Defensive Line as his reason for not going to Miami.
“Nobody wants to sit around on the bench,” Willis said. “I want to have that opportunity and I’m not saying I’m scared to compete, but I want the chance to play early. I’ll have to compete no matter where I am, but the chance to play early is the biggest thing for me.”
Although Willis is a heck of a player, competition is what makes Miami great. If he is afraid of our depth chart that means two things: we have a great Defensive Line right now and Willis is not a real Miami player. You have to be hungry and have no fear of competition. Great player, but no loss for the Canes here.
Todd Chandler is one of Miami Northwestern’s most highly touted seniors of this year’s recruiting class. For almost a year Todd had been committed to the University of Miami, however he is now committed to the University of South Florida. This is a team that we clearly dominated just a few weeks ago. This is a team that has done absolutely nothing in their history. And it is a team that claimed we would be budding rivals just as we merely shoved them aside. This past February a Hurricane commit (Kayvon Webster) switched and signed with USF. It was a tremendous accomplishment to beat UM Football at something, then the teams played and well you know the rest.
This is the school that Northwestern Defensive Tackle Todd Chandler has opted to join instead of The U. He said that Hurricane coaches stopped recruiting him and stopped calling him as the USF coaches were laying out the red carpet for him and telling him how much he would mean to their team. He admitted that he planned to announce the switch on Signing Day but that word got out and has since confirmed the switch.
This recent recruiting development tells us some things about Miami and about Todd. Miami cutting off their communication with Todd could have happened for a number of reasons. One could be Miami took the commitment for granted. This would be very unlikely considering Randy Shannon’s strong emphasis on building a fence around South Florida and getting all the players he wants. The more likely situation would be that after Miami’s coaches watched more film on the kid they realized that he may have not been as good as they hoped. Coaches know a stoppage in recruiting of the player could lead to a commitment switch and free up a scholarship opportunity for a player they covet more, which is something that happens quite often in recruiting. What this commitment switch tells me about Todd is that he wants to be the big fish in a small pond. Playing in Miami you need to be hungry, compete and fight for every inch and earn every play. If having other coaches (by the way their head coach is currently being investigated for punching a walk-on player) tell you how great you are and that they like you more makes you switch to USF from UM, you probably don’t have what it takes to compete at Miami.
It’s a disappointment for a couple of reasons. It would have been a great thing to get another Northwestern Bull to come to Miami. It would have been a great thing to see Todd line back up next to Marcus Forston, his mentor, and join The U. And it is certainly disappointing to see USF get anyone (whether we want them or not) from Dade County. However we are hearing a rumor that Chandler never even got a scholarship offer and that he committed without an offer to up his star rating and hope that since he was from Miami Northwestern and wanted to be a Cane that he would eventually get an offer. We are not sure that’s accurate but it’s been said the reason he didn’t get an offer and that Miami stopped talking to him was strictly for character purposes.
Speaking of defensive line recruits, Brandon Willis of Byrnes High School from South Carolina is taking an official visit to the University of Miami this weekend. Byrnes High School was ranked the #2 High School Football team in the nation this year and came down to South Florida to play #1 power house St. Thomas Aquinas. Typically South Florida teams dominate other teams from around the nation but that was not the case this time around. It was a close game that Aquinas barely won and the reason it was so close was because of two stud players from Byrnes. One was Lattimo their running back and the other was their Defensive star #88 at Defensive End Brandon Willis.
Willis is currently a commit to the University of Tennessee. Tennessee is facing some possible recruiting violations that directly involve Byrnes High School. And although he is committed to Tennessee as of this moment, 3rd and 43 can basically guarantee that he will be a Hurricane. This would be (and should be baring any problems during his upcoming visit this weekend) a huge commit for Miami. This kid went up against the best team South Florida has to offer and changed the dynamics of the game. I had personally heard of Lattimor the star Running Back but Willis was a complete surprise to me during this game. He is incredibly explosive off the ball and gets in the backfield on a consistent basis. He uses his hands well, controls the perimeter and closes on the Quarterback in passing situations. He would easily be the best Defensive End commit for Miami in several years. We look forward to getting this weekend visit wrapped up and officially receiving word of the commit switch.
The recruiting stories, commitments, switches, rumors and everything else are really heating up this time of year. From everything we are hearing the Canes and Randy are looking to storm the recruiting world and close stronger than ever with some very shocking commitments. This week we will break down the state of recruiting breaking down each position, priorities, prospects, visits, and everything else to get you caught up before the bowl game and ready as we close in on Signing Day in February.
Every Canes fan needs to listen to Randy Shannon on Joe Rose today. Go to their Interviews page and click on Randy Shannon with Big Dog to hear it. Shannon talks a whole lot about the recruiting process at UM and how they go about doing things.
