Offense impresses Lashlee, but he wants to see progress, too
You can’t lay a finger on them under any circumstance, but the University of Miami quarterbacks are looking good, said defensive tackle Jonathan Ford on Thursday, as spring practice draws near its close.
“They’re looking real sharp, man,’’ the fifth-year senior Ford said of backups Tyler Van Dyke, Jake Garcia and Peyton Matocha. “Being back there and rushing at the QB, they get the ball out real fast and they’re real precise on what they’re doing.
“They don’t seem like they’re scared or anything. Just watching those guys in practice every day, man, those guys are making some big plays. They’re getting the ball to our wide receivers. Even with Peyton Matocha, he’s out there making some nice plays. The competition with those guys is pretty good. I like what I see over there.”
Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said he also likes what he sees, but made it clear he hopes to see progress in every position Friday night in UM’s second spring scrimmage. That, of course, would be valuable considering there are only four spring sessions remaining — including Friday’s scrimmage and the April 17 spring game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Friday’s scrimmage, at a site that has not been announced, is closed to the public and media. And unless UM changes its current policy, the spring game is also closed, except through UM invitations.
The game, however, will be televised by the ACC Network at 11 a.m.
Lashlee spoke to the media Thursday for the first time this month, and was asked to elaborate on the progress of second-year freshman Van Dyke, freshman Garcia and third-year redshirt freshman Matocha.
It appears Van Dyke is in the lead, which would be expected at this point. Van Dyke is a year ahead of early enrollee Garcia, who wasn’t cleared for full team participation (foot injury) until March 26.
“They’ve all progressed well and you would hope that because they’re all getting probably more reps than they’ve ever got,’’ Lashlee said. “Tyler Van Dyke, it’s funny, coming off his freshman year he may be the most experienced one we have, but these 10 or 11 practices this year have been invaluable for him to get so many more reps, first or second group, and be in a little bit different position.
“He’s improved a lot more from where he was last year and he should. He should be more comfortable with what we’re doing.
“You look at a guy like Peyton Matocha getting more more reps than he’s ever gotten and done some really nice things. The more reps he gets the more comfortable he’s getting.
“And then you got Jake Garcia — he’s really probably supposed to be in high school going to prom in a month. For a freshman, he showed great poise and calmness and has done really good.
“They make a lot of mistakes. That’s what spring ball is for. But they’re doing a good job of not repeating mistakes, which is promising. Hopefully [Friday]
night they’ll take that next step and maybe show more maturation, maybe show just a little bit more consistency in their decision making and accuracy.”
Senior center Corey Gaynor said Thursday that his job in working with new quarterbacks such as Garcia is to ensure “protections are smooth, the [middle linebacker calls] are smooth, making sure we reiterate the play so we’re all on the same page. That makes it easier for young QBs.’’
During the scrimmage, Gaynor said, he is working with his quarterbacks to make sure “we can see the game through one set of eyes.’’
RECEIVER UPDATE
Lashlee refused to “highlight
one” wide receiver who has improved enough to separate from the others this spring, but No. 1 receiver Mike Harley’s leadership and pointed out secondyear freshman Xavier Restrepo, who starred in the first scrimmage and has been praised by the staff. Lashlee said Restrepo “just gives you everything he has and lays it on the line.
“He plays so hard [that] the ball finds him and he’s successful. I feel really good about that.’’
Lashlee also mentioned feeling “really good” about transfer Charleston Rambo, Dee Wiggins, Keyshawn Smith and Mark Pope. “We’re on the right track but there’s a lot of work to be done.’’
TIGHT END UPDATE
Lashlee confirmed that tight end Dominic Mammarelli has practiced but also “has been banged up at times.’’
“We are banged up at tight end, absolutely,’’ he said. Not only is starter Will Mallory out after shoulder surgery, but consensus four-star early enrollee Elijah Arroyo also “is missing time.’’
Thus, the Canes are using Michael Parrott as a tight end/fullback and walk-on receiver Will Huggins to help out.
D’ERIQ KING UPDATE
Lashlee said starting quarterback D’Eriq King, who is rehabilitating from a torn ACL he sustained during the bowl game, is doing “excellent, far exceeding expectations.’’
“Mentally he’s in a really good place. Physically, I’m no doctor but our team is doing a great job both medically and with the rehab process. We feel really good about where he is. There’s no reason to rush anything.”
More scrimmage:
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Lashlee said coaches want players to be physical, fast and “just continue to execute” Friday at the scrimmage. “We’re not overwhelming them with a ton of scheme, we’re not overwhelming them with a ton of ‘Gotcha!’ stuff. We’re just trying to execute good football plays and get better at the fundamentals, the little things that maybe don’t show up to the average eye.
“We want guys to to play hard” and “for each other. See how they do when we do well. See how they handle things mentally and emotionally when they may be struggling — how they keep their composure, all those things that it’s hard to get in a regular practice.’’