Richt: Player exits create opportunities
CORAL GABLES — It hasn’t been a good week for the Hurricanes on the attrition front.
Since Miami’s season ended with a 34-24 loss to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl this past Saturday, the Hurricanes have had four players leave the program with linebacker Darrion Owens and defensive linemen DJ Johnson and Ryan Fines all opting to transfer. Oft-injured linebacker Jamie Gordinier, meanwhile, announced he was ending his football career after undergoing multiple knee surgeries.
None were starters this season, but all except for Gordinier saw playing time and were expected to provide depth at their respective positions. The two more notable losses were Johnson, a freshman from California who was Miami’s highest-rated defensive recruit in 2016, and Owens, who had 35 tackles last season.
On Thursday, Miami coach Mark Richt acknowledged that losing players is challenging, but said that more often than not, it also gives young players — including potential recruits — an opportunity to find their way into the rotation.
“A lot of times when someone departs it turns into an opportunity for someone else,” Richt said. “This is not quite the exact same thing, but I remember one year I had a guy named Malcolm Mitchell at Georgia, a very highly rated kid, that was deciding between Georgia and Alabama. He was going to be a DB but as a senior he played receiver in high school and was thinking maybe he’s a receiver. Well, right about this time of year, AJ Green decided to go pro after his third season. And that was kind of the tipping point I think for Malcolm to say, ‘You know what? Now that AJ is gone — I mean, he was kind of getting recruited as a DB all along, he said, ‘I kind of like receiver.’ He goes, ‘Is it OK if I play receiver and come?’ I was like, ‘Sure.’ I think sometimes when people depart, other young men sit there and say, ‘OK, this is more of a reason to go to Miami. I think it will all work out in the end.”
While the Hurricanes signed the bulk of their recruiting class during last month’s Early Signing Period, as they look to finalize that group ahead of National Signing Day on Feb. 7, Miami knows that, because of attrition, it will be able to offer opportunities to talented young defenders they’re targeting in recruiting, including American Heritage defensive tackle Nesta Silvera, a Hurricanes commit, and his teammate, Andrew Chatfield.
Landing both of them would help provide depth to a defensive line unit that could still undergo more changes, especially with Richt noting neither Kendrick Norton nor RJ McIntosh has yet indicated whether they’ll be returning to Miami for their senior seasons or declaring for the NFL draft.
One player Richt did say would provide help for that group next season was Gerald Willis, who did not play last year but was “a terror on the scout team all year long.”
“I think he’ll do well. I think he’ll do very well,” Richt said of Willis, a Florida transfer who had 19 tackles and played in nine games in 2016.
Though he did not give a specific date as to when the Hurricanes will start spring practice, Richt indicated Miami will follow a schedule similar to the one it used last year, when the Hurricanes began spring practice March 21 and held their final workout April 20 at Boca Raton High.
That time frame could be pushed back a week because National Signing Day is on Feb. 7 — not Feb. 1 — this year.
The coach also said he expects about nine of Miami’s early signees to enroll this month and participate in spring workouts.