’Canes are counting on talented receivers
CORAL GABLES — Ahmmon Richards lined up on one side, Lawrence Cager on the other. In the slot, Jeff Thomas stood poised, ready to run.
During the opening minutes of Thursday’s practice — their last before a closed Saturday night scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium — the Hurricanes put a trio of speedy veteran receivers on the field to run drills with the No. 1 offense.
Standing off to the side, another group of nearly equally talented receivers, including speedster Mike Harley, clutch playmaker Darrell Langham and fourstar freshmen Mark Pope, Marquez Ezzard and Brian Hightower waited its turn.
As the Hurricanes continue working toward their Sept. 2 season opener against LSU in Arlington, Texas, as part of the AdvoCare Classic, they know when game-time rolls around, they’ll be able to feature one of the deepest, most talented receiving corps in the ACC, if not the nation.
And that means receivers coach Ron Dugans has the enviable task of trying to formulate a depth chart, something he joked this week he’s not even close to ready to doing, not with the kind of players he’s working with every day.
“It's a dogfight right now, kind of up in the air,” Dugans said on Wednesday. “I tell these guys I don't have a depth chart. I got an organizational chart. That's how we're doing it the whole camp until somebody breaks away."
Through six practices, players are rotating at the No. 1 spot across several positions for the Hurricanes. But it’s hard to imagine that, as long as he’s healthy, Richards — who is coming off an injury-plagued 2017 season — won’t be out there for that first snap against the Tigers.
The former Wellington High standout was a recordbreaking freshman AllAmerican two years ago before hamstring, ankle and knee injuries took their toll on him last year. He still managed to finish as Miami’s third-leading receiver with 439 yards and three touchdowns on 24 catches.
This week, Richards has made more than a few athletic plays that have elicited cheers from both his teammates and Dugans, all of whom are excited to have the receiver back healthy and in peak form.