Freshman Blades ready to make his mark with Hurricanes
GABLES – As he navigates through his first practices on the same field where his father once honed his craft, Al Blades Jr. does his best to try and keep his emotions in check.
But the freshman cornerback can’t deny there is something special about what is happening for him and for his family as the Hurricanes continue working their way through camp and moving closer to the season opener.
Blades is the son of a Hurricanes legend, a part of Miami football royalty. Wearing orange and green has been a sort of birthright, even as his uncles encourearned aged him to explore all of the options when it came time for Blades to decide where he’d play college football.
Ultimately, though, there was no choice. Blades was destined to play at Miami, continuing a tradition that featured not only his father, but his uncles Brian and Benny, both of whom also starred at Miami.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all my life,” Blades said MonCORAL day at Miami’s annual media event where he and the rest of Miami’s freshmen spoke to the media for the first time since arriving on campus. “Now that I’m here, I’m just so driven on being the best I can be, no matter where it takes me. I’m just so focused on driving myself and pushing myself to be the best football player and man I can be while I’m in this process.”
His approach has already Blades the highest of praise from the coaches working to develop him into a top-flight college player.
Cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph, who played beside Blades’ father, says the freshman is a budding leader who is already encouraging teammates around him during the tough moments of camp.