Old school defense
Quarterman fondly recalls physical teams
CORAL GABLES Maybe it was the sheer physicality, the way he could hit. Or howhe quickly learned his playbook and was able to breakdown film. Or his ability to speak up in a roomfull of older players.
Most likely, it was a combination of all those factors and more that helped Hurricanes coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz see that Shaquille Quarterman was not the average freshman.
Quarterman, who at this time last year was playing high school football at Oakleaf High near Jacksonville, enrolled at Miami in January. He’s done nothing but impress teammates and coaches since.
The expectation throughout camp was that Quarterman would be one of the Hurricanes top defensive contributors this year and his role will likely be even greater now that Miami’s defense is reeling after two of its top veterans – defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad and linebacker Jermaine Grace – were dismissed Saturday after committing NCAA violations.
So is the 18-year-old fourstar
prospect and U.S. Army All-American ready for the challenge of leading a defense looking to reassert itself after allowing opponents an average of 409 yards per game?
Quarterman— and everyone else around him — say there’s little doubt.
“He has great characteristics of a leader. He works hard. He studies. He behaves. He does all the things you would want a leader to do and I think he’s gained the respect of our team,” Richt said of the 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker. “Sometimes a freshman can come in and get into a starting role, there might be some resentment, especially if a guy is real cocky or brash or acts like he owns the place. … but when a guy comes in with a humble spirit, works his tail off and just physically gets the job done, like Shaq did, I think they’re embracing the guy. I think they’re excited about him being here.”
Added Hurricanes linebacker D arri on Owens, who played with Quarterman at Oakleaf before the pair landed at Miami, “I don’t see him as a freshman. You can see he’s a natural-born leader, howhe’s focused and he cares about the game. ...”
When he arrived at Oakleaf as a freshman, he showed there too, he could easily handle themove from junior high football to varsity, then Knights coach Derek Chipoletti said. Quarterman was a four-year starter in the program, amassing 412 tackles, 23.5 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. Major college programs including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State came calling, but Quarter man—a lifelong Hurricanes fan who glows when he talks about the hard-hitting Miami defenses of old— followed his heart to Coral Gables, despite Miami’s struggles recently.
“I remember them being very dominant, them playing smash-mouth football, hitting everything that moved. Scoring and being flashy with it,” Quarterman said of the Hurricanes he grew up watching. “They were actually having fun out there. I know winning is supposed to be fun and they won with style. That’s one thing I really admired and I wanted to play like they played.”
“I knew I had to earn everything I wanted to get when I came here,” he said. “This is, to me, the birthplace of competition as far as competing against one another for a spot. I know back in history they had multiple superstars at the same position and they had to compete for those spots. So I didn’t expect anything. … I have to be ready. I can’t be slacking in any way. I have guys that depend on me to tell them what to do, people behind me that relay the call. I can’t dilly dally.”