Stronger together
Members of offensive line focus on depth, versatility and cohesiveness
CORAL GABLES— Danny Isidora, Miami’s most consistent player of a year ago, has moved on to the NFL. Sunny Odogwu, a starter who had gained invaluable experience and provided levity on and off the field, has transferred.
And still, as they prepare for the season, several members of the Miami Hurricanes’ offensive line can’t help but be intrigued by the possibilities for their unit, one they believe is starting to develop the depth and versatility it needs to be a force in the ACC.
“We’ve definitely matured. We got better in those weeks [during spring practice],” said Tyler Gauthier, who started at center throughout the spring while veteran Nick Linder continued rehabilitating from a shoulder injury that sidelined him late last season.
“Whenever you work with a group of guys that hard for that many days, you’re going to become more like one unit. When you go out there and you all do that, it definitely helps out a lot.”
When the Hurricanes wrapped up spring practice in April, offensive line coach Stacy Searels told reporters he was impressed by his unit’s progress, even as it worked without Isidora, the injured Linder and Odogwu, who has since announced hewas transferring to UCLA.
Among the players who gained invaluable experience were Gauthier and midyear enrollee Navaughn Donaldson, whom Miami lists at 6-foot-6 and 350 pounds. The freshman needed little time to impress teammates and coaches with his
sheer strength and power and ultimately spent most of the spring working with the first unit, at tackle and then guard.
Former Palm Beach Central standout Kc McDermott, Tyree St. Louis and George Brown, a sophomore transfer from LSU who sat out last season but will contribute this fall, also made progress.
That all prompted Searels to say he estimated the Hurricanes could have as many as nine or 10 linemen he’d feel comfortable rotating in and out of games once Linder returns, an improvement for a group that has had its share of struggles in recent seasons.
And though it’s still too early to know how much they’ll contribute, freshmen Zach Dykstra, Corey Gaynor (Douglas) and KaiLeon Herbert (American Heritage-Plantation) will also help give the line more depth and increase competition for playing time. That’s something players and coaches say they’re looking forward to seeing at start of camp in August.
“We’re looking more like we should look,” headcoach Mark Richt said. “Five of the guys that are coming in, I think we did really well as far as bringing in the body types and skill set and attitude that you need to play that position. ... I think our depth is better. It’s still a little inexperienced, but we have at least six guys that have played a lot of ball. That will help.”
Added Linder, who is expected to be fully cleared to play ahead of camp: “The good thing about depth is that it creates competition and competition drives everyone’s performance to be better. It’s going to be good and everyone’s going to be competing every day and the best five will play.”
One lineman looking to use the summer to continue improving is Trevor Darling, who started nine games at left tackle last season butwas one of the players coaches challenged to step things up during the offseason.
Darling says he’s spent the past few months working on his technique, something he said needed adjusting after he was moved to guard during the spring.
“I just have to step my game up and show [the coaches] that I can be the guy for the job,” said Darling, a former four-star prospect out of Miami Central, the same school that produced the highly touted Donaldson.
“I’ve just got to get the guard technique down. It’s a little bit different moving from tackle, but I can handle the change.”
Like his teammates, Darling sees potential for his group overall.
Last season, the Hurricanes averaged 425.9 yards per game. Running back Mark Walton rushed for 1,117 yards, giving Miami a 1,000-yard rusher for the third straight year. The linemen would like to see those numbers increase and understand they’ll face an additional challenge, considering the Hurricanes will be starting a relatively inexperienced quarterback.
They’re ready to do their part, the linemen say.
“We’ve all been focused on working on the little things together as a team,” Darling said. “We’re out there every day, putting the time in, trying to get closer. That all means a lot.”