’Canes get votes
Miami picked to win Coastal Division.
The Miami Hurricanes won’t have to worry about being overlooked this season.
On Monday, they were by voted by the Atlantic Coast Conference writers as the preseason pick to win the Coastal Division. The Hurricanes received 1,065 votes, including 103 first-place ones.
Florida State was projected to win the Atlantic Division and ultimately defeat the Hurricanes in the conference championship game for the overall ACC title.
This marks the fourth time the Hurricanes have been picked to win the Coastal Division, though the previous three times did not ultimately go their way. Miami was last picked to win the division in 2014, a year it ultimately finished tied for fifth in the Coastal after going 3-5 in ACC play.
The Hurricanes were the pres ea son division favorites in both 2013 and 2006 as well. They finished second and fourth those years, respectively.
This time around, although Miami has yet to namea starting quarterback, expectations are high for the Hurricanes. Miami finished second in the division in 2016 behind Virginia Tech andwas 9-4.
The Hurricanes closed the year with five straight victories, including their first bowl win in a decade, sparking optimism from Miami coach Mark Richt and his players at lastweek’s ACC Kickoff event.
“We’re looking forward to this season,” Richt said. “Put a lot of work into it, just like
everybody else, and we’re just anxious to see what we’ve got.”
Added linebacker Shaquille Quarterman: “We have all the pieces. Look at our team. We have really good athletes, as good as anybody in the conference. And with that, we have a great coaching staff. I love our coaching staff. We all do. There’s no reason we shouldn’t buy into the process. There’s no wavering when it comes to how we play. We play different. It’s South Florida. We literally play different.”
The Hurricanes were followed in the voting by Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Duke and Virginia. UM has yet to win the division since moving to the conference from the Big East in 2004, but — again — the writers think the Hurricanes have the talent to compete in the division.
Even after losing nine players to the NFL, including quarterback Brad Kaaya and tight end David Njoku, the Hurricanes return plenty of talent including Quarterman. He, running back Mark Walton, tight end Christopher Herndon, defensive tackle Kendrick Norton and kicker Michael Badgley have all been nominated for national awards. Receiver Ahm mon Richards is also considered one of the nation’s best after a record-breaking freshman season. The only question mark is the quarterback position.
Malik Rosier is the lone player with experience. He and Evan Shirreffs emerged as the favorites during the spring, but freshman N’Kosi Perry has impressed since arriving on campus in May.
Richt said he won’t make a decision until at least Miami’s second scrimmage of training camp. Miami will open the season Sept. 2 at home against Bethune-Cookman.
“There’s a lot of time between now and the game, but it’s getting shorter and shorter,” Richt said. “We’ll be practicing before you know it and finding out who’s going to play where, who’s going to earn snaps, who’s going to be the quarterback, all those things will be coming down the road, and I’ll get a chance to answer those as we go.”
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, who played at Boynton Beach High School, was named the ACC preseason player of the year.
More watch list honors
Two more Hurricanes have earned spots on the watch lists for two major college football awards.
Receiver Braxton Berrios on Monday was one of 46 players named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list. The award is given annually to the most versatile player in college football. Teammate Shaquille Quarterman, meanwhile, was named to the Butkus Award watch list. That award is given to the nation’s top linebacker.