Football family Al Blades Jr. continues tradition at UM.
Al Blades Jr. prepares to begin his career as a Hurricane
CORAL GABLES — There are moments former Hurricanes great Brian Blades looks at his young nephew — the one who will graduate from St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday and on Monday begin his college career at Miami — and can’t believe his eyes.
At times, Al Blades Jr. laughs just like his father. Walks like him. Moves like him. Makes the same facial expressions. And on the football field, well, the cornerback can often hit just like his father, too.
Though Blades Jr. didn’t grow up with his father, who was killed in a car accident when Blades Jr. was just 3 years old, he has grown into the image of Al Blades Sr. in a number of ways.
That, in and of itself, has felt like a blessing of sorts to one of UM football’s royal families.
“He has a lot of his father’s ways,” Brian Blades said. “It’s kind of bittersweet, but I’m glad we can see parts of his dad in him. … He does things and you’re like, ‘How would he know to do that? That’s just like his dad.’ We say it all the time. To him, it’s just natural. It’s who he is. But to us, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s another Al.’ It’s something we’ve enjoyed watching, even if he doesn’t know he’s doing it.”
Katisha Rose, Al Blades. Jr’s mother, sees the similarities, too. And while those similarities have brought her joy, she’s sometimes worried they might now create unrealistic expectations and pressure for her son. He’ll be playing at the school where his father was a force in the Miami secondary at safety and where his uncles Bennie and
“Every last recruit we have coming in is a winner.” Al Blades Jr.
Brian also starred.
But every time Rose has expressed those concerns to her son — AJ as he’s known in the family — the reassurances have always come. Not only does Blades Jr. expect pressure to perform at Miami, he welcomes it. He embraces the challenge that might come with following in his father’s footsteps and maybe even wearing his dad’s No. 7 jersey.
That he’ll receive guidance from one of his father’s former teammates — current Hurricanes cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph — has only strengthened his resolve and given Rose some peace of mind.
“He’s had this thing in his eyes since he realized who he was and what he was capable of,” Rose said. “He’s been saying since he was 7 or 8, ‘I’m going to finish my father’s mission. I’m going to finish my father’s mission.’ As a parent, I wanted him to weigh his options, and I never wanted him to feel like he had to be there. But he made it clear that’s what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.
“He’s been all-UM since he was a baby. He was doing backpedals with his dad on the grass at Miami when he was 2 years old. … He’s so positive, he has this thing about him and he handles everything so well. … I’m excited for him.”
Blades Jr. will arrive in Coral Gables with an impressive resume and a skill set that should help him compete for playing time. A four-star prospect, Blades was an Under-Armour AllAmerican and was rated the 12th-best cornerback prospect in the nation by 247 Sports.
Under Miami coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, the Hurricanes haven’t shied away from letting talented young players contribute, and freshmen corners Gilbert Frierson and DJ Ivey had their opportunities during spring football. With Miami’s cornerbacks room in transition after Malek Young’s careerending injury in the Orange Bowl and Dee Delaney graduating, Blades Jr. will have his chances, too.
And Blades Jr. is confident he and the rest of Miami’s freshmen can help the program continue its ascent and return to the status it held when his father and uncles once played there.
“Every last recruit we have coming in is a winner,” Blades Jr. said. “They want to win. They’re competitive. They’re not scared of competition and when it comes down to it, they’re willing to sacrifice for the person next to them. Everyone is tight in this class, and we have a bond coming in. It’s only going to get stronger, and I think that’s maybe what’s been missing. ‘The U’ back in the day, those players all grew up together. They all knew each other and that’s kind of what’s happening now.”
Added Roger Harriott, Blades Jr.’s coach at St. Thomas, “Al’s an outstanding product of a prominent family tree. As a proud member of his family, he’ll add to their legacy as an elite scholar-athlete.”