’Canes are frenzy ready
Richt, players charge into ACC media day
Mark Richt, Jaquan Johnson and Ahmmon Richards aren’t exactly newcomers to the bright lights of college football.
Richt, who is preparing to begin his third year at the helm of theHurricanes program, is a veteran coach who has anlook swered questions of all kinds, in all kinds of venues. And Johnson and Richards, two of Miami’s more experienced players, have been running the media gauntlet since they were topnotch high school players at Miami Killian andWellington, respectively.
But Wednesday, Richt, Johnson and Richards will get to experience the rare frenzy comes at ACC Kickoff, the conference’s annual media day event in Charlotte, N.C.
Starting early in the day and running for more than six hours, the Hurricanes will answer questions from radio and TV reporters, ACC media relations folks and then finally, print writers from across the conference.
It’s an often grueling process, especially considering the trio will, more than likely, face more than a few similar questions in each of those scenarios.
So what are some of the questions Richt, Johnson and Richards might face? Here’s a at notable topics of conversation Miami’s ACC Kickoff representatives could tackle in Charlotte.
After finally winning that long-awaited Coastal Division title, can the Hurricanes defend it and take another step forward?
It’s no secret it took the Hurt
ricanes a bit longer than they would have liked to win their first division title since joining the ACC in 2004. Despite being picked as preseason favorite to win the Coastal in both 2006 and 2013, it wasn’t until last season that Miami, finally, broke through.
After opening conference play with six straight wins, including a key 28-10 victory over Coastal Division foe and then 13th-ranked Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes clinched their first division title just before kickoff of their Nov. 11 non-conference matchup against Notre Dame.
That earned Miami a berth in the ACC Championship Game, where the Hurricanes ultimately fell 38-3 to then-reigning national champion Clemson.
So now that one major goal has been accomplished, can the Hurricanes defend that division championship and book another December trip to Charlotte? And if they can manage that, do they have the pieces to be more competitive in the A CC Championship Game than they were last year?
All of that, of course, remains to be seen.
The Hurricanes return a number of playmakers on both sides of the ball, including Johnson and Richards, who will be among Miami’s leaders on defense and offense. Also back are running backs Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, quarterback Malik Rosier, receivers Lawrence Cager, Jeff Thomas and Mike Harley, offensive linemen Tyler Gauthier, Navaughn Donaldson and Tyree St. Louis. On defense, the Hurricanes return a trio of junior linebackers in Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud, who have been starting since their arrival in Coral Gables three years ago.
Back, too, are safeties Sheldrick Redwine and Amari Carter, defensive ends Joe Jackson and Demetrius Jackson, cornerbacks Michael Jackson and Trajan Bandy and defensive tackle Gerald Willis, who is returning to the field after a season-long leave of absence in 2017.
There are playmakers, and more than a few newcomers — five-star running back prospect Lorenzo Lingard, for example — are expected to make an impact. But the Hurricanes face questions on both the offensive and defensive lines. Still, the expectation is that Miami should be able to adjust.
Will that be enough to give them a second straight Coastal crown?
Is Ahmmon Richards healthy?
As a freshman in 2016, Richards wasted little time making an impact for the Hurricanes. He started 11 of 13 games and earned Freshman All-American honors after finishing the year with 934 receiving yards, breaking Michael Irvin’s Miami freshman receiving record, set in 1985.
He was expected to be one of Rosier’s go-to targets last season, but Richards was hampered by injuries from the start of the year.
In camp, he was plagued by a hamstring issue. Later came ankle and knee problems. Hewound up missing five games, but was still among the Hurricanes’ receiving leaders with 439 yards and three touchdowns.
During a community outreach event earlier this summer, Richards said he’d been cleared to get back towork andwas feeling as healthy as he had in a long time. But expect him to face more questions about that — and his durability — this week in Charlotte.
The Hurricanes know the more they have Richards on the field, the better off they’ll be. The receiver has more than 1,300 yards in just 21 games in Coral Gables.
“This is a big year for him and our program,” Richt said of Richards last month.
Is Malik Rosier still the starting quarterback?
Though Rosier started all 13 games for the Hurricanes last season and threw for 3,120 yards and 26 touchdowns, Richt hasn’t shied away from making it clear that he expects every one of his starting players, including the quarterback, to compete in order to keep his job.
Rosier spent most of spring practice working with Miami’s first offense and is considered the leader in the QB race entering the fall, but the redshirt senior will likely be challenged by redshirt freshmen N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon, along with freshman Jarren Williams, who arrived at Miami in January and took part in spring practice.
Rosier is the only one of the Hurricanes quarterbacks to see game action, and with LSU looming as the opponent in Miami’s Sept. 2 season opener it’s natural to figure the job is his. But that’s not how Richt and quarterbacks coach Jon Richt see it.
They want to see Rosier challenged and have said the quarterback is often at his best when he is pushed by his younger teammates.
Canone of those younger teammates push enough to unseat him? Richt will, more than likely, face lots of questions about that thisweek.