Hurricanes
It’s known that for every Paradise Camp, Mark Richt brings out a who’s who of Miami Hurricanes football alumni to mingle with recruits and serve as speakers and guest coaches.
Until Friday, though, it wasn’t known who those Miami legends would be for the third installment of Richt’s marquee recruiting event, which starts Friday night with the camp portion on Saturday.
Richt released the lineup of former greats that would be helping out at Paradise Camp: Jonathan Vilma, Jon Beason, Bennie Blades, Warren Sapp, Clinton Portis, Lamar Thomas and Bryant McKinnie.
Sapp, Vilma, Beason, Blades and McKinnie return after previously attending one of Richt’s two prior Paradise Camps.
Sapp is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after an NFL career, mostly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that saw him rack up 573 tackles and 96 ½ sacks at defensive tackle. Among several collegiate accolades, he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to college football’s best defensive player, in 1994.
Vilma was the middle linebacker on Miami’s vaunted 2001 national championship defense. He also won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints and, before that, was Defensive Rookie of the Year with the New York Jets in 2004.
Blades, a Piper grad, played a major role at safety on the 1987 championship team. He’s in the College Football Hall of Fame, played mostly with the Detroit Lions in the NFL, is a brother to fellow Hurricane greats Brian and Al Blades and uncle to incoming freshman cornerback Al Blades Jr.
Thomas returns to UM after a stretch of recruiting South Florida prospects elsewhere, as wide receivers coach at Kentucky, Louisville and Western Kentucky in recent years. He was on the 1989 and 1991 national championship teams and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins.
Portis was the leading rusher on Miami’s 2001 title-winning squad and played for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins. McKinnie was the standout left tackle on that team and played for the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Dolphins. Beason, who attended Chaminade-Madonna, had a successful pro career with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.
Other former UM players to have participated in past events include Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Michael Irvin, Devin Hester, Calais Campbell, Jeremy Shockey, Brett Romberg, Antrel Rolle, Phillip Buchanon, Najeh Davenport, Willis McGahee, Duke Johnson, DJ Williams, Gino Torretta, Kenny Phillips, Chad Wilson and Roland Smith.