Seniors leaving strong legacy
Quarterman, Pinckney helped Miami defense reestablish its swagger
CORAL GABLES — It feels like just the other day that linebackers Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney were making their initial marks with the Miami Hurricanes.
They were starting as freshmen and primed to be the leaders that would anchor then-coordinator Manny Diaz’s defense in the first season of the Mark Richt era in 2016. Then they were the heart of the unit that forced the most turnovers among Power Five teams in 2017, the inaugural season of the Turnover Chain. Last year, they helped Miami finish No. 1 nationally in tackles for a loss and fourth in total defense.
When Quarterman and Pinckney take the field for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Louisville, it will likely be the last time they do so as Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Time flies, man,” said Pinckney. “You think you’ve got all the time in the world, and then one day you wake up and you’re a junior. Then you’re a senior, then senior night comes, and before you know it I’ll be gone and it’ll be the next group [coming in].”
For the emotional moment, Pinckney said he’ll be able to hold back his tears. Quarterman, on the other hand, will not.
“I probably will [cry],” he “Yeah, without a doubt.”
Senior day for Quarterman and Pinckney had Diaz recall a story during training camp ahead of the 2018 season, when he decided to pop in the tape of them playing in the opener of their first season. Quarterman and Pinckney were freshman starters, along with Zach McCloud, who this season is planning to redshirt to remain available for a fifth season next year.
“They were laughing said. hysteri
cally because — of course, they admit this back then — they were like, ‘Coach, we had no idea what we were doing out there,’ ” said Diaz of that season’s opener against Florida A&M. “[They] were literally just running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
“That was fun to see how they’ve developed over time and to be with those guys every step of the way … to see them mature, to see them go through the different ups and downs of a four-year career. It’s been unlike any other relationship I’ve ever had in my coaching career.”
Now, the senior linebackers look to end their college careers on a positive note, leaving a lasting legacy and leaving the Hurricanes with something on which the team can build.
“I just want to finish strong, on and off the field, and be labeled as one of the household ’Canes,” Quarterman said.
Said Pinckney: “Just making a change, turning this program around and putting it in the direction it needs to go. I think we’re doing a good job of that right now.”
With that in mind, the grooming of younger linebackers is a responsibility Quarterman and Pinckney have taken upon themselves all season.
“I just tell them to work diligently,” Quarterman said.
“Leading by example is one thing that I always try to do more because I believe in actions and service a little bit more than words of affirmation.
“Anybody can make a speech — a speech before a game, a speech after a game, a speech before a practice — but it takes a different type of person to be able to do what we actually make speeches about.”
Quarterman took that to heart with his inspired play in recent weeks after not playing up to his expactations as UM fell to 3-4 with a disappointing Georgia Tech.
“I looked at myself and I looked at my career up to that point in the season, and I knew I was playing OK, but it just wasn’t right for me,” Quarterman said Wednesday. “I knew I wasn’t doing enough, so I started cutting out a couple of things so that I could fully focus on just preparing to the max.
“When you only have a couple of games left, you can’t have many distractions. So I just try to hone all my skills, as well as just loss to prepare my body and mentally for every snap that I have left.”
Of the next wave of linebackers, beyond McCloud returning as a redshirt senior, Pinckney said: “I like all them guys. I even like the young recruits that’s coming in. I love [freshman] Avery Huff, [freshman] Sam Brooks has got so much potential, all of them young guys. Zach is going to be a great leader for them guys next year.
“The guys coming in are going to have a great example to follow.”