McCloud a spring drills surprise
Hurricanes seeking new contributors on defensive line
As the Miami Hurricanes go through spring drills with last season’s two starting defensive ends heading to the NFL draft and starting defensive tackle Nesta Silvera out due to a shoulder procedure, they’re looking for contributions from a new group.
The process started ahead of the Dec. 29 Cheez-It Bowl, when draft prospects Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche opted out, giving their backups an opportunity to start and leading linebacker Zach McCloud to try and see what he could do at defensive end.
Now, McCloud is “one of the surprises of spring so far,” according to defensive line coach Jess Simpson, who returned to UM, where he held the same role in 2018, this offseason after coaching defensive linemen with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons the past two seasons.
“He’s a hard charger,” said Simpson of McCloud after Tuesday’s fifth spring practice for the Hurricanes. “He’s a high-effort guy. He wants to do things exactly right. He’s always in the building trying to do extra.
“In each practice, he’s just connecting the dots as a defensive end. I really think it suits his skill set. I’ve seen him do stuff in pass rush the last two days that has gotten me excited. In the run game, he’s a very physical kid. He’s a good edge setter.”
It’s a funny story how McCloud’s position change came about as he was wrapping up his fifth college season last December with the intention of returning for a sixth, using an extra year of eligibility being granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It almost kind of started as a joke,” said McCloud, who added he’s up from 225, 227 pounds to 250 since the end of the season in order to play on the line. “We were just in a linebacker meeting and we were talking about the package that we had going in for the bowl game on third down . ... I was like, ‘Coach, I can do that.’ Just kind of like being cocky, but I was making a joke. He kind of perked up. ‘Man, really?’
I went out there, and then it kind of just turned into a serious thing.”
A starter in Miami’s defense going back to his freshman season in 2016 with Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, the move to defensive end for McCloud could reignite what had turned into an uneven career at linebacker. He said he’s getting used to his new assignments and the high level of intensity every play requires at his new position this spring.
Miami brought in pass-rushing experience this offseason with the transfer of Deandre Johnson, a former Miami Southridge standout, from Tennessee.
“He’s just done a great job of fitting into the room,” Simpson said. “He’s got a great personality. He’s a hard worker. He’s smart.
He’s been in the battles. He’s learning our defense fast.”
Simpson noted thirdyear defensive end Jahfari Harvey and Chantz Williams, heading into his second season, as other early spring standouts on the edge.
“Jahfari has done some really good things,” Simpson said. “Jahfari brings the skill set of being a powerful, fast, twitchy kid. Has put on some good weight. He’s over 250 [pounds] now, really worked hard in the weight room. So proud of him. Still got a long way to go as a player, but he’s improving and you see the potential.”
He added of Williams: “You can see every day he’s just inching along, getting a little bit better, whether it’s developing a rush plan or how to play edges in the run game. … You can just see he’s starting to get it. It’s a process for all these guys. No one’s going to get crowned king in the spring. There’s a lot of improvement that has to take place, but those are two young guys that I see having a lot of potential for us.”
As Silvera recovers from his shoulder injury, at defensive tackle, Jared Harrison-Hunte “has got some twitch and athleticism to him, I think, that’s special,” Simpson said, also noting senior Jonathan Ford’s play.
Harrison-Hunte, after a redshirt freshman season in 2020 where he totaled 17 tackles, six for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble, said he’s working on taking the next step with his technique and recognizing opposing offenses. He added that he’s gained upper-body strength while he was already pleased with his lower-body strength entering the offseason.
Simpson also said second-year defensive lineman Elijah Roberts began to show “a huge jump” in Saturday’s fourth spring practice, the second one in pads.
“Elijah is a kid to me that just has a good feel for the game and understanding of how to get on and off blocks,” Simpson said “We’re just trying to get him more vertical right now. He’s been super coachable, and I’ve really been encouraged by him.”
Simpson is known to develop disruptive defensive tackles that push back the line of scrimmage. Under his tutelage in 2018, Miami defensive tackle Gerald Willis had 18 tackles for loss and four sacks among his 59 total tackles.