McCloud and Harvey stepping up their games
It would be easy to overlook a pair of Miami Hurricanes who are expected to have significant roles as pass rushers this season with Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche now in the NFL.
Zach McCloud was one of the three linebackers in the Hurricanes’ 2016 recruiting class, including former Miami star Shaquille Quarterman, and was mainly used as an outside linebacker during his first five years with the Hurricanes before moving to defensive end at the end of 2020.
Jahfari Harvey, a former fourstar prospect in the 2019 recruiting class, saw action in four games and redshirted his true freshman season in 2019 before playing 10 games in a reserve role behind Phillips and Roche last season.
Although Harvey and McCloud haven’t had extensive playing time at defensive end at the collegiate level, they’ll be expected to help fill the pass-rushing void left Phillips and Roche, who combined for 12.5 sacks and 30 tackles for losses last season.
Deandre Johnson, the Tennessee transfer, and second-year defensive end Chantz Williams also figure to have prominent roles as defensive ends this season.
Harvey and McCloud lined up with the first-team defensive during the last portion of practice open to reporters, with the Hurricanes expected to regularly rotate between their top-four defensive ends during the season.
“Everybody goes out there with a chip on their shoulder,” Harvey said. “Everybody goes out there trying to compete, get better and do better than the next man.”
McCloud, who made the transition from starting linebacker to defensive end for the Hurricanes’ 2020 Cheez-It Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State after Phillips and Roche declared for the NFL draft, said he’s been picking up tricks of the trade from other Miami defensive ends — past and present.
While he refines his technique, McCloud is focused on bringing the “intangibles” to the defensive line as he continues to sharpen his skill set.
“It’s not even been a full year since I’ve started playing it, but just the things I try to carry with me as a player throughout my career: being a good leader, listening to the guys around me and just a good teammate all around,” he said. “I feel like maybe trying to be like the glue of the group in a way and making sure everybody’s mind is focused on the task. That’s the best thing I can do right now as I develop my other skills.”
Defensive line coach Jess Simpson, who’s entering his second stint in the role after having the same position during the 2018 season, is looking forward to the year McCloud will have after he had 27 tackles and two sacks across nine games (eight starts) last season.
McCloud’s recorded 164 tackles, 4 ½ sacks and two forced fumbles during his first five years with Miami.
“Zach’s the poster boy for what you want in a Miami Hurricane,” Simpson said. “The way he comes to work every day, his attitude, his juice, his personality — you talk about a guy who brings it every single day. For a guy who played defensive end in the bowl game and was totally raw and the work he’s put in, Zach is a special young man. I’m excited about the year I think he can have.”
Depending on how the Hurricanes’ defensive ends line up, Harvey who’s listed at 6 foot 5 and 252 pounds, could match up against Alabama left tackle Evan Neal, who’s listed as 6-7, 350 pounds, in Miami’s season opener against the Crimson Tide on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“I’ve seen a lot of good things,” Harvey said of Neal. “Actually, he’s from Okeechobee, not too far from my hometown [Port St. Lucie]. Good competition, big guy.”
Harvey is looking forward to the level of play the No. 1-ranked team in the nation will bring to start the season.
“A team like that, I feel like it’ll test how you are as a player,” he said. “Go out there compete, fight [and] grind.”