Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition

Old school defense

Quarterman fondly recalls physical teams

- By Christy Cabrera Chirinos

CORAL GABLES — Maybe it was the sheer physicalit­y, the way he could hit. Or how he quickly learned his playbook and was able to break down film. Or his ability to speak up in a room full of older players.

Most likely, it was a combinatio­n of all those factors and more that helped Hurricanes coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinato­r Manny Diaz see that Shaquille Quarterman was not the average freshman.

Quarterman, who at this time last year was playing high school football at Oakleaf High near Jacksonvil­le, enrolled at Miami in January. He’s done nothing but impress teammates and coaches since.

The expectatio­n throughout camp was that Quarterman would be one of the Hurricanes top defensive contributo­rs this year and his role will likely be even greater now that Miami’s defense is reeling after two of its top veterans – defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad and linebacker Jermaine Grace – were dismissed Saturday after committing NCAA violations.

So is the 18-year-old fourstar prospect and U.S. Army All-American ready for the challenge of leading a defense looking to reassert itself after allowing opponents an average of 409 yards per game?

Quarterman — and everyone else around him — say there’s little doubt.

“He has great characteri­stics of a leader. He works hard. He studies. He behaves. He does all the things you would want a leader to do and I think he’s gained the respect of our team,” Richt said of the 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker. “Sometimes a freshman can come in and get into a starting role, there might be some resentment, especially if a guy is real cocky or brash or acts like he owns the place. … but when a guy comes in with a humble spirit, works his tail off and just physically gets the job done, like Shaq did, I think they’re embracing the guy. I think they’re excited about him being here.”

Added Hurricanes linebacker Darrion Owens, who played with Quarterman at Oakleaf before the pair landed at Miami, “I don’t see him as a freshman. You can see he’s a natural-born leader, how he’s focused and he cares about the game . ... ”

When he arrived at Oakleaf as a freshman, he showed there too, he could easily handle the move from junior high football to varsity, then Knights coach Derek Chipoletti said. Quarterman was a four-year starter in the program, amassing 412 tackles, 23.5 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles and two intercepti­ons. Major college programs including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State came calling, but Quarterman — a lifelong Hurricanes fan who glows when he talks about the hard-hitting Miami defenses of old — followed his heart to Coral Gables, despite Miami’s struggles recently.

“I remember them being very dominant, them playing smash-mouth football, hitting everything that moved. Scoring and being flashy with it,” Quarterman said of the Hurricanes he grew up watching. “They were actually having fun out there. I know winning is supposed to be fun and they won with style. That’s one thing I really admired and I wanted to play like they played.”

“I knew I had to earn everything I wanted to get when I came here,” he said. “This is, to me, the birthplace of competitio­n as far as competing against one another for a spot. I know back in history they had multiple superstars at the same position and they had to compete for those spots. So I didn’t expect anything. … I have to be ready. I can’t be slacking in any way. I have guys that depend on me to tell them what to do, people behind me that relay the call. I can’t dilly dally.”

 ?? ALAN DIAZ/AP ?? Miami Hurricanes freshman linebacker Shaquille Quarterman has impressed coaches and players from the day of his arrival at the program.
ALAN DIAZ/AP Miami Hurricanes freshman linebacker Shaquille Quarterman has impressed coaches and players from the day of his arrival at the program.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States