Richt looking for leaders to emerge

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Hurricanes lost a good chunk of veteran leadership last season.

Gone are Brad Kaaya, Corn Elder, Jamal Carter and several other players who were often the faces of the program when things got tough, including a four-game losing streak last October.

As Miami prepares to begin its third week of camp, coach Mark Richt has made it clear that the Hurricanes need to find players who can not only fill key positions on the field, but also become the leaders Miami will need when its new season begins next month.

And the coach frustratingly noted he didn’t see any of that much-needed leadership when things got challenging during Saturday’s closed scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium.

“I thought that when things were going good, the side of the ball where things were going good, they seemed pretty excited and the other side didn’t really have good body language,” Richt said.

While the Hurricanes still have three weeks until their opener, they’ll need to find those voices in their locker room sooner rather than later. After opening against Bethune-Cookman, their next game will be on the road at Arkansas State. And in Week 3, they’ll be in Tallahassee taking on rival Florida State.

The Hurricanes are scheduled to scrimmage again next Saturday, this time on campus.

First game: Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman, Sept. 2, 12:30, ACC Regional Sports Network