Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Freshmen will get shot to play
Richt expects incoming class to contribute
CORAL GABLES — On the same morning Hurricanes offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson earned Freshman AllAmerican honors from the Football Writers Association of America, Miami coach Mark Richt said again he expects more young players to have near-immediate impacts when they arrive in Coral Gables.
During an appearance with WQAM-560’s Joe Rose on Monday, Richt again praised Miami’s haul during the Early Signing Period and said he believes several members of the Hurricanes current recruiting class will see extensive playing time this season, just as Donaldson did as a freshman.
“We believe [they] have the skill set to make us better at every position across the board and we’re going to allow them to compete and see if they can do it,” Richt said of Miami’s signees, which helped the Hurricanes land top-five recruiting class after the Early Signing Period. “We’ve had it happen for the last couple years, freshmen come in, some become starters, some become leaders, some become guys that are in the rotation [and] some are helping us big on special teams.
“I mean, Travis Homer, his freshman year, was mainly a special teams guy, but he was the best one we had. And then when it was time for him to play this year, and take on a larger role because Mark Walton got hurt, he was ready for that. It was not a shock to his system, all of a sudden playing a lot. He was playing a lot as a freshman. It just happened to be on special teams.”
Since Richt and his staff arrived in Coral Gables, they’ve made it clear talented freshmen can and will play early.
This past season, Donaldson started 10 of 13 games for Miami on the offensive line. In 2016, the Hurricanes started a trio of freshmen at linebacker in Shaquille Quarterman, Mike Pinckney and Zach McCloud. Former Wellington standout Ahmmon Richards had a breakout season that year, too, breaking Miami’s 31-year-old freshman receiving record previously held by Michael Irvin.
Quarterman, Pinckney and Richards all became Freshman All-Americans. Now Donaldson has earned the same recognition from both the FWAA and ESPN. Richt expects that line of successful Miami freshmen to continue and he had specific praise for one signee in particular, tight end Brevin Jordan.
“He’s a special player. He can get on the line of scrimmage and block like a true on-the-line type and he can play in the backfield as an H-back. He can run routes, catch balls out of a spread look, very versatile, very smart, tough, motivated,” Richt said of Jordan. “People use the term alpha-dog. He is that kind of a guy. He’s a leader. I think he’s a guy that will play big in big games. I don’t think being a freshman will slow him down, to be honest with you. He’s going to come in and I think he’s going to come in and produce right away.”
Jordan isn’t the only freshman expected to log significant playing time early. Fellow tight end signee Will Mallory will have an opportunity to contribute, with Chris Herndon graduating. And kicker Bubba Baxa is expected to slide into the role left vacant by the graduation of veteran Michael Badgley.
Five-star running back prospect Lorenzo Lingard and four-star running back prospect Camron Davis add depth instantly to a position that struggled on that front this season and four-star wide receiver prospect Mark Pope could work his way into an already-speedy rotation. Quarterback signee Jarren Williams, meanwhile, could find himself in the competition for Miami’s starting job. Richt said Monday that job still belongs to Malik Rosier, but there will be competition there moving forward.
Ahead of February’s National Signing Day, Miami has already signed 19 of its committed recruits. Richt has said previously either nine or 10 of them could be on campus as early enrollees and now it’s time for the Hurricanes to lock in on their remaining prospects.
Richt told Rose the Hurricanes could sign as many as 27 players by the time it’s all is said and done, but he also didn’t rule out the possibility of leaving a couple of scholarships open for potential graduate transfers.