Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Ex-’Canes praise Lingard, Ford, Gerald Willis
CORAL GABLES — After they wrapped up their pro-day workouts at the Dolphins training facility on Wednesday, several of the Hurricanes standouts leaving the program seemed optimistic.
Yes, most of them were encouraged by how they’d performed in front of the personnel from all 32 NFL teams that descended on Miami’s pro day. But the outgoing players also noted they felt pretty good about the future of the Hurricanes program they were leaving behind and the players trying to fill their spots.
Running back Mark Walton, for instance, had nothing but rave reviews for five-star prospect Lorenzo Lingard, an early enrollee who is working his way through his first weeks of college football.
“I think he’s going to be a hell of a player,” said Walton, who said he watched Lingard and the rest of the Hurricanes during Tuesday’s practice. “He’s going to be a hell of a player. … To be honest, once he learns the offense — he’s new to the offense — once he learns it and gets the hang of everything, I think he’s going to be a very special talent.
“It’s going to be a fourheaded monster [at running back] once Cam [Davis] comes in. But you never know how that role’s going to go, who’s going to start. Right now, Travis [Homer] is the leader of that group and like I told him [Tuesday], demand more out of them than you demand of yourself, so those guys will come into line. I didn’t know I was going to go down, that’s why I tried to get those guys on board.”
Walton, who was expected to be Miami’s offensive leader before suffering a season-ending injury against Florida State, then continued to praise Lingard.
“I think him, with his cutbacks, he does a great job with the cut-backs, finding open lanes. … He’s got some vision. [Tuesday], he was hitting the holes very well.”
While the Hurricanes look to be in good shape at running back, Miami coach Mark Richt has bemoaned the lack of depth on the defensive line, which lost the likes of Chad Thomas, Trent Harris, RJ McIntosh, and Kendrick Norton.
While all four of those players got time in front of NFL scouts on Wednesday, the Hurricanes are hoping Gerald Willis — who took a leave of absence last season — will step up and help fill the void.
Miami is also counting on sophomores Jon Ford and Jon Garvin to make an impact on the line, too. And the veterans who played alongside them during their Miami careers say they believe Willis and the young linemen can get the job done.
“He can be a great player. He is a great player,” McIntosh said of Willis on Wednesday. “I think he has his head on right, or however you want to say it. I was just with him [Tuesday], maybe two days ago. And he’s enjoying the new coach, working hard. He got his weight back up and he looks good for his weight. He’s 295 or something like that.”
Asked about how Willis and Ford will fare against ACC offensive linemen, McIntosh continued, “They’re some big guys. Jon’s always been big. They’re looking good right now, even seeing them with their 1-on-1 drills, they’re looking good.”
Said Kendrick Norton of Ford, “He’s a huge kid. He’s a really big kid. He’s athletic for his size, he gets everything locked in, he can be another great one to come out of Miami. We have a lot of those coming. A lot of the young guys coming up will surprise people.”