Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes
Freshman Al Blades Jr. is named a captain for Miami’s game Saturday at Toledo.
CORAL GABLES — It took a moment for the realization to sink in — and even then Al Blades Jr. wasn’t quite sure if he’d heard things correctly.
With his teammates gathered around him and his coach publicly sharing which Hurricanes would serve as captains for No. 21 Miami’s first true road game of the year at Toledo, Blades thought he heard his name.
But it seemed almost impossible. A freshman who had played in just two collegiate games? Coach Mark Richt wasn’t really saying Blades’ name, was he?
“He called my name and I just … I still was like in disbelief. I just didn’t know what was going on,” Blades said. “I went around in practice asking, ‘Does that mean I’m going to be a captain?’”
It most certainly does. And Saturday, he’ll share that honor with a core of Hurricanes veterans, including offensive lineman Hayden Mahoney, defensive end Joe Jackson and safety Sheldrick Redwine.
Through Miami’s first two games, Blades — the son Hurricanes legend Al Blades, nephew of Bennie and Brian Blades and a former All-American at St. Thomas Aquinas — has wasted little time making his presence felt on both defense and special teams, the unit he’ll be representing as captain on Saturday afternoon in Toledo.
In the Hurricanes’ opener, Blades was pressed into duty earlier than expected when cornerback Trajan Bandy was ejected for targeting in the first quarter of Miami’s 33-17 loss to LSU. He’d finish the game with a pair of tackles — and the respect of his teammates and coaches.
“The transition from high school to college usually does not have a lot to do with physical ability, their talent, all of our guys are talented. It’s the ones who mentally have that maturity to compete at that next level and Al stood out from very early in training camp as a guy that was just not in awe of the speed of the game,” Hurricanes defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “Trajan Bandy gets kicked out of the game on the fourth play against LSU. Guess what? Al Blades you’re the nickel, in maybe one of the most intimidating settings of all of college football — Cowboys Stadium — and Al goes right in there and just is playing like he’s playing catch in his backyard.
“There’s something in his mental makeup and his wiring that makes him believe that nothing is ever too big for him and he feels very confident in every situation that he’s in.”
Blades’ skill set, speed and willingness to get involved have also earned him playing time on four of Miami’s special-teams units. He starts on two of those — punts and kickoffs — and Hurricanes special teams coordinator Todd Hartley says he could do even more, were it not for the fact both Blades and fellow freshman Brian Hightower both wear No. 7 and therefore, can’t be on the field at the same time.
But in terms of responsibility, Blades — who wears that No. 7 to honor his father — has shown he can handle it and on Wednesday Hartley noted that he can’t remember having a freshman selected as a captain only two games into his career. Hurricanes running back Travis Homer earned the distinction of serving as special teams captain during his freshman year, but it came later.
“He’s a really good football player,” Hartley said of Blades. “He’s got great speed. He’s a great tackler. He’s got the right mindset and the right mentality to be a special teams player. For the kid to be a captain in game three of his freshman year, that’s awesome.”
While Blades’ skill set and ability to make plays have helped him stand out early in the season, his teammates have been impressed by that, and something else: his joy at merely having the opportunity to play. That’s what caught defensive tackle Gerald Willis’ attention — and it generated a comparison Blades admits with a smile he’s heard all his life.
“He reminds me of his dad a little bit,” Willis said. “We used to watch old film upstairs. He’s just excited and has so much joy for the game. I’m really excited for him.”