Who’s where

A list of where Broward and Palm Beach’s top senior players are looking.

CORAL GABLES — While several of Miami’s draft-eligible juniors are still weighing whether to declare for the NFL draft, the Hurricanes do know one of their top defensive players will be in Coral Gables next season.

Linebacker Zach McCloud said Tuesday he intends to return to Miami for his senior season. He also said he hopes fellow linebackers Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney will do the same.

“If they don’t, I’m going to choke them out,” McCloud laughed after Miami wrapped up another practice ahead of its Dec. 27 showdown against Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Quarterman and Pinckney aren’t the only Miami players still trying to decide whether the Pinstripe Bowl will be their final game as Hurricanes. Defensive end Joe Jackson and running back Travis Homer are also draft eligible and will be making decisions about their futures soon.

At Miami, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz — who will be coaching the Hurricanes in the bowl game before taking over as the head coach at Temple — said he and the rest of UM’s coaches continue educating players to make the best possible decisions.

That’s included PowerPoint presentations, question-andanswer sessions, examining the intricacies of NFL contracts and more, including sending each player’s information to the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, which will provide information on whether the league believes a player has the potential to be a high-round draft pick or should return to school.

After going through that process, McCloud said he believed it was in his best interest to return to Miami, get his Master’s Degree after graduating in May and return to the Hurricanes linebacking corps.

“These are my brothers right here, and all the stuff that comes with going to the league, that'll still be there for me. If God wants that to happen, then it'll happen, plus I'll be able to get my master's. I'm graduating this spring, so there's a lot of benefits that come with staying,” said McCloud, a former standout at Santaluces High. “Being here with coach [Jonathan] Patke, coach [Ephraim] Banda for their first year as codefensive coordinators is a big thing for me because if we were all just to leave, I feel like it'd be like hanging them out to dry. I don't want to do anything like that, so there's a lot of things that went into that decision and that thought process.

“I was never really considering leaving early. This is the place for me right now."

Jordan returns to practice: Hurricanes tight end Brevin Jordan, who missed Miami’s regular-season finale against Pittsburgh because of an ankle injury, was on the field Tuesday participating in individual and passing drills during the media viewing portion of practice.

If he is able to play in the Pinstripe Bowl, his return would give Miami’s offense — which was without a healthy scholarship tight end against Pittsburgh — a boost.

After the departure of receiver Jeff Thomas, Jordan became Miami’s leading receiver with a team-high 30 catches for 275 yards and four touchdowns. He earned second-team All-ACC honors late last month.

Richards assisting: Former Hurricanes receiver Ahmmon Richards, whose career ended earlier this year because of a neck injury, was out on the practice field with the Hurricanes on Tuesday morning, helping receivers coach Ron Dugans run drills.

Richards was expected to be one of Miami’s top offensive weapons this season, but was hurt in the season opener and never returned to the field.

Miami announced in October that Richards’ career had ended.