Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Accountability, fun visible under Diaz
Opening day of spring practice shows ‘The New Miami’
CORAL GABLES – There were moments when coaches had to instruct players on how to properly run some unfamiliar drills. And those players all wore helmets emblazoned with their last names, a visible reminder that this spring, at “The New Miami” as coach Manny Diaz has taken to calling the Hurricanes’ football program, there are more than a few new faces in new places.
There is Diaz, of course, elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach after the unexpected resignation of Mark Richt. There is offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who last year, was grooming Alabama quarterbacks, including one — junior Tua Tagovailoa — that is already generating plenty of NFL buzz. And on the field, Tate Martell and K.J. Osborn — two transfers hoping to make an impact at Miami — went through their first drills as Hurricanes.
On Tuesday morning, they and the rest of Miami’s players and coaches participated in the first of 15 scheduled spring practices, the entire program taking another step forward and putting more distance between the Hurricanes and a disappointing 2018 season that saw the team finish well below expectations.
“The energy feels so much different,” tight end Brevin Jordan said with a big smile. “It’s fun, man. The whole vibe of this team, we walk into the locker room excited, excited to be here, excited to be Miami. Coach Diaz, when he says ‘The New Miami,’ he means it. It’s true. It feels different.”
Though the Hurricanes are still days away from donning pads and on Tuesday went through what Diaz called a “full-speed walkthrough,” some of the changes already visible, at least during the 40 minutes of practice open to the media.
Enos’ offense — which features more motion and shifting than the one run by Richt last season — challenged the defense, veteran linebackers Mike Pinckney and Shaq Quarterman both noted. And Martell, a quarterback still learning that offense and becoming more familiar with his new targets, showed some of the arm strength that made him one of the nation’s most coveted prospects coming out of high school in 2017.
There seemed to be a new focus on accountability, too, with offensive players dropping and doing push-ups after mistakes as coaches vocally corrected those errors. And just as passionately as they doled out the needed reprimands, those same coaches excitedly celebrated big plays, like the touchdowns caught by receiver Mike Harley and tight end Michael Irvin II, who looked unbothered by the knee injury that sidelined him last season.
“What we talked about is just the standard, right? We’re holding these guys to an extraordinarily high standard,” Diaz said. “But those are the type of men those coaches are. They ask them all the time – do you want to be great? And some of our guys will respond to that and some of our guys, to be honest, they just might be in the wrong place. But if we’re going to be Miami, if we’re going to win the games we’re supposed to win, we have to hold our guys to that standard and that’s all that’s going on right now.”
There was also, players made clear, an element of fun at Tuesday’s practice that was missing last year as the Hurricanes navigated a four-game losing streak, endured inconsistent quarterback play and mustered just 358.8 yards per game, a number that ranked 105th among 130 FBS programs.
“The new Miami, we just want to have fun. I feel like we got out of having fun and we got away from ourselves,” Pinckney said. “But the standard is something coach Diaz is trying to set again, that the defense held ourselves to. We’re trying to make that a whole team thing. We’re just trying to preach excellence, toughness, things like that.”
Added Jordan: “Last year I didn’t really work with coach Diaz because he was always on the defensive side. Now that I’m with him, he’s a character. I wish you guys could see our meetings, he’s so funny. The dude is a character.”
Jordan paused, then continued.
“When he says the new Miami, he’s being for real, y’all. The new Miami. We’re elite. Just tune in August 24. Game 1.”