Canes wideout ‘tired of hype’
Senior Berrios expects UM’s talent to ‘pay off’ with conference title.
He, like many of his teammates, thought the 2014 Hurricanes were on the way up. They won six games.
He, like many of his teammates, thought the 2015 Hurricanes were headed in the right direction. The coach got fired.
He, like many of his teammates, was excited about the 2016 Hurricanes, and he thinks this year’s team will be even better.
Braxton Berrios, like many of his teammates, knows that talk is cheap.
Last week on WQAM’s Joe Rose Show, the senior wide receiver was asked if Miami can win the ACC Coastal, even with questions at quarterback. UM has not been a conference champion since tying for the Big East title in 2003. Berrios thinks this group, which has added to one of 2016’s best defenses and a solid group on offense, has the look of a contender.
“Oh, my gosh,” Berrios said. “If it’s not — I don’t know what one looks like if this team doesn’t. Truly. The defense is almost set in place. That front seven, I’d put it up there with some of the best in the country, if not the best in the country. That front seven is great. We have a few more linebackers returning that we didn’t have last year, from injuries. And we have a lot of freshmen that can
help us out as well.
“As far as the offense goes, our O-line is as experienced as ever. And we have great skill players. It’s going to come down to the quarterback and how he leads. Truthfully, I believe the hype around this team is well-deserved. But I’m tired of hype, to be honest. I want to go out there and finally do it. And I don’t see why (we can’t).”
Mark Richt’s arrival, Berrios said, “flipped the switch immediately” on Miami’s fortunes.
“The culture of the team changed, the momentum,” he said. “What he’s been able to do in the short time he’s been here is truly incredible. We feel that as well. The fans get hyped or whatever, but we feel that as well. We feel like we’re on the right path. If we keep doing what we’re doing and chugging away, it’s going to pay off.”
Rose opened the segment with a question about N’Kosi Perry, “the name that everybody talks about,” Rose said. “How’s he look so far?”
“He looks really good,” Berrios said. “I think he’s impressed a lot of people. He has a heck of an arm . ... He’s really got a cannon. It’s one thing to see it on film. It’s another to see it in person. He’s come in and he’s starting to understand the play- book. That’s going to be the main thing. Can he under- stand the playbook, and can he read college defenses and make the right decision?”
Rose then eased into the topic of the quarterback race.
“We have a good amount of quarterbacks, a good amount that have a chance to play,” Berrios said. “To be honest, I don’t care who starts. I want the best person to start. At the end of that day, that’s what’s going to matter. I’m friends with all of them, I’m not biased, and I don’t care.
“As far as getting used to them all, that’s the hard part. Ever since I’ve been here, for the most part, we’ve had one guy, and we knew who that guy was. You get in a rhythm throughout the summer, spring even. Now we’re coming into camp with three or four guys who could be the guy. It’s going to be a little dif- ferent with their cadences, how they throw, how hard they throw and all the timing. That’s the main disadvantage of having so many guys who can be it.
“I want somebody to step up and be the leader and be