MIAMI: Recruiting focus turns to defense,
After early signing, it’s crucial to hold onto pledge Silvera.
CORAL GABLES — With two five-star recruits and seven four-star recruits among 11 early signees, Miami’s offense added significant skill on early signing day.
Miami’s defensive coaches, meanwhile, are looking to land a knockout blow after emerging from their corner.
“Right now, it’s about that ninth, 10th round in the boxing match,” cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph said. “We’re actually about to get into the 11th round. We want to finish strong and go after the best of the best.”
The Hurricanes are still taking big swings at five-star cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Patrick Surtain and fourstar defensive end Andrew Chatfield, none of whom have committed to a school. They plan to visit UM in January with Plantation-American Heritage teammate Nesta Silvera, a four-star defensive tackle who has pledged to UM. Silvera will sign in February.
His commitment is critical because UM could lose starting junior defensive tackles RJ McIntosh and Kendrick Norton to the NFL draft and will lose senior Anthony Moten. “I think you will see us continue to fill some spots at that position,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said.
“We have been very thorough of our evaluations. We say who’s the best guy in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach at that position? We feel like we did at secondary, linebacker, defensive end and we need to do that for sure at defensive tackle. We suspect we will.”
Including another defensive end, Diaz said it’s “possible we can add three guys up front.”
And if they add the aforementioned Heritage trio in the back seven, they’ll feel like they won a title fight.
Miami coaches on the defensive recruits they signed last week:
■ DE Greg Rousseau: “Greg has a unique skill set in terms of his ability to come off the edge and rush the passer first and foremost,” Diaz said. “The comparison I’ve always had in my mind is Manny Lawson, who we had at N.C. State. Kind of came in the same way. Greg was so valuable in so many different ways at (Hialeah-Champagnat Catholic). Did a great job. State champions there. You can never have enough guys who can rush the passer and get after the quarterback. Greg does have the ability to drop in coverage and play in space, which gives us a lot of flexibility.”
■ LB Patrick Joyner: “Long, can run, high-motor guy,” Diaz said. “Has a unique skill set with his ability to rush the passer. One of the top guys in Dade County, maybe the top guy in sacks on the season. A guy that on first and second down can chase a running back and on third down maybe a guy we can use where we showed this year playing with four defensive ends — a guy like Pat and a guy like Greg (Rousseau) can give us more weapons to go affect the quarterback.”
■ CB D.J. Ivey: “What D.J. brings is length, speed, but really in recruiting at times, guys will sort of take the foot off the gas their senior year,” Diaz said. “D.J. really came on strong this year. You talk to the coaches at South Dade, they couldn’t get him off the field. Played on special teams, did it all. Tackling a lot better — a lot more physical at the point of attack. What you want a guy to be in the secondary, D.J. has all the skills and (is) also very intelligent. Outstanding student and will be on our campus in January.”
■ CB/S Gilbert Frierson: Frierson, listed as a safety, will start out at corner. “We’re super happy to have Gilbert,” safeties coach Ephraim Banda said. “Cane blood. He was born a Cane. We had to battle some teams for him. But his length, his size, his ability to cover people up, his competitive nature is something maybe you don’t see unless you watch him in practices or games. I loved going to his practices because he just competed. He had fun. I’m starting to really see it, what makes South Florida different, it’s the competitive spirit the kids play with and he has it.”
■ S Gurvan Hall (Palm Beach Gardens): “Gurvan is a safety,” Diaz said. “We have always thought so highly of Gurvan for maybe two years now. Outstanding young man. We have this great group of guys from Palm Beach County. They are the greatest group of guys off the field. On the field, they’re trying to knock the taste out of your mouth. Gurvan is the next one in line, like Amari Carter, Zach McCloud, Travis Homer, and Ahmmon Richards. Palm Beach has been very good to us, and Gurvan is really the next one.”
■ CB Al Blades: “You can’t talk about Al without talking about his mentality and his demeanor,” Diaz said. “Highly competitive in everything he does. Wants to win in everything he does.”