Six questions and answers entering start of UM camp
S Aix questions and potential answers heading into the start of Miami Hurricanes’ football camp on Friday: Who will be the starting running back and wide receivers?
Never in recent memory has these jobs been as genuinely wide open, and the reasons extend well beyond the fact there’s a new coaching staff.
Any one of three backs
(Henry Parrish, Jaylon Knighton, Don Chaney) could make a case to start, and two others (emerging
Thad Franklin and highly touted incoming freshman TreVonte’ Citizen) cannot be discounted. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has been raving about Citizen, though another cautioned not to crown him yet.
With Chaney coming off knee surgery, Parrish could have a slight edge entering camp. He played for new UM running backs coach Kevin Smith at Mississippi, where Parrish averaged 5.1 yards on 161 career carries in America’s toughest conference.
Conversely, Chaney has averaged 4.6 yards on 79 career carries, and Knighton 3.9 on 197.
“We’re very fortunate to have Henry Parrish,” UM radio analyst Don Bailey Jr. said off air. “I saw Parrish play against Arkansas and I was thoroughly impressed. If he’s a 100-yard rusher in an SEC game, he certainly can help us. Parrish is a talent. [And] Thad Franklin definitely showed improvement.”
I make Parrish the slight front-runner, with Knighton seemingly better suited for third downs. Chaney will push Parrish.
Receiver is nearly as unsettled, with Xavier Restrepo the front-runner in the slot, Key’Shawn Smith the front-runner for one starting boundary job, and considerable competition among Jacolby George, junior college transfer Colbie Young,
Clemson transfer Frank Ladson, Romello Brinson and multi-purpose weapon Breshard Smith
for four other slots.
“Without question, Xavier Restrepo had the best spring and was the most productive,” Bailey said. “He was the most consistent receiver. I don’t think anything is clear cut at that position other than Restrepo is going to play.”
Ladson and Young are directly competing at one spot.
What will this offense look like?
Instead of a fast-paced spread (UM’s system under Rhett Lashlee),
look for a mix of tempos, a far more diverse and physical running game, spread elements and more two tight end sets. But big plays are a big part of it; with new UM offensive coordinator Josh Gattis
calling plays, Michigan led the nation in 50-plus yard plays last season. Michigan backs touched the ball 56 percent of Michigan’s plays in 2021, compared with 36 percent for Miami.
It’s “a hard offense to defend,” UM quarterbacks coach Frank Ponce told
Aof both sides of your mouth. It all matters. Everything. There are no little things. If it’s a thing, it’s a big thing and it matters.
“That’s what we’ve been working on, just being very real. Also making sure we spend a lot of time together. We’ve been doing everything from paint-balling to ax-throwing to pool sliding to boat day.”
DISCIPLINARY PHILOSOPHY
Cristobal was asked how he deals with suspensions and if the players get a list of rules.
“We have policies and procedures, but one of my old coaches put it best, ‘If I have to put together a book like this of policies and procedures, we got the wrong guys. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Some things you have to be explicitly clear on, the rest is, ‘Come on now, you gotta understand the differences and make good choices and decisions.’
WQAM’s Joe Zagacki.
Gattis employed two tight-end sets 44.4 percent of the time at Michigan last season; Lashlee used that sparingly. Such alignments make sense, because UM has two highly-skilled young backups (Elijah Arroyo and Jaleel Skinner) behind starter
Will Mallory.
Even though Mallory played with highly talented Brevin Jordan ,he said: “This is the most talented tight end room collectively since I’ve been here” — with Mallory, Arroyo, Skinner, Kahlil Brantley and Dominic Mammarelli.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Arroyo’s last year is two years from now [and he’s NFL bound then],” Mallory said. “That guy is a stud. Jaleel you see the natural talent. That guy is special.”
Gattis initially ran elements of a pro spread offense at Michigan before moving to a runheavy offense that maximized the Wolverines’ personnel last season. Don’t expect a breakneck speed anymore, either. Last season, Miami was 118th in time of possession; Michigan was 24th.
There’s a particular new play — which we won’t reveal — that UM has been running repeatedly in practice and is convinced will be very effective.
How does the front seven look?
Much better, with the additions of five defensive line transfers: Akheem Mesidor (West Virginia),
Mitchell Agude (UCLA),
Jacob Lichtenstein (Southern Cal), UAB’s
Antonio Moultrie and
Darrell Jackson (Maryland) and one middle
A“That’s the greatest power we have, the power of choice. Choosing to do the right thing even when you don’t want to do it, that’s discipline. That’s powerful. And making sure your teammates understand how important that is, that changes things.
“For example, when we go out to practice, when we go out, we’re all wearing the exact same thing — not because I’m enamored with the way a gray shirt looks with black shorts. But you know what? It’s important to culture. And if it’s important to culture and you’ll do it, you’ll understand there are no little things. They’re all important. They’re all tied into being bought into what we do.”
The coach indicated any punishments — he used the term “consequences” — will “match up to whatever the issue might be.”
“It depends on what they do,’’ he said.
“There’s a really big difference in a young guy being immature and having
Caleb linebacker: UCLA’s
Johnson.
Agude can play defensive end or outside linebacker. “He is a huge dude, very athletic, freakish,” defensive end Jahfari Harvey said. “Adds more maturity to the group; older guy. He works very hard. He’s going to have a big impact on this defensive line.”
All six of those players should get playing time (Jackson has the least experience of the group), and Johnson (45 tackles, one interception) could wrest the starting middle linebacker job from Corey Flagg Jr.
Agude, Harvey and
Chantz Williams give UM a solid defensive end rotation, with freshmen Nyjalik Kelly and Cyrus Moss pressing them and Mesidor and Lichtenstein able to play end or tackle.
“Harvey is the guy,” Bailey said of the defensive ends. “Without a question, Jahfari Harvey impressed with his effort, his increased size, impressed with how he has improved his pass rush and he had a very good spring.” Phil Steele’s preseason guide ranks Harvey the 16th best defensive end in the country.
Leonard Taylor, Mesidor, Lichtenstein and
Jared Harrison-Hunte assuredly will be in the defensive tackle rotation, and Miller impressed this spring.
Look for the Canes to play only one linebacker at times. When they play two, Johnson, Flagg, Keontra Smith, Chase Smith and promising freshman Wesley Bissainthe will compete for time.
The key is whether UM can go from one of the to learn and some consequences and the learning experience that comes with that, as opposed to someone with malicious behavior that there’s no room for, period. To me, it’s as clear as the day is long and those decisions, they fall upon me. And I’m good with it. There’s no hesitation if there has to be a, you know …
“But we’ve been very fortunate for the most part to have guys that have made good choices and decisions. And we hammer it home. We’re not going to come off of working hard and doing things the right way.”
Cristobal declined to discuss if anyone has been suspended for the opener.
“Just so you know going for the future, any of those things, if there is one, it will be announced at the appropriate time,” he said. “I will never piecemeal that.”
Susan Miller Degnan: 305-376-3366, @smillerdegnan nation’s worst tackling teams to at least adequate in that area.
What about the offensive line?
UM began the spring game with this group, from left to right: Zion Nelson, Justice Olawaseun, Jakai Clark, Logan Sagapolu and DJ Scaife. That line played very well early on.
Nelson is almost assuredly going to be the left tackle and Clark the center. Scaife will play either right tackle or guard; new coach Alex Mirabal couldn’t stop raving about him this spring. Jalen Rivers — who opened last spring as the starter at left guard — got a lot of work at left tackle in the spring game.
If you project Nelson and Clark and Scaife as starters, and Rivers as a likely starter, that leaves one starting spot among
John Campbell, Olawaseun, Oregon transfers Sagapolu and Jonathan Denis and returnee Ousman Traore.
The most interesting thing to Bailey about the offensive line: “Where Jalen Rivers plays,” Bailey said. “He’s got to play. When he’s healthy, he is an asset.”
Who earns playing time in the defensive backfield?
Tyrique Stevenson is the heavy favorite to start at one cornerback spot, and James Williams, Avantae Williams and
Kamren Kinchens will
AAassuredly be the top three at safety. UM likely will use three-safety alignments at times.
The leaves the No. 2 and No. 3 cornerback jobs wide open among DJ
Ivey, West Virginia transfer Daryl Porter Jr., Te’Cory Couch (looked much better this spring after a disappointing 2021), Isaiah Dunson, Marcus Clarke and fourstar newcomer Khamauri Rogers.
Porter had a 99.2 passer rating in his coverage area for the Mountaineers last season (34 for 53 for 416 yards, three TDs, one pick).
Other passer ratings against: Stevenson (69.1), Couch (104.6), Ivey (123.2), Clarke (124.2) and Dunson (135.4). Blades barely played because of injuries.
The thinking here: Porter will get into the top three, with Blades, Couch and Ivey battling for two other rotation spots behind Stevenson.
A player ready for a breakout?
Restrepo on offense and Taylor on defense.
Departing defensive tackle Jon Ford, the only Hurricanes player who was drafted this year (by Green Bay), had a creative way of describing Taylor: “He’s a big teddy bear that can move. His playmaking ability is crazy.”
ABarry Jackson: 305-376-3491, @flasportsbuzz