Opinions mixed on improvement of UM for this season

What should we expect of the Miami Hurricanes if there’s a college football season?

Depends on who you ask.

Draft analyst Tony Pauline asserts UM’s talent still isn’t good enough for the Canes to compete for anything meaningful. Two prominent TV analysts say otherwise.

Pauline, on his podcast, indicated he doesn’t expect much.

“They are a program that underachieves,” he said. “They lost to Florida International during the regular season. They got shut out by [Louisiana] Tech. They seem to be a program heading in the wrong direction. Unlike Florida State, who the Hurricanes detest and who is going in the right direction, I don’t see a lot of improvement coming from the Hurricanes this year.”

Among UM’s draft prospects, Pauline said defensive end Greg Rousseau stands well above the rest, and he’s not even playing this season. He said that leaves tight end Brevin Jordan as Miami’s only experienced top NFL prospect, and Pauline rates him a third-rounder.

What about quarterback

D’Eriq King? Pauline texted me that as an NFL prospect, King is “marginal at best. I gave him a PFA [preferred free agent] grade, similar to the grade scouts gave him.”

National TV voices are more bullish on the Canes. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky told me that a top-20 ranking is “absolutely” realistic.

Offensive coordinator

“Rhett Lashlee is a massive hire,” Orlovsky said. “I think Lashlee could be on the fast track to being one of the great offensive minds in college football. The way he understands the game, the tempo, the changing of tempo, matchups, pace, formation use. He’s really, really smart, has got a very creative mind. It’s a really, really good hire for Miami.

“And D’Eriq King is a freak,” Orlovsky added. “We thought he was going to LSU. That’s a big time signing, fits the offense perfectly. They will utilize his athleticism as well as anyone.”

Danny Kanell, who works games for CBS Sports Network, agrees that King is the real deal. “I covered King a lot at Houston and he’s an electric player,” Kanell said. “I [told my UM friends], ‘You guys finally found a quarterback. That’s the biggest reason Florida State and Miami have struggled.”

Could King be UM’s best quarterback since Ken Dorsey? Privately, UM people believe he might be.

“He’s the best playmaker they’ve had at that position, and when I say playmaker, I mean difference maker where he can bail you out of bad situations,” Kanell said. “He can mask issues along the offensive line with his athleticism, and he’s a really good thrower, too.”

And Kanell said UM’s move to a spread offense was necessary.

“If Nick Saban was essentially forced to do it, then you better be paying attention because he has the best talent in the world and he’s saying, ‘I can’t take my program where I want to go without running a wideopen system,’” Kanell said. “I think you have to do that in today’s game.

“The quarterback talent coming out of high school are excelling in those types of systems and the rules of the game are promoting this type of wide-open offense. So you’re foolish if you stay with your head in the sand and say we’re going to go old school.”

The view here: There’s a lot to be excited about so far, including the emergence of electric freshmen running backs Jaylon Knighton and Don Chaney; King’s presence; Jaelen Phillips’ play at defensive end; Will Mallory’s growth as a No. 2 tight end, and the freshman defenders (end Chantz Williams, linebacker Corey Flagg and others).

But left tackle (John Campbell) and one guard spot (Ousman Traore or Jakai Clark or Zion Nelson) are big questions; so are striker (Keonta Smith or Gurvan Hall), defensive tackle (no dominant player there) and the linebacker spot opposite Zach McCloud (Bradley Jennings has made a case). And there’s limited depth at running back (four on scholarship) and cornerback (six).

CHATTER

Miami-Dade Mayor

Carlos Gimenez told

Andy Slater that the Dolphins “would like to get up to 25 percent” stadium capacity for games, but Gimenez said he will make that decision and it’s a couple weeks off.

The rate of positive tests in Miami-Dade County “is going down,” Gimenez said. “We may see some fans in the stands if the trend continues. It’s an outdoor facility. Much safer than indoors. We are going to see what we can do, with them and the Hurricanes, to see if we can get some fans in the stands. It’s a little bit early now.” UM says it will use the same capacity as the Dolphins.

Brian Flores admitted that he didn’t make what turned out to be Miami’s smartest personnel move last season: moving Eric Rowe from cornerback to safety in October. That was then cornerbacks-coach

Josh Boyer’s idea; Boyer is now defensive coordinator.

With Dan Le Batard’s popular ESPN Radio show losing an hour — it is running 10 a.m. to noon nationally instead of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning this week — Le Batard and Jon Weiner have begun serving up new regular podcast content, with two fresh offerings daily — one before the radio show and one after. Le Batard’s

ESPN TV show moved to the 2:30 p.m. weekday slot.

Couple other local media notes: Viewers have a choice of watching HeatPacers games on Fox

Sports Sun or Game 2 on ESPN (with Doris Burke as the analyst) or Game 3 on TNT (Chris Webber the analyst) or Game 4 on TNT (Stan Van Gundy the analyst). … NBC-6 did not renew the contract of news and sports anchor

Keith Jones, leaving

Ruthie Polinsky as the station’s only sportscaster. Jones will be permitted to work through Dec. 31. … WQAM-560 picked up

Mike Greenberg’s new ESPN Radio show from noon to 2 p.m. weekdays.