Assistants Hickson, Field return home
South Florida roots run deep for RB, TE coaches
CORAL GABLES — Hurricanes running backs coach Eric Hickson didn’t exactly have a whole lot of time to get used to his new surroundings after Miami’s Manny Diaz hired him to join his offensive staff.
Same thing goes for tight ends coach Stephen Field, who as of late last week, was still waiting for his car, most of his clothes and furniture and almost everything else he owns to make its way from Eugene, Ore., to Miami.
But while both Hickson and Field may have had to deal with moving logistics and trying to quickly learn a few of their new players’ names before hopping on the recruiting trail ahead of National Signing Day, navigating South Florida itself hasn’t exactly been a problem.
Both have deep ties to the area, playing high school football at Dillard and Palm Beach Lakes, respectively. Both coached high school football in the tri-county area and both believe they can help Diaz reshape a Hurricanes offense that endured its share of struggles last season.
“It’s really a dream come true. My daughter’s here. My family is from here. I’m from Palm Beach County. I’ve been around Miami football for a long time. … My best friend, Michael Smith played linebacker here in the late 90s going into the early 2000s. So every summer, I would work out here and train here and I saw how it transpired to be into the national level that it was with coach [Butch] Davis,” said Field, who spent last season at Oregon as the Ducks’ director of recruiting. “Working hard in the summers and training with Ed Reed, Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne and all those guys. Out there, we had a sand pit. It was obviously a lot different than it is here now. Just knowing the passion and the energy and everything that comes through this ‘U,’ I’m excited just to be here.”
Added Hickson, “It means a lot to be able to come back not only just start as an adolescent playing little league football here in South Florida and then be able to come back and coach in front of my family and friends. It’s amazing. I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling I wish everybody could experience. … When [Diaz] called me I was stoked. I was like, ‘Yes, let’s make this happen.’ I was fired up and I got a little emotional at first. But at the same time, coach Diaz is probably the one that does understand the feeling I was feeling because he’s from here and being able to come back and coach and also now be the head coach, I can just imagine his feelings.”
In the weeks before spring practice begins on March 19, Field and Hickson will continue getting to know some of the playmakers they’ll be tasked with developing. For Field, that group — which includes Brevin Jordan, Will Mallory, Brian Polendey and Michael Irvin II — was hampered by injuries and depth problems.
Still, Jordan went on to become one of the top tight ends in the Atlantic Coast Conference, earning second-team All-ACC honors after totaling 287 yards on 32 catches.
ccabrera@ sun-sentinel.com; On Twitter @ChristyChirinos.