Muhammad intends to prove he’s best DE
CORAL GABLES — The question had barely finished before Al-Quadin Muhammad could offer an answer. The inquiry was centered on what the Miami Hurricanes defensive end wanted to prove this season. His response was immediate.
“I’m trying to prove that I’m the best in the country,” said Muhammad, who goes by the nickname “Quan.” “It’s hands down. I feel like I’m underrated. It’s like ‘Ah, he’s all right.’
“I’m trying to prove I’m the best and that’s why I’m out here working hard every day. It’s going to happen.”
Muhammad is entering his third full season with the Hurricanes, having missed the 2014 campaign due to a suspension, and is poised to anchor the defensive line. He enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, when he finished third on the team in tackles (54) and led Miami in both tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (five).
Muhammad drew praise from coach Mark Richt over the weekend for his “relentless” motor, and his energy level has also impressed defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
“His effort stands out in practice, when other guys start to feel tired, Quan continues to push himself,” Diaz said. “That’s that type of human he is and the type of player he can become.”
Both Richt and Diaz stopped short of sayingMuhammadcould become the best defensive end in the country, but pointed to the potential and confidence he brings to the defensive line.
“If he plays hard every down and if he plays with that relentless effort I mentioned before, he’s got a chance,” Richt said. “He’s got some really good tools. He’s got a great motor. If he can stay healthy, I really like his potential to be very good.”
Muhammad has always had the potential to be very good. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school, and a U.S. Army All-American. But an eighttackle freshman year and a missed sophomore season pushed his timeline back -and placed a slight chip on his shoulder.
Perhaps no one felt the brunt of that chip more than offensive tackle Bar Milo, who set up acrossMuhammad a year ago, taking on the 6-foot-4, 250-pound pass rusher nearly every practice, with varying results.
“Thatwas the best part ofmy career so far, playing against a dude that’s about to go the next level, a man that goes 100 percent all the time,” Milo said. “That’s a big dude. I’m not trying to hype him up or anything, but he’s going to be great one day. He already is, but at the next level.
“I’m going to have fun tellingmy kids I went against him and I got him a couple of reps. He’s just a hell of dude, hell of a guy, hell of a player, really respect that dude.” The lingering ‘virus’ While former coach Al Golden’s regime has been eliminated, some of the effects are still being felt. Or, as Diaz put it, a “virus” still slithers through the Hurricanes football program.
In talking about his defense’s performance through the first seven practices of spring football, Diaz discussed holding his players to a higher standard of excellence that would translate through to the fall. The higher standards would lead to more consistency, something Diaz believes was lacking under Golden.
“That’s what we want as coaches, because that’s what exposes what we call ‘the virus’ that’s still inside the program still that we can still choose when to be at our best and when to not be at our best,” Diaz said. “That’s not all of them, but certainly some of them have that and that’s what we’re trying to eradicate as muchas possible in these15days [of spring practice].”
Golden went 32-25 at Miami before he was fired after a 58-0 drubbing by Clemson in October. Improving the tackling Diaz also said Miami has changed the way it tackled during spring practice, hoping to mend a defense that ranked 77th nationally in scoring defense (28.2 points per game) and 69th in total defense (404.8 yards per game). Diaz said theHurricanes were “getting after each other full.”
“We are tackling every day,” Diaz said. “We’ve changed the system of tackling that we use here, and we’re tackling bodies to the ground every day in our drill work, and understanding how we do it, what type of tackling systemwe’re using. I think the guys are respondingwell to it.”
Miami also ranked 105th a year ago in tackles for loss and 101st in rushing defense. Patchan absent Defensive lineman Scott Patchan was not at practice Tuesday morning, and coach Mark Richt declined to comment on Patchan’s injury.
“Yeah, I’m not going to make any comment on injuries around here, at least not today,” Richt said.
Patchan, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound sophomore out of Bradenton’s IMG Academy, redshirted in 2015 and figured to add depth along the defensive line this season.