Gordinier making progress Quarterman reaping benefits

Sophomore linebacker Jamie Gordinier is steadily working his way back after missing last season because of a knee injury he sustained in last year’s opener against Florida A&M.

“He feels really confident in his leg,” Diaz said. “His first couple days, even though there was no contact out there, just moving and cutting, doesn’t show any hesitation. I think, for his confidence, it will be really good. Now, [Thursday], he’s got to run into some people where it makes a loud noise and feel really good about that.”

The addition of Gordinier should bolster a unit that is already one of the Hurricanes’ strongest.

“It helps us having him back,” Diaz said. “He’s a guy who’s very intelligent, answers all the questions in meeting rooms and can play multiple positions for us.” COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Ara Parseghian, who took over a foundering Notre Dame program and restored it to glory with two national championships in 11 seasons, died at 94 in Granger, Ind. Parseghian and the Irish won titles in 1966 and 1973, but he abruptly retired after the 1974 season at 51 with a record of 95-17-4. He said he was worn out and ready for a change. Parseghian, Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy are the only Irish coaches to lead the program to more than one national championship . ... LSU OL Maea Teuhema, a two-year starter, was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules . ... Mississippi said it was “gathering facts” after CB Ken Webster and LB Detric Bing-Dukes were charged with shoplifting . ... Former Florida QB John Reaves, who finished his college career as the NCAA’s all-time leading passer, died at 67 in Tampa, Fla. Reaves also was an 11-year journeyman in the NFL.

NBA: Former Warriors G Ian Clark agreed to a one-year veteran’s minimum contract with the Pelicans . ... The Hornets signed G Marcus Paige and F/C Mangok Mathiang to two-way contracts.

NFL: Rams DE Dominique Easley is expected to miss the season with a torn right knee ligament. Easley, a likely starter, tore both ACLs in college . ... Texans WR Will Fuller broke his collarbone in practice and is out indefinitely, ESPN reported . ... Second-year WR Sterling Shepard had to leave Giants practice after rolling and spraining his left ankle. ... Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi was diagnosed with a concussion and will miss several practices . ... Chargers rookie OL Forrest

After two days of practice, Quarterman is already seeing the results of his offseason weight-loss program. He dropped from 250 to 235 pounds.

“Fatigue is a real cancer when you’re trying to play this game,” Quarterman said. “The fact that I lost a lot of weight and I’m still building that football endurance, I’m really excited about that. I’m trying to see how this 235 moves around now as opposed to 250.”

Quarterman made the change after experiencing fatigue issues late last season.

“That was a self-evaluation,” Diaz said. “I think he felt when he watched himself last year, I think at times he felt like he was sluggish.”

srichardson@ sun-sentinel.com; On Twitter @shandelrich Lamp was taken off the field on a cart with an apparent knee injury . ... Jaguars RB I’Tavius Mathers left the hospital after suffering what the team called a cervical spinal cord injury Tuesday . ... As the Ravens debate whether to sign QB Colin Kaepernick, owner Steve Bisciotti said he wonders if fans would be able to look past Kaepernick’s decision to sit — and eventually kneel — during the national anthem. “I hope we do what is best for the team and balance that with what’s best for our fans,” Bisciotti said.

SOCCER: Neymar told Barcelona he plans to leave the club, with a blockbuster move to Paris Saint-Germain seemingly imminent. But Barcelona responded by saying the Brazil striker’s $262 million release clause must be paid in full. If PSG pays, it would shatter the previous world-record transfer of $116 million that Manchester United paid for midfielder Paul Pogba last year . ... NBC is moving its Premier League studio show to England for the Aug. 11-13 season openers for the first time.

TENNIS: Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif., with soreness in her left arm . ... Attorneys for the family of a Florida man who died after a vehicle crash with Venus Williams asked to search her cellphone, the Palm Beach Post reported.

ALSO: Martin Kaymer withdrew from next week’s PGA Championship because of an injury to his left shoulder . ... NASCAR suspended Chris Gayle, crew chief for Cup driver Erik Jones, for a rear suspension violation at Pocono Raceway. them to take the next step in their development.

Doing that, they believe, will help them move one step closer to being the kind of dominant unit the Hurricanes fielded during Miami’s glory years, a stretch that saw the Hurricanes win five national titles in a 20-year span while churning out a significant amount of NFL prospects.

“We haven’t really accomplished anything,” said Quarterman, who was second on the team last year with 84 tackles. “We want a ring. As long as we don’t have that, we haven’t won anything. We won the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Russell Athletic Bowl. We’re trying to go for something way bigger than that.”

Added defensive lineman Demetrius Jackson: “Good is not in our vocabulary this year. We’re trying to be great. … We can be as great as we want to be and that’s up to us.”

So what exactly does Diaz want to see his players do to take the Hurricanes to the next level?

It is, for him, simple: create more turnovers, capitalize on them and improve on third down.

Last season, Miami forced their 13 opponents into 19 turnovers. And opponents converted on 81 of 210 attempts on third down. During the October stretch in which the Hurricanes lost to Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, their four opponents combined for just three turnovers and were 35-of-69 on third-down attempts.

That’s not good enough to put the Hurricanes where they want to be, Diaz said.

“We can never forget the main thing, which is to uphold the legacy of what it means to play defense at the University of Miami and those things are non-negotiables,” Diaz said. “But now, if we felt like last year’s defense accomplished that mission, what do we have to do to be better? Well, we have to win more games. And how do we win games on defense? How do we be a more dominating defense?

“There’s a million things they understand that we can improve on. … We didn’t get enough turnovers to win football games. When we lost games, we didn’t create any turnovers. And we have to do better on third down than we were a year ago. There are different things they all understand. There’s a lot more meat on that bone for this defense to be really considered a true Miami Hurricanes defense.”

There’s also another component to their overall improvement the Hurricanes have noticed.

Veterans say they are working to become the more vocal leaders their coaches need them to be.

They understood what it was to take the field as young players. Now they want to mentor the players coming behind them — even if those players are setting out to take their jobs.

That competition, too, will only make the defense better.

“Honestly, I’m just trying to lead by example. I can’t be slacking and try to get on a younger guy. It doesn’t work like that, so I try to push myself to the best of my abilities,” Quarterman said. “Instead of breaking down a younger guy, or even an older guy, I just lift him up. Lift him up, explain to him that we’re all out here, we’re all working hard in the heat, and it’s going to build great results come a couple months from now.”

ccabrera@ sun-sentinel.com; On Twitter @ChristyChirinos.