Good news: Coach Randy Shannon should have no trouble convincing recruits that they can play right away at the University of Miami.

Bad news: One of the youngest teams in college football just got even younger.

Already heavily reliant on underclassmen, UM announced season-ending or potentially season-ending injuries to three veterans this week -- senior defensive end Eric Moncur, senior right tackle Reggie Youngblood and junior linebacker Colin McCarthy. Senior safety Randy Phillips also is out indefinitely.

The injuries will increase the burden on the team's younger players, who also will be without some of the leaders whose mentorship has been key to their development.

''It hurts a lot, just to have any of those seniors leave a young team,'' redshirt freshman quarterback Robert Marve said.

``. . . We have to move on, obviously.''

The Hurricanes' depth chart for Saturday's game against Central Florida includes 15 freshmen -- five of whom are likely to start -- and 10 sophomores.

The on-field contributions of those injured upperclassmen will be missed, especially as the Hurricanes (2-3) look to end a two-game losing streak.

But with each loss, this season becomes more about the development of the team's young talent than anything else. And although UM freshmen will learn from all the early playing time, they will be without some of the players they have leaned on for guidance.

That is particularly true for the defense, which had its share of problems even before the injuries started to pile up.

''It's a big loss losing Colin and Moncur,'' said freshman linebacker Sean Spence, who is expected to start in place of McCarthy. ``We looked at them as leaders of the defense. Colin always guided me through, showing me the ways.''

Redshirt freshman defensive end Adewale Ojomo, who also is expected to start Saturday, has had a similar relationship with Moncur.

''He tells me everything,'' Ojomo said. ``He teaches me pass rushing and a lot of different things that only experience can teach. It's everything -- fundamentals, the scheme of the game, recognizing what an offense is trying to do to you, how to watch film. . . .

``He's always been there to help me.''

It remains to be seen how the injuries to Moncur, McCarthy and Youngblood will affect their leadership roles.

Shannon said it will be difficult -- but vital -- for them to remain active in helping the younger players along.

''It's tough for those guys to be involved,'' Shannon said. ``But they have to take the mentality that Glenn Cook did last year.''

Cook, a senior linebacker, missed all of last season because of toe injuries but was still a valuable member of the team.

He became an extension of the coaching staff, mentoring younger players and even wearing a headset and signaling in plays during games.

This year's bunch might not get quite as involved -- the team probably has more injured upperclassmen than headsets -- but Shannon said he still expects them to attend games and team meetings.

''It's good for the team and it's good for everybody to see that we're all still in it together,'' Shannon said.

As for the freshmen, Ojomo and Spence said they will continue to learn from Moncur and McCarthy.

But it will be up to them to implement their advice on the field -- and quickly.

A home loss to Central Florida (2-3) would be a devastating blow, and Miami's conference schedule only gets tougher after its Oct. 18 game at Duke.

''Experience is the best teacher,'' Ojomo said. ``Those older guys are down, so a lot of younger guys have to step up.''

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