He’s a quiet, steady force among a whirlwind of news, and the Hurricanes hope he stays
Some say that University of Miami gifted tailback Travis Homer, a young man short on words and long on talent, is a bit boring.
But that’s likely just his “business side,” assured considerably more outspoken left tackle Tyree St. Louis.
Besides, these days, with not always uplifting news surrounding the program, boring is a wonderful thing for the Miami Hurricanes.
Homer, who has started the past 21 games, is anything but ho-hum on the football field, and appears to be too smart off it to generate any type of controversy. This much is certain: The sturdy, 5-11, 205-pound junior can run.
Now the Hurricanes just hope he doesn’t run to the NFL Draft.
“We’d love for him to come back,’’ University of Miami coach Mark Richt said last week. “The last two years he has been spectacular.’’
Homer is expected to eclipse two milestones for UM (7-5) against Wisconsin (7-5) on Thursday in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. He needs just 31 yards to become the 11th Hurricane ever to record a 1,000-yard season, and 21 more yards to reach 2,000 for his career. Homer, who passed former UM great Frank Gore (1,975) for 12th all-time in career rushing yards with 168 against Pittsburgh in the Canes’ final regular-season game, would move into UM’s top-10 all-time with 100 yards on Thursday.
Homer reached his career-best 168 yards on only eight carries, including a 64-yard touchdown sprint for his fourth score of the season. “It’s real nice,’’ Homer said of how good it felt to end the regular season with two victories after four consecutive losses. “Especially since the season didn’t go how we planned. Like they say, ‘We have a plan. God has a different one.’ We’ve just got to see it out.’’
Canes receiver Mike Harley called Homer UM’s “silent assassin.’’
“He’s just quiet,’’ Harley said, “but game time between the lines, he’ll run through you, run over you and kill you.’’
UM offensive coordinator Thomas Brown knows the importance of Homer’s pending draft decision, despite sophomore backup DeeJay Dallas also excelling with 609 rushing yards and six touchdowns for a 5.8-yards-per-carry average, and former prep star Lorenzo Lingard set to return for his sophomore season after knee surgery following an injury in late October. Also returning in 2019: freshman Cam Davis, who scored three touchdowns (one of them on a 16-yard reception) and rushed for 140 yards in UM’s final three games.
“My biggest recruit,’’ Brown said with a grin of Homer. “Travis is a phenomenal human being. Has kind of been that way from Day One. A super talented football player. His presence in my room, on our offense, on our team, period, is going to be huge for us in the future.
“He’s 6.3 yards a carry for the season, which nobody ever talks about. But that’s pretty dang good.’’
When asked last week if he’s returning for his senior season, Homer kept the media guessing.
“Right now I’m just planning on graduating,’’ he said. “I have to make a final decision.”
His degree, he said, will be in business management, which he could receive this fall. But UM players who leave early also have the option of returning to earn their diploma while they’re in the NFL.
True to his understated, not-about-me-type personality, when Homer was asked last week if it meant anything to him being close to 1,000 yards for the season after coming so close with 966 in 2017, he said, “Not really. I’m just here to play football.’’
Brown once described Homer — a former four-star recruit out of Palm Beach County’s Oxbridge Academy whose college offers included Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State — as “a one-cut, downhill guy’’ who “plays bigger than his size and doesn’t shy away from contact.”
“No softness in his heart all,’’ Brown said, “which is one of the biggest redeeming qualities for a tailback because you can be the flashiest guy, the fastest guy, but if you’re soft it’s going to be hard to get on the playing field for us.’’
Homer’s per-carry average is tied for third best in the Atlantic Coast Conference for running backs with at least 100 carries this season. His 969 yards rushing is sixth best. Named by Richt one of five permanent captains for 2018, Homer also can catch, is a dominant blocker and one of UM’s strongest players on special teams. He is UM’s fifth-leading receiver with 16 catches for 172 yards, and has seven tackles.
And Homer has another distinction that makes him special. He is the only non-defensive Miami player to earn the vaunted turnover chain after recovering a muffed punt by Virginia and setting up a Canes touchdown in November 2017.
“That’s my boy. I learned a lot from him,’’ said Dallas, who noted Homer took him “under his wing’’ after Dallas moved from receiver to running back “just after the Florida State game last year... We became brothers from Day One.’’
Homer is one Hurricane who savors the rematch factor in playing Wisconsin, ranked 57th nationally in rushing defense (158 yards rushing allowed per game). He showed a touch more enthusiasm than usual when asked about playing the Badgers again after being beaten by them 34-24 on UM’s usual home field of Hard Rock Stadium in the 2017 Orange Bowl.
“It’s going to be nice to get [Wisconsin] again after what happened last year,’’ Homer said. “We have to redeem ourselves.’’
This story was originally published December 24, 2018 at 10:17 AM.
