Butch Barry brings ‘NFL mentality’ to Miami’s O-line. So what exactly does that mean?

Butch Barry didn’t come to the Miami Hurricanes with much of a college resume. The new offensive line coach began his career with a few stops at Division II programs, then spent five seasons as Dan Enos’ offensive line coach for the Central Michigan Chippewas.

And then Barry was off to the NFL, where he spent four seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ assistant offensive line coach. This is what pops off his resume immediately. Prospective recruits raved about the idea of potentially playing for a seasoned NFL assistant coach. Manny Diaz alluded to Barry’s background when Miami announced his hiring in January. With spring practice in full swing, current players have now had their chance to publicly laud Barry and the NFL style he has brought to the Hurricanes.

So what does an NFL approach entail, exactly?

“I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really know,” Barry said with a smile. “It’s just kind of the way I do things. Hopefully they’re buying into what we’re doing. It looks like they are.”

It will be hard to see for sure until August, when Miami opens the season against the Florida Gators in Orlando. The first real glimpses for most people could come April 13 when the Hurricanes play an open scrimmage in Miami. The Hurricanes, at least, will get to see the overhauled offensive line in something resembling live action Saturday when they play a closed scrimmage in Coral Gables.

For Miami, the overhaul begins with changing personnel — something that was going to happen no matter who the position coach was. Tyree St. Louis, who started every game of 2018 at left tackle, graduated. So did Tyler Gauthier, who started all but one game at center, and Jahair Jones, who started five games at guard. Then Venzell Boulware, who also started five games at guard, surprisingly decided to enter the NFL Draft a year early, leaving the Hurricanes down a projected a starter.

A few offensive linemen appear to be relatively locked in — DJ Scaife is getting the majority of work at left tackle, Navaughn Donaldson has moved to left guard and Corey Gaynor is the No. 1 center — but Barry said he has been shuffling players across all five spots.

“Nothing is set yet,” Gaynor said. “We all rotate. The line rotates, so nobody’s set in position yet. He’s just trying to find the right feel and the right jell for the entire offensive line.”

Gaynor, who said he has not played anywhere other than center in the spring, is one of those players to talk about Barry’s NFL mentality. As he describes it, Gaynor says it’s about the assistant’s commitment to technique.

“Coach Barry brings the NFL mentality,” Gaynor said. “He’s very technical, which I love. He’s doing a great job.”

Barry’s background is a direct contrast to Stacy Searels’. The former offensive line coach, who now holds the same position with the North Carolina Tar Heels, has only coached at the college level, with previous stops with the Virginia Tech Hokies, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers and Texas Longhorns.

Barry doesn’t see coaching in college as any different than working in the NFL, though, particularly at his position. To succeed at any level, an offensive lineman needs to commit to technique and Barry has seen this group’s commitment already.

“They want to be coached and they want to get better,” Barry said. “They know if you can help them get better, they’re going to do what you ask. They’re going to try to do what you’re asking of them.”

Enos’ addition as offensive coordinator could help, too. Much has been made of what Enos, who is also the quarterbacks coach, can do at skill positions and under center, but his scheme has also made changes on the offensive line.

Without delving too deep into specifics, Gaynor admitted Enos’ system is more complex than former coach Mark Richt’s.

“Coach Enos’ offense is very complex and it’s better,” Gaynor said. “We have different schemes on pass blocking, so it’s easier for us.”

No scheme to technical refinement can save a unit without confidence, though, and that was perhaps the ultimate plague on the offensive line in 2018. The unit struggled, particularly early in the year, and it can be hard for college students to avoid outside news.

The group could never recover fully, although some tweaks to the starting lineup led to improved play as the season went on.

Everyone, however, gets a fresh start in 2019 with a new coaching staff and likely an all-new starting arrangement. It’s another chance for the Hurricanes’ offensive line to rebuild its confidence.

“This is the biggest thing we had to fix with those guys,” coach Manny Diaz said, pointing to his head. “If you get told day in and day out that you’re part of the problem, you’re going to start to believe you’re part of the problem. That’s one of the things about having a clean slate and everything starting over from zero … getting a guy, again, like Coach Barry, that can really build those guys up into what we think they can be.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 1:50 PM.