Paradise Camp is here about a month earlier than usual. What does the date change mean?
The Miami Hurricanes still have plenty to sell as a program to prospective recruits. They still have a track record for putting players in the NFL. Their defense is one of the most exciting in the nation. The city and weather can only be matched by a handful of other Power 5 Conference schools, and now their facilities match up with all but a select handful of programs.
Their most important pitch still lies in the Miami family. Sure, every program emphasizes a family atmosphere, but the Hurricanes family includes eight Pro Football Hall of Famers and even more former All-Pro players, almost all of whom come back to South Florida year after year. There’s no better chance for Miami to show off this part of its pitch than Paradise Camp.
“Paradise is the No. 1 thing we do in the summer,” co-defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda said Wednesday in Homestead. “It’s a unique opportunity for players to come here and get experience from an NFL player.”
Miami has spent the week teasing out some of the guest coaches it anticipates to be in attendance Saturday at the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility through a series of Twitter posts sent out by assistant coaches. Tight ends coach Stephen Field tweeted a graphic featuring images of Jeremy Shockey and Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku. Running backs coach Eric Hickson teased the presence of Willis McGahee and Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller. Defensive line coach Todd Stroud mentioned Warren Sapp and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Joe Jackson. Offensive coordinator Dan Enos revealed Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Gino Torretta will be in attendance.
The earlier date, necessitated by Miami’s decision to open the season against the Florida Gators a week earlier than the rest of the country, could give the group of guest coaches a different feel than in the past. The past three years, Paradise Camp was a July event and conflicted with NFL organized team activities. Alumni currently playing in the NFL rarely could get down to Coral Gables for the Hurricanes’ marquee recruiting event. The 2019 roster of coaches and speakers is loaded with current players, including every Miami player selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.
“Moving it to June allows us to get almost every current NFL player on campus,” said Banda, who is also the safeties coach. “What’s really cool, if you think about it, is that’s who a lot of these current players know. Of course, you’re going to have the Warren Sapps and Michael Irvins that we all know — and that they know, as well — but their most fond memories are from those players coming up in these parks.”
The actual list of expected visitors is too expansive to possibly catalog in entirety, but features commits such as five-star Belen Jesuit running back Don Chaney Jr. and four-star quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, plus top targets like four-star athlete Ladarius Tennison and, as 247Sports.com reported, five-star tight end Darnell Washington, who will travel in all the way from Las Vegas. The Hurricanes are also taking the weekend as an opportunity to host key official visits from four-star safety Keshawn Lawrence, whom Miami is trying to pry out of Nashville, and four-star wide receiver Dazalin Worsham, who is currently committed to the in-state Alabama Crimson Tide.
Particularly for out-of-state prospects, Paradise Camp is one of the best opportunities for the Hurricanes to showcase the uniqueness of Miami culture.
“I’m very excited for Paradise,” defensive back DJ Ivey said Wednesday in Homestead. “I know that I was a part of it, and I know what type of talent was there when I was there, so I’m excited to see what it’s going to be like.”
Part of the thrill is interacting with the former players in attendance — Ivey, who was orally committed before he camped before his senior year at South Dade, and fellow defensive back Trajan Bandy both mentioned talking to Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed as a particularly invigorating experience. The other part is interacting with the current players.
Wide receiver Mark Pope was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country when he attended Paradise Camp before his senior year at Southridge, and his most distinct memory was of competing in one-on-one drills. As he would streak down the field and make plays against whatever defensive back lined up against him, the current players would stand behind them and celebrate. He particularly remembers former wide receiver Ahmmon Richards getting fired up and interactions like those helped solidify Pope in his commitment to the Hurricanes, which he made a few months earlier.
“When those guys show up, I grab my whistle and I put it on top of them, and I just sit back and I watch because it’s unique. It’s a unique opportunity,” Banda said. “My favorite part — and you guys don’t get to see — is when we go in the meeting rooms, and we hand the mic over to the current NFL guys and we allow the recruits and our players to ask questions. And the things you get out of it is priceless.”