Grading the Miami Hurricanes ahead of the 2019 college football season
The Miami Hurricanes enter the season with extreme confidence at some positions and uncertainty at others. The defense should be among the best in the country once again, but the offense has enough question marks to wonder about how high the ceiling might be for Miami.
To prepare for the 2019 season, let’s grade the Hurricanes, position by position:
QUARTERBACK | C
Uncertainty defines the position for Miami. Jarren Williams has never started a game in college, but he was a top-100 prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2018. There’s a chance he’s excellent, it just might take some time.
RUNNING BACKS | B+
This is one of the strengths of Miami’s offense — if the players stay healthy. The Hurricanes have a proven veteran with DeeJay Dallas, they have a rising star in Cam’Ron Harris and the best of the group might be Lorenzo Lingard, a former five-star prospect whose freshman season was cut short by a knee injury.
WIDE RECEIVERS | B-
Wide receivers K.J. Osborn, Mike Harley, Jeff Thomas, Brian Hightower and Dee Wiggins all have starting experience, and Mark Pope and Jeremiah Payton had impressive preseasons, too. Osborn and Thomas could both be all-Atlantic Coast Conference players. Miami is looking for a group of their young teammates to provide the depth.
TIGHT ENDS | A
The Hurricanes might have the best tandem in the country. Brevin Jordan is a proven star after a monster freshman season earned him all-ACC honors and a spot on the John Mackey Award watch list. Will Mallory has star potential, too.
OFFENSIVE LINE | D
The offensive line was an issue throughout 2018, and it still was in fall camp. The interior should be fine with Corey Gaynor providing a veteran presence at center, and Navaughn Donaldson and DJ Scaife bookending him as a pair of talented guards. Tackle is a major question mark, though, and Miami is poised to start freshman Zion Nelson, whom the Hurricanes flipped from the Appalachian State Mountaineers in the fall, at left tackle.
DEFENSIVE LINE | A-
Replacing star defensive linemen Gerald Willis and Joe Jackson will be a tall order, but Miami has the depth to handle it. Jonathan Garvin is a budding star at one defensive end, and Gregory Rousseau, Scott Patchan, Trevon Hill and Jahfari Harvey give the Hurricanes plenty of options at the other end. Meanwhile, Miami has spent training camp raving about Jonathan Ford’s breakthrough at defensive tackle.
LINEBACKERS | B+
Zach McCloud, Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney are all three-year starters. They’re not the issue. The problem is what sits behind them following injuries to Waynmon Steed, Bradley Jennings and Patrick Joyner. Freshmen Sam Brooks Jr. and Avery Huff could be called upon to play major roles.
STRIKERS | B
Miami added the striker position to the defense last season. It will be an even bigger part of the scheme in 2019, particularly because of depth issues at linebacker, which could be good for the Hurricanes. Romeo Finley flashed major potential in 2018.
DEFENSIVE BACKS | B
Cornerback Trajan Bandy is an all-ACC performer. The rest of the secondary is unproven, though. Al Blades Jr. and DJ Ivey will have to combine to replace star cornerback Michael Jackson at the corner opposite Bandy. Some combination of safeties Amari Carter, Robert Knowles, Gurvan Hall, and maybe Bubba Bolden will have to replace the star safety tandem of Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine. Among the new potential starters at safety, only Carter has started a game for Miami. Three freshmen — safety Keontra Smith, and cornerbacks Te’Cory Couch and Christian Williams — could also all play.
SPECIAL TEAMS | C
Special teams are another major unknown for the Hurricanes, mostly because of Louis Hedley. The punter transferred from College of San Francisco, a junior college, in the summer. The Australian has a big leg, but only one season of competitive experience. Kicker Bubba Baxa, on the other hand, will be the starter for the second season in a row and should improve from an up-and-down freshman year.