Change of plans: Miami coach Manny Diaz now hoping to redshirt linebacker Zach McCloud

Less than two weeks after saying he doesn’t plan to redshirt Zach McCloud because the linebacker is too “important” to the Miami Hurricanes, Manny Diaz made an about face Wednesday.

After practice Wednesday in Coral Gables, Diaz was asked about the absence of McCloud from Miami’s 17-12 win against the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday and said the Hurricanes are now planning to redshirt the senior for the 2019 season after McCloud approached him about the possibility.

“Decisions like that and especially with a guy like Zach, what I said is still true,” Diaz said. “He is so important to us, but that was something that he came to us with that week and said, ‘Well, if there’s a possibility,’ if he was going to get limited snaps on defense and just play on special teams.”

McCloud, who started 31 games in his first three seasons with the Hurricanes, played sparingly in Miami’s first three games in 2019 because of a new defensive scheme, which typically only places two linebackers on the field at a time. McCloud only played a total of 21 defensive snaps across the first three games as Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney have played nearly every snap at linebacker for Miami. Neither of the two linebackers came off the field on defense Saturday.

An NCAA rule introduced in 2018 allows players to play in up to four games and maintain redshirt eligibility. If he plays in fewer than two more games this season, McCloud will be able to return as a redshirt senior in 2020, when he will be far and away the most established linebacker on the roster. The only other linebacker listed on the two-deep depth chart is freshman Sam Brooks Jr.

If the Hurricanes just need a temporary in-game replacement at linebacker, Brooks will provide an option. However, Diaz said Miami would burn McCloud’s redshirt if either Quarterman or Pinckney go down with any sort of long-term injury.

“What we have with Zach is we have another game where he can play,” McCloud said. “It’s a very similar situation to what we did a year ago with BJ Jennings and Corey Gaynor. If something were to happen catastrophically where we would need him for the long term, he’ll be ready to go for the team, but if not, if something happens [where] we’re just in a one-game situation where he needs to finish a game, he can play, and we know we’ve got that game to play with,” Diaz said. “But otherwise it would be amazing if we could save him for the bowl, let him play in the bowl and let him go have next season.”

As for why this decision is only being made now with one game of flexibility left, Diaz said the Hurricanes had to take the first few games to figure out how their rotation would look at the position.

“No. 1, it comes down to the young man’s wishes because we weren’t going to force him into something he didn’t want to do and that’s when it presented itself to us, and then also I think you had to had to get a couple of games in to really figure out what the rotation is going to be and where it all fits in,” Diaz said. “Like most problems, they occur when they occur and they can only be solved when they need to be solved.”

This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 12:55 PM.