Podcast: Our first impressions of D’Eriq King, Rhett Lashlee, Ed Reed. Plus, an NSD recap
It looked like it was going to be an atypical National Signing Day for the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday. There weren’t many new prospects for Manny Diaz to talk about when he took the podium for the typical coach’s Signing Day news conference in Coral Gables, so the bigger story was what was going to happen once he vacated the front of the room in the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence.
Rhett Lashlee immediately followed the coach and then Ed Reed followed him, and then D’Eriq King followed the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Diaz spent the offseason overhauling the program’s entire culture and it meant finding a new offensive coordinator, a high-profile chief of staff and a quarterback Miami can trust. David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Hurricanes beat writer for the Miami Herald, got to meet with all three for the first time in their new roles and they offer up their first impressions on the Eye on the U podcast.
Lashlee is saying everything Hurricanes fans want their offensive coordinator to say and King seems as committed as they want their quarterback to be.
Reed, unsurprisingly, stole the show, though. The chief of staff shed some light on just what his role will consist of and gave his breakdown of what is ailing the program. He blended humor, heart and intensity in the way only he can. It’s still not exactly clear how much he’ll be in Coral Gables, but he made it clear: You don’t want to disappoint this legend.
Not to be overshadowed by a slew of news conference, it actually turned out to be a great National Signing Day for Miami as the Hurricanes surprisingly plucked elite DeLand safety Avantae Williams away from the Florida Gators, who were regarded as the runaway favorite in the four-star defensive back’s recruitment.
Miami continues to own the offseason. Everything Wednesday made it feel like it could carry over into the 2020 regular season.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
