Here’s what happened when new Miami OL coach had football ‘stripped away’ after 4 days
The Miami Hurricanes have been using Zoom daily for online classes and meetings since the COVID-19 pandemic forced nearly all students and faculty off campus for at least the remainder of the school year. And Friday, new University of Miami offensive line coach Garin Justice used the same video conferencing to meet for the first time with the South Florida media.
“Our biggest thing [now] has been about connection,’’ said Justice, 38, who was announced as UM’s offensive line coach on Jan. 11 after spending the past two seasons at UNLV, first as the offensive line coach before also being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019. “We’re trying to develop those relationships further. We’ve got to really do a nice job as far as getting as much face-to-face contact as we can through apps like [Zoom]. When you strip away the football and you strip away the everyday tasks that sometimes fill up space, it forces you to really develop a relationship.
“It’s almost like when you were courting someone 20 years ago you picked up the phone and you called them. Now that’s what we have to do.
“We’re in unchartered waters. Nobody really knows how to go about the process to develop your team and make guys better. Before, everyone lifted weights, everyone went to meetings, everyone had their spring practices. Now we’ve got to find a way to get a competitive advantage. We’re trying to do what we’re allowed to by NCAA rules: Meet with our guys, find ways to connect with them and develop those relationships [so] the trust will be there when we get back to work.’’
Highly regarded
Justice also served two seasons as the offensive line coach at FAU and was the only assistant retained when former FAU coach Lane Kiffin was hired there in 2017. UM coach Manny Diaz wanted an offensive line coach with experience in an up-tempo, no-huddle offense, and Justice, highly regarded in college football, fit the profile.
In addition to star prospect Jalen Rivers, a 6-5, 329-pound tackle true freshman and early enrollee out of Jacksonville Oakleaf; and fellow early enrollee Chris Washington, a 6-7, 268-pound tackle out of Nashville Overton, the Canes have all five starting offensive linemen in 2019 back for 2020. That includes rising true sophomores Zion Nelson at left tackle and right guard Jakai Clark.
But last season’s line had substantial growing pains — and that’s being kind.
Growing up
“Really we just have a young group. For all the misfortunes they went through last year, people forget they were really, really young. That takes a lot of development. It usually takes a couple of years before a lot of them truly, I guess, get it.
“The biggest thing I’ve been impressed with is the fact of their willingness to accept me, their willingness to be open to learn new things. They want to be good. They’re working hard to be good.”
Justice named John Campbell, who filled in at left guard for the injured Navaughn Donaldson in the Independence Bowl but was playing left tackle during the four spring practice sessions, as a player whose skill set he really likes. “I think he has a lot of upside...”
When asked about Campbell and Rivers and Zion Nelson, who was a true freshman last season and started all 13 games at left tackle, Justice said they “all have big futures and they’re all good enough to be good players here.’’
“It’s my job to try and figure out where to put those guys,’’ Justice said. “With four practices I really don’t know those answers yet. But I have some ideas. Me talking about those ideas would just be speculation. You usually start to find that out toward the end of spring practice as far as what those fives would be. But I think we do have a handful of guys who could fill those spots…”
The Canes ranked 127th nationally of 130 teams in sacks allowed, giving up 51 total in 13 games.
Left guard Donaldson, a senior who was an All-American at Miami Central High, injured his right knee Nov. 30 at Duke and underwent surgery, preventing him from participating in the four spring practices that were halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting lineups
UM’s starting offensive line for the Independence Bowl on Dec. 26 was left tackle Nelson (6-5, 285), rising redshirt sophomore left guard John Campbell (6-5, 301), rising redshirt junior center Corey Gaynor (6-4, 299), right guard Clark (6-2, 324) and rising junior right tackle DJ Scaife (6-3, 298).
During the four days of spring practice, Campbell had moved to left tackle, with 6-3, 305-pound redshirt sophomore Ousman Traore at left guard, Gaynor cemented at center, Scaife at right guard and Nelson at right tackle.
Redshirt junior Kai-Leon Herbert also took turns at right tackle during spring.
Rivers had practiced at least one day at second-team left guard, with Washington sometimes at right tackle. Cleveland Reed, a redshirt sophomore who entered the transfer portal after the season and then decided to come back to UM, practiced that day at right guard.
Justice was asked how his linemen adjusted to their new up-tempo, no-huddle offense in just four days. He explained that the simplicity of the offense and fewer basic plays makes it easier to “speed it up” and “allow guys to just play and have fun.”
‘We can run’
“The good news about our guys is that our guys are a long, physical athletic bunch and that plays to our strengths,’’ Justice said. “We can run. We gave guys who are going to have a high level of conditioning. That allows those guys to have a lot of success and they’ve embraced it.
“A lot of these guys or the majority of our guys on the roster are Florida guys and they come from high schools who do play spread offenses and guys who want to play up-tempo. That kind of fits their personalities as far as the way they want to play. It looks like they were thriving in it so far. We have a lot, a lot of work to do. The guys understand that. They’re committed to doing that.
“It’s been a really fun process so far. It’s a process I’m excited to get back into. “
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 1:01 PM.
