Ray Lewis on the Miami Hurricanes: ‘I am really optimistic that everything can change’
For the second offseason in a row, head coach Manny Diaz spent his winter and spring reshaping the Miami Hurricanes. He changed coaches to overhaul schemes and brought in transfers to plug roster holes. He reignited some excitement in the program for at least some segment of the fan base.
Count Ray Lewis among those feeling good about Miami’s direction. The former Hurricane, who is on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame, thinks Miami might be on the verge of a breakthrough.
“I’m ready to see that. I really am,” Lewis said Monday. “I am really optimistic that everything can change.”
On Monday, Lewis dropped by campus in Coral Gables to deliver personal protective equipment to the athletic department amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The former linebacker donated nearly 400 gallons of hand sanitizer, 1,200 masks and 100 face shields to the Hurricanes with the help of Toast Distillers.
Miami brought 65 players back to campus June 15 to start voluntary, small-group workouts with the supervision of athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches. Lewis, whose son plays for the FAU Owls, wants to make sure the athletes stay safe, especially as thecoronavirus outbreaks pop up within teams like the Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers.
While he was down in South Florida, Lewis also took the chance to give his assessment of the current state of the Hurricanes following a busy offseason. After a disastrous debut season for Diaz, the coach hired a new offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach and offensive line coach, and landed high-profile transfers at quarterback, offensive line, defensive line and kicker.
These additions aren’t necessarily what has Lewis excited, though. He sees a certain sort of “swagger” returning.
“It’s the swagger through the execution of togetherness,” Lewis said. “I’m telling you: We were so dominant here because of what we did together and how we communicated, so to start to see that come back to the U is what I’m waiting on.”
One addition he is particularly confident about is Miami’s new chief of staff. In February, the Hurricanes announced Ed Reed would be joining Miami in a new role. Reed, who played with Lewis on the Baltimore Ravens after a legendary career of his own for the Hurricanes, will assist Miami and Diaz in a variety of capacities. Lewis is just excited to have his friend’s experience once again become a formal part of the program he loves.
“There’s two things you can guarantee he brings: Experience and probably the best safety to ever play the game, right?” Lewis said. “To know that Ed comes back, the kids gain so much, but they have to really be willing to speak to him because you’ve got to be willing to listen to those lessons and a lot of those lessons take a long time but Ed — he’s wise way beyond his years, man, so I think he brings a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge.”
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 10:33 AM.
