Sorting through UM’s cornerback situation with ‘most competition’ since Rumph arrived
It’s not unusual for Mike Rumph to start any given season by drawing a giant question mark on the whiteboard at the front of his cornerbacks meeting room. For as long as he has been coaching cornerbacks for the Miami Hurricanes, Rumph has heard questions from the outside about how his position group is probably the biggest question mark on Miami’s defense.
This year isn’t exactly an exception. Trajan Bandy, the top cornerback from last season, is now playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Al Blades Jr. and DJ Ivey, the only other two cornerbacks with significant experience, had their ups and downs throughout 2019.
“I do love the question mark,” Rumph said Thursday. “That’s just some incentive for me and my guys, and it really does work because you don’t want guys coming in, feeling entitled because of what had happened here in the past.”
This year, the question mark actually might even be more pronounced. Beyond those two juniors, the Hurricanes have four freshmen and sophomores with little or no significant defensive experience.
It was easy to project a two-deep depth chart coming into training camp this month — Blades and Ivey, both with starting experience, penciled into the starting lineup, and sophomore cornerbacks Te’Cory Couch and Christian Williams, both top performers on special teams last year, penciled in as the second-team duo. Actually finalizing a two-deep depth chart, however, is a more complicated process.
“I’ll say that this is probably the most competition that I’ve seen as a cornerbacks coach here,” said Rumph, who took over in 2016. “I don’t have a set starter right now.”
Right now, Rumph still has the luxury of time. Miami still has nearly three weeks until it opens the season against the UAB Blazers in September. The Canes will have a second scrimmage Saturday at an undisclosed location in South Florida. As the season opener draws near, Rumph said he will rotate the lineup based on performance in the previous practice. So far, Rumph has already changed his starting lineup multiple times.
While Rumph didn’t delve into specific lineup changes, Rumph said all six scholarship cornerbacks on the roster have worked with the first team, including freshmen Marcus Clarke and Isaiah Dunson. Clarke even leads the cornerbacks in interceptions through two weeks of preseason camp.
“I go into every practice as if nothing is anyone’s,” Blades said Thursday. “Those guys behind me — Te’Cory and Christian — they’re great corners, and DJ’s a great corner, as well. All four of us — including the freshmen, too — anyone can have that job.”
Even with the annual questions surrounding Rumph’s group, Miami has consistently ranked in the top 30 nationwide in pass defense, and formerly unheralded recruits — such as Bandy and New England Patriots cornerback Mike Jackson Sr. — developed into surprising NFL prospects.
Last year, Miami finished the season at No. 18 in pass defense, allowing 195.2 passing yards per game, but ranked outside the top 40 nationally in third-down defense in part because of some coverage breakdowns in key spots. The Hurricanes also had only 10 interceptions and only five by corners, which has made work on the Jugs machine a priority this preseason.
Blades and Ivey give Miami some semblance of continuity, but no one’s job is safe. It’s just the way Rumph likes it.
“They understand that at any day they can be the starter on the ones, or they can be with the twos or they can be with the threes, so this is the beauty,” Rumph said. “What Greentree Practice Field is built off of is what I have going on right now and I’m just enjoying that now as we buckle down, and get ready for a game it’ll be a little more evident who’s starting, but right now those guys are competing their butts off.”
