Is Mark Pope’s long-awaited Miami breakout here? He’s ‘in a position to be successful’
Ever since Rhett Lashlee and Rob Likens arrived in the winter to reshape the Miami Hurricanes’ offense as a passer-friendly spread attack, they have been talking about the wide receivers who could help make the new system run. Mark Pope, with all of 19 catches and 277 yards in two years in Coral Gables, has often been at the forefront of those conversations.
Even with his limited production, Pope is still one of just three wide receivers with significant game experience. He was a five-star prospect coming out of Miami Southridge, according to the Rivals.com rankings. His untapped potential remains as tantalizing as any player’s on the roster. Now an upperclassman, Pope knows he needs to take a leap and an offense is finally in place to get the most out of the junior.
“From the last two years,” Pope said Monday, “I would say this offense has been much easier for us to catch on and just go out there and practice and play.”
This has been the common refrain from Lashlee since he became the offensive coordinator in January, touting simplicity and the way simplifying an offense can allow athletes to play on instinct at full speed without stopping to think too much. After years of underwhelming offenses and and passing attacks, the Hurricanes hope their overhaul will finally unlock more consistent play from wide receivers Mike Harley, Dee Wiggins and Pope.
Last year, Harley caught 38 passes for 485 yards, Wiggins caught 20 for 335 and Pope caught 18 for 266. The rest of the receivers on the roster combined for just one catch. Wiggins said some of the freshmen are pushing the upperclassmen — wide receivers Xavier Restrepo and Keyshawn Smith have impressed — but Miami will look at the three veterans to take a tangible step forward in the new offense.
“What we try to do as a staff is do what our guys do best, put them in a position where they’ve done stuff over and over, and over again to where they can gain that confidence where they’re not hesitant, so hopefully we see — not only with Mark, but all our guys — guys that are playing fast and reacting,” Lashlee said. “Obviously, they’re physically fast or they wouldn’t be here, but more of the mental aspect.”
Harley, a former four-star recruit, is now a proven commodity in the slot. Wiggins, a former three-star receiver, has flashed his potential and led Hurricanes wide receivers with 16.8 yards per catch in 2019. Pope is intriguing as much because of what he has been unable to do.
When he came to Miami in 2018, his arrival was delayed by a few months after he failed to complete his academic requirements to enroll early. He missed spring practice before his freshman season and fell behind trying to learn former coach Mark Richt’s pro-style playbook. Wiggins, who played with Pope at Miami Southridge and did early enroll, became the Hurricanes’ freshman receiver of choice, even though he wasn’t nearly as highly touted as his close friend.
Last year, Pope admitted he struggled to grasp the playbook as a freshman and he was clearly more comfortable as a sophomore, even if he still wasn’t living up to lofty expectations playing in former offensive coordinator Dan Enos’ pro-style system.
Lashlee could tell some of Pope’s issues on film as he rewatched games from last season, and they were trouble for the receivers across the board, he said.
“You want guys to play fast mentally. When guys are hesitant, when guys are unsure of what to do, maybe overloaded with what’s going on, they just seem to play slower without the ball, getting off covered press, running routes. There’s a hesitation there and it’s hard to play to your best when you’re hesitant and not confident,” Lashlee said. “Hopefully, we’re putting him in a position to be successful by doing the same stuff over and over again.”
Wiggins knows Pope’s potential better than perhaps anyone else at Miami, save for maybe recruiting director David Cooney, who was the Spartans’ offensive coordinator in 2017 when Pope caught a game-winning 72-yard touchdown in the state championship.
Opening night Sept. 10 against the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers is still more than a week away and a lot can change once games start. For now, Wiggins sees his longtime teammate playing with more confidence than in his first two years with the Hurricanes.
“Confidence takes you a long way, and once you have confidence and you know what you’re doing, you play fast,” Wiggins said. “When you play fast, you’re very accurate on what you do.”
