Podcast: What can we learn from Miami’s first spring scrimmage? And a pro day preview
The Miami Hurricanes are nearly two weeks into spring practices, which means it’s time to scrimmage in South Florida.
Like usual, Miami will hold its first scrimmage of the spring behind closed doors, but it doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from it. Let the Eye on the U podcast explain.
David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Hurricanes beat writer for the Miami Herald, recap what we’ve learned from the first two weeks of spring football and what we might be able to glean from another closed-door practice this weekend. Those tidbits and videos that inevitably leak out — even when they’re at the behest of the Hurricanes — can be telling about where position battles and breakthrough performers stand.
It will start with the quarterback and we’ll get our clearest update yet about the health of Jake Garcia, depending whether he plays in the intrasquad game. We will also get to figure out just how far ahead of the competition fellow quarterback Tyler Van Dyke might be or if anyone is really pushing him.
The receiver competitions will also come into the spotlight. Inevitably, someone is going to make plays, and it could be Keyshawn Smith, based on what we’ve heard about how his spring is going, but could it be someone else we haven’t heard anything about? It will also be a chance for one of these young tight ends — maybe Larry Hodges or Dominic Mammarelli — to seize the No. 2 spot on the depth chart with tight end Will Mallory out.
On defense, it will be all about the front seven, where Miami is trying to sort out two wide-open competitions at defensive end and linebacker. It always seem like someone puts up a monster sack total in these scrimmages and it could be a sign as to whom the Hurricanes’ top edge rusher might be in 2021.
We wrap things up by looking ahead to pro day. Star defensive ends Gregory Rousseau, Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche, and star tight end Brevin Jordan will all be working out for NFL scouts in Coral Gables. Each of them have something to prove and we pick out one thing each of them needs to show Monday.
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