Unforgettable name with what he hopes to be a prolific game. Here comes Miami’s Rambo
Charleston Rambo: You will likely remember his name. He’s hoping you remember his game.
Rambo, who joined the Hurricanes this offseason as a redshirt junior from football power Oklahoma, is the latest Miami transfer receiver already turning heads, and, as a result, upping the game of his fellow wide receivers in a position group so crowded that several will undoubtedly be aching for more playing time.
The NCAA enabled all football players for this season to repeat last year’s eligibility classification because of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why Rambo is a redshirt junior again instead of a senior, and has one year of eligibility remaining if he chooses.
Miami is led by senior Mike Harley, expected to start in the slot, with Rambo and Dee Wiggins and Mark Pope on the outside, followed by some younger competitors this offseason, such as Xavier Restrepo and Keyshawn Smith and Michael Redding III.
The last transfer receiver for the Miami Hurricanes, K.J. Osborn (out of Buffalo), was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was a leader in every way.
“Both programs are special,’’ Rambo, who spoke to the media Tuesday, said earlier this offseason of Oklahoma and Miami. “Both have players in the league. Both have legends.’’ So, he figured, “Yeah, I can fill shoes.’’
Fast and furious
Rambo, a speedster listed as 6-1 and 175 pounds and from Cedar Hill, Texas, finished his career with the Sooners with 76 catches for 1,180 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Before a disappointing 2020 season with the Sooners (312 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 25 catches), he starred in 2019 with 43 catches for 743 yards and five touchdown receptions and played in the 2019 and 2020 College Football Playoff.
Rambo already has made his impact at UM’s Hard Rock Stadium. On Friday night, in Miami’s second spring scrimmage, he had seven catches for 107 yards, including a 58-yard trick-play touchdown from quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
Most of the public can see him for the first time at 11 a.m. Saturday in Miami’s spring game, not open to the general public but televised by ACC Network.
“Making all the catches — seven targets, seven catches,’’ Rambo said. “Making every uncatchable ball.’’
Said UM coach Manny Diaz: “Charleston Rambo has given us a big shot in the arm.’’
In the two times the media has spoken to Rambo, he has emphasized the rest of his receiving corps, saying how important it is that they all work together. Tuesday, he said he surrounds himself with the other receivers daily, including talking in a group chat and “feeding off each other.’’
“Beginning when I got here there were a lot of things in the receiver room that we didn’t do that we’re doing now,’’ Rambo said. “We’re just getting better as the practices go on. Scrimmage wise, we had two scrimmages and got better in both of them.
More press at UM
“...I see a lot more man [coverage] than zone’’ at Miami. “I’m working a lot of routes going against man — press.’’ He said the UM defensive backs “come with their edge every day, so I gotta come with an edge every day [and] make sure the guys on the left and right of me come with their edge with me. We’re obviously getting better.’’
Rambo praised all of the young quarterbacks vying for the backup spot behind starter D’Eriq King, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL. He also said he has practiced throwing with King “a few times.’’
“He’s not going to run and throw but obviously he can stand and throw,’’ Rambo said, comparing him to former Oklahoma (and Alabama) standout quarterback Jalen Hurts in his work ethic.
“He’s a good quarterback,’’ Rambo said of King. “Just waiting on him through the rehab process. I seen him at Houston making plays. Then I hit the portal. He’s a good guy, and I knew he was going to be a hard worker.”
Rambo was asked about the “culture shock” coming from Oklahoma to Miami.
“There are a lot of tourists coming,’’ he said. “Gotta be on your P’s and Q’s. Stay out of the way — just focus on football right now.’’
Wiggins on the rise
Fourth-year junior Wiggins, who started all 11 games last season, had three touchdowns and ranked fourth in receptions (31) and receiving yards (358), said he is working on every part of his game, from catching to running routes, to yards-after-catch to not dropping as many passes.
Wiggins had five catches in the latest scrimmage, good for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’ve just got to stay focused,’’ said Wiggins, 6-3 and 195 pounds. “Every receiver drops balls. You’ve got to delete the last play and move on.’’
Wiggins, who graduated from Miami Southridge, as did Pope, said the youngest receivers “are on our tails.
“It’s more competition in the receiver room,’’ he said. ...They’re playing as if they’re starting.’’
▪ Wiggins was asked about running back Cam’Ron Harris leaping over safety Gurvan Hall to score a touchdown in the last scrimmage. “Before the play he jumped over the defender, he even told me. He was like, ‘Watch, I’ll jump over somebody. It was amazing.’’
Rambo said he was blocking on Harris’ acrobatic play: “When I seen Cam and the safety get in the huddle I was thinking, ‘Oh yeah he’s gonna run through him and [let’s] see what Cam is going to do.’ He jumped over him. I was in shock.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 2:39 PM.
