O-line experience, front seven questions and potential All-Americans: Breaking down UM
Quarterbacks | B+
Quarterback D’Eriq King has All-America potential — if his knee holds up and he can improve from last season. There’s still a chance, though, he’s only the third best quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind Sam Howell of the North Carolina Tar Heels and DJ Uiagalelei of the Clemson Tigers. If King’s knee doesn’t hold up, Miami will have to turn to either Tyler Van Dyke or Jake Garcia at quarterback — a pair of freshmen with virtually no game experience.
Running backs | B
The Hurricanes have three starter-quality running backs with Cam’Ron Harris, Donald Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton, and they all complement each other well. Harris brings game-breaking speed, Chaney has size and every-down potential, and Knighton gives Miami a real receiving threat out of the backfield. Freshman running backs Thad Franklin and Cody Brown provide talented depth, too.
Wide receivers | B-
Wide receivers Mike Harley and Charleston Rambo give the Hurricanes a reliable 1-2 punch, but every other spot in the rotation is a question mark for now. Key’Shawn Smith has become a favorite of King’s after playing sparingly in 2020, and fellow wide receiver Xavier Restrepo continues to impress behind the scenes, even though he hasn’t done much in a real game yet. Wide receivers Mark Pope and Dee Wiggins have mostly had frustrating careers, but at least give Miami some starting experience and big-play potential. The Hurricanes also like freshman wide receivers Romello Brinson, Brashard Smith and Jacolby George, and think all three could contribute.
Tight ends | B
Tight end Will Mallory is next in line for the Hurricanes at their most storied position and is poised for a breakout season after spending three years backing up Brevin Jordan, who now plays for the Houston Texans. Mallory, however, has dealt with some injury issues, and Miami doesn’t have much experience behind him. Tight ends Larry Hodges and Dominic Mammarelli both played a little bit last year, but freshman tight end Elijah Arroyo has a real chance to win the backup job because of his athleticism and receiving ability. He can replicate some of what Jordan gave the Hurricanes for three years and potentially play at the same time as Mallory.
Offensive line | B+
With 190 combined starts from its group, Miami has the most experienced offensive line in the country and a potential first-round pick to anchor the group. Tackle Zion Nelson took massive strides as a sophomore in 2020 and has a chance to be one of the best left tackles in the nation this year. He and fellow offensive lineman Jarrid Williams both made the Outland Trophy watch list, offensive lineman Corey Gaynor is entering his third season as the Hurricanes’ starting center, and offensive linemen Navaughn Donaldson and Jalen Rivers give Miami two four-star recruits at guard. Miami even has multiple offensive linemen with starting experience poised for reserve roles with DJ Scaife Jr., Jakai Clark, Justice Olusaweun and John Campbell Jr., plus a trio of blue-chip freshmen.
Defensive line | C
The Hurricanes enter the 2021 college football season with no obvious future NFL defensive end and are in danger of ending a five-year run of having at least one player with eight sacks. Defensive end Deandre Johnson, who had six sacks for the Tennessee Volunteers last year, is the best bet at the position after transferring to Miami in January, but he doesn’t have much experience around him because of how good former All-American defensive ends Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche were last year. Defensive end Jahfari Harvey made his first career start in the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl, and Cameron Williams, who started opposite from him, is off the team because of academic issues. The Hurricanes will have to lean heavily on its defensive tackles, including Nesta Jade Silvera, Jon Ford, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Jordan Miller and even star freshman Leonard Taylor, who was a five-star recruit.
Linebackers | D
Any combination of about seven players could realistically start games at linebacker for the Hurricanes in 2021. Linebackers Bradley Jennings Jr. and Waynmon Steed have the most experience but got run all over in Miami’s record-setting loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels last year. Linebackers Sam Brooks Jr. and Corey Flagg Jr. have proven to be reliable at a young age, but have limitations because of injury concerns and size. Freshman linebackers Avery Huff and Tirek Austin-Cave have perhaps the highest upside because of their athleticism, but haven’t logged any significant playing time. Former striker Keontra Smith is now a favorite to start after making a position change in the spring and impressing throughout training camp.
Defensive backs | A-
Led by preseason All-American Bubba Bolden, safeties are the strength of Miami’s defense, with Gurvan Hall Jr. giving the Hurricanes another solid starter, and fellow safeties Amari Carter and Brian Balom providing a bit more experience behind them. Freshman safeties Kamren Kinchens and James Williams, who was a five-star recruit, could easily crack the two-deep depth chart, too, especially following the dismissal of Avantae Williams following his offseason arrest. At cornerback, the Hurricanes have their deepest group in years with Tyrique Stevenson, Al Blades Jr., DJ Ivey and Te’Cory Couch all bringing significant starting experience. Stevenson, who mostly played safety for the Georgia Bulldogs last season, is a rare physical presence at cornerback, and Couch gives the Hurricanes a prototypical nickelback to go along with their more traditional outside corners.
Special teams | A
Punter Lou Hedley is a preseason first-team All-American, which is enough to earn Miami’s special teams the best grade possible, even though the Hurricanes will start a freshman kicker and don’t have much star power in the return game. Kicker Andres Borregales, however, seems to be a worthy successor to older brother Jose Borregales, who was an All-American kicker last season and now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Miami has a deep competition in the return game. It’s hard to imagine one of Restrepo, Pope, Wiggins, Stevenson, Brashard Smith and wide receiver Dazalin Worsham can’t emerge as a reliable punt returner. The same is true for Harley, Rambo and Key’Shawn Smith on kick returns.
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 6:15 AM.
