Miami has promising offensive line, but potential suspension looming
The Miami Hurricanes are hoping that left tackle Zion Nelson, who has missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury, isn’t rusty in the Sept. 4 opener against Alabama.
“I think Zion and the doctors feel pretty confident he will be back for the Bama game,” offensive line coach Garin Justice told WQAM’s Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. on Hurricane Hotline this week. “He’s got to go out and have the practices and make sure he’s one of the best five to play in the game. Zion is great [with] work ethic, attitude. Just hope he’s not so rusty that he can’t perform at the level we’ve seen him perform... last season.
“Hopefully when he comes back there’s limited rust and he’s playing at a high level. If not, we will have a good plan regardless.”
That plan might involve playing last season’s starting right tackle Jarrid Williams at left tackle; Williams has worked at left tackle the last couple weeks.
Nelson would likely line up alongside Jalen Rivers, who has held down the left guard job throughout camp.
“I can’t say enough nice things about Jalen and the progress he’s made in the last year,” Justice said.
Justice called center Corey Gaynor “the alpha of the room. He makes my job easier in a lot of ways.”
As for right guard Navaughn Donaldson, Justice said: “Hopefully his stamina will be able to hold up throughout a game. What we see at practice is when he does it right, it’s pretty good.”
Donaldson missed last season after a major knee injury sustained late in the 2019 season.
“What people don’t realize about Navaughn is his mental and physical toughness,” Justice said. “He’s not going to miss practice. He’s going to be in the lineup. Hopefully he can get in better and better shape and keep enduring. There’s a really good athlete underneath it all. He’s poised to play some of his best football this fall.”
Justice is also excited about the addition of tackle/guard Justice Oluwaseun, whom he coached at UNLV. Oluwaseun has two seasons of eligibility.
“He’s so happy to be here,” Justice said. “We had zero intentions this offseason of bringing somebody in because we have so many returners. But we found he hit the transfer portal and we’ll probably lose at least six scholarships after this season and why not get someone we know and trust? The transition will be seamless and we get him for another year. That’s why we went ahead and made the move with Justice. He brings a different edge to that room. I’m thankful he’s there.
“He’s got the right kind of mean streak you want in an offensive lineman. He just came up to the office and said he wanted to see all his practice reps from [Tuesday].”
Justice lavished praise on Alabama’s front seven.
“They look like what defending national champions look like on film,” he said. “Their linebackers are probably the best linebacking core in the country. They have some of the elite defensive ends in the country. I don’t know if their defensive tackles are the best in the country, but they’re at least top five. They’re pretty salty up front.”
Scaife arrest
The Miami Herald learned this week that Miami-Dade prosecutors have declined to press charges against UM offensive lineman Delone (DJ) Scaife, 21, who was arrested in early July for carrying a concealed firearm.
UM declined comment when asked if Scaife or tight end Larry Hodges, who was arrested in March for carrying a concealed firearm and possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana, would be suspended for any games this season. A Miami-Dade County prosecutor decided not to pursue charges against Hodges.
A UM source said UM was aware of the Scaife arrest.
If there are suspensions related to offseason incidents or arrests, Miami has typically announced them shortly before kickoff of the opener. If veteran starter Scaife is suspended for Alabama, that would severely impact UM.
Scaife, a fourth-year junior who was projected to be the first man off the bench to begin 2021, started all 11 games at right guard last season and this camp has worked both sides at first-team tackle because of the absence of Nelson. Oluwaseun, the UNLV transfer, could see plenty of playing time.
In the previously unreported Scaife arrest, Scaife was pulled over July 9 on the 8200 block of Southwest 40th Street while driving a Dodge Charger with window tints that appeared to be too dark, according to a police report. When an officer asked him if “there was anything in the car,” Scaife revealed his gun was under the seat, the report said.
Police found the .40-caliber Glock with a loaded extended magazine under the driver’s seat. Under the passenger’s seat, officers found another pistol, a 9-mm Taurus. Neither had a concealed weapons permit. Scaife acknowledged he didn’t have a permit but said “he recently applied for one,” the report said.
He and his passenger, Kewanaqui Smith, were both arrested for carrying a concealed firearm.
Despite Scaife not having a valid permit at the time of the arrest, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, in a memo released Tuesday, declined to press charges. It cited that Scaife “had applied for and currently possesses a CCW permit.”
Smith’s case was also dropped because prosecutors said it could not prove he was “responsible” for the gun under his seat being hidden there.
UM-Bama tickets
UM athletic director Blake James told WQAM that the Hurricanes are still selling their allotment of tickets for the Alabama game.
“We’re going to have a great showing there both in the stands and on the field,” James said.
James said he expects full capacity at home Miami Hurricanes game this season.
“We’ve gotten a great response from our supporters in buying season tickets,” James said. “It’s going to be an exciting time at Hard Rock Stadium.”
Asked about the new alliance between the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 10 and Pacific-12, James said it’s unclear how it will impact Hurricanes’ football scheduling, noting UM has no openings for football until 2027.
“The announcement,” he said, “was to put a stake in the ground and bring together 41 institutions that have the same vision of what that student-athlete experience should look like.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 9:59 AM.
