Miami’s Manny Diaz and fans captivated by young tight end Elijah Arroyo for good reason
By now it’s unmistakable: University of Miami coach Manny Diaz — and all of Canes fandom, for that matter — is enamored of Elijah Arroyo.
And judging by Arroyo’s pedigree, practice and play in his limited snaps and short time he has been with the Hurricanes, it’s quite understandable as No. 24 UM (1-1) prepares to host Michigan State (2-0) at noon Saturday (ABC).
Arroyo is the elite, true freshman tight end who appears to be capturing the type of attention Miami star Brevin Jordan, now with the NFL’s Houston Texans, got as a freshman. Arroyo was rated as high as No. 4 nationally at his position out of Independence High School in Frisco, Texas. He’s the young man who plays a lot older than he is and already has beefed up to 250 pounds on his 6-4 frame.
“Elijah, even in practice, does things that freshmen don’t normally do,’’ Diaz said Wednesday.
Exhibit A: Arroyo made the first catch of his college career Saturday against Appalachian State and turned it into a teaching tool. About halfway through the second quarter, on first-and-10 from the Appalachian State 35-yard line, Arroyo took a short pass from D’Eriq King, ran toward the right sideline, barreled through Mountaineers free safety Ryan Huff and got an 11-yard gain — about 8 of those yards after catch.
“When we threw it to him in the flat,’’ Diaz siad, “the guy was coming inside off the tackle and then normally you see they kind of butt into each other and the guy pushes him out of bounds. Elijah actually dipped his shoulder and ripped under the tackle and stayed in bounds. He took 5 or 6 more yards after that contact. That’s a very mature play.
“He just has a tendency to make plays like that that are a little bit beyond what you would see for a guy playing in his second ever college game. .. The way he runs routes, the way he creates space for himself, the way he hip-checked a linebacker out of the way and then [was] able to tight-turn after a catch. Just things that are usually a little more nuanced.”
Added Diaz: “You have to keep in mind he missed spring [knee injury], and that’s normally tough on first-year guys.“
Adept blocker
Arroyo, also an impressively adept blocker, lined up in multiple spots Saturday during his 10 snaps, including in the backfield, slot and on the line. He spoke Wednesday on Zoom after Diaz. The lead blocker for running back Don Chaney Jr.’s touchdown, Arroyo was asked if blocking was key for him to get on the field more.
“Yeah, they said they were pleased with what I did on the perimeter and inside the box,’’ said Arroyo, who had 79 catches for 1,339 yards and 18 touchdowns his junior and senior seasons at Independence. “I’m able to use my size to my advantage and just move people out of the way.
“There’s still room for improvement. I have a lot to get better on.”
Arroyo said he feels “real comfortable” picking up blitzes during pass protection. “There are things I have to fix,’’ he reiterated.
Arroyo backs up 6-5, 245-pound starter Will Mallory, a fourth-year junior who had 22 catches for 329 yards and four touchdowns last season, and has five catches this season for 28 yards — with at least one misplayed would-be catch against Appalachian State.
Michigan State
After dominant wins at Northwestern and home against Youngstown State, the Spartans are ranked 69th nationally in total defense (352 yards allowed a game) — 71st in passing yards allowed (210 average).
Arroyo chose Miami over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Southern Cal and a multitude of powerhouses. His first college catch proved gratifying, but he chose not to dwell on it.
“That catch felt good being able to showcase what I can do breaking that tackle,’’ Arroyo said. “I tried not to treat it like anything special. I just tried to get the ball to the ref and focus on the next play.”
Harley on injury
Hurricanes top returning receiver Mike Harley also spoke Wednesday, and was asked about the play against Alabama that took him out of the game with what could have been a serious injury, but wasn’t.
“On that play at Alabama where you see I got hit by three guys, I want to say, my neck went a different way and I had sharp pain in my neck and my back. Just a muscled bruise. But I’m out there playing so I’m going 100 percent. Nothing wrong.’’
Harley has eight catches for 50 yards in two games, but he’s had some drops.
“No excuses,’’ he said. “Me just not trusting my training, what I do in practice, and not looking the ball in.’’
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 5:20 PM.
