Does an unusual senior day give any hints about who will stay and who will go for Miami?

Of all the storied records in Miami Hurricanes history, Zach McCloud might have the most untouchable.

The defensive end, one of 23 players honored as part of senior day, played in the 63rd game of his career Saturday and has a chance to play 65 if he suits up for the regular-season finale next Saturday and a bowl game next month.

As a sixth-year senior who has played in parts of all six seasons, McCloud has had a career unlike any other.

“I’ve had to encounter the end a couple times before and every single time it feels like the same thing, like it was just over,” McCloud said Wednesday after one of his final practices in Coral Gables. “I can still feel all the same feelings I felt my first day at the dorm. I’ll take all those experiences with me. It’s exciting, but bittersweet.”

McCloud has actually been through senior day before, although his ceremony last season was atypical because of the COVID-19 pandemic — his parents weren’t ont he field with him, he said, and he “wanted to make sure we got out there and did the whole thing the right way.”

The pandemic is only one reason McCloud’s career has lasted so long, though. He came to Miami in 2016 and started three years as a linebacker before a scheme change on defense made him a reserve in 2019. He played in four games as a senior and was still able to redshirt because of a then-new rule letting players redshirt so long as they don’t play more than four games in a season. As a redshirt senior last year, he rejoined the starting lineup and decided to come back again for a sixth year, taking advantage of the NCAA’s blanket decision to grant all players an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus.

The NCAA’s COVID eligibility adjustment made this senior day particularly strange. Of the 23 players honored, 14 technically have a year of eligibility remaining and most haven’t given an indication as to whether they plan to return.

As part of senior day, the Hurricanes honored 14 players listed as juniors — or even redshirt underclassmen — on the roster: running back Cam’Ron Harris, wide receiver Charleston Rambo, defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera, striker Gilbert Frierson, cornerback DJ Ivey, safety Bubba Bolden and punter Lou Hedley, plus walk-ons Ryan Rizk, Michael Parrott, Connor Byrne, Will Huggins, Michael Scibelli, Zac Smith and Camden Price. D’Eriq King also could appeal for a medical redshirt after playing in only three games this season, but the quarterback said he would not return in an appearance on a Rivals.com podcast Nov. 4.

Of this group, Silvera insinuated he would not return in a postgame interview Nov. 6 and Bolden also tweeted about his Miami career in the past tense after opting for season-ending surgery in October.

The Hurricanes, however, did not honor eight other fourth- or fifth-year juniors: tight end Will Mallory, linebacker Waynmon Steed, cornerback Al Blades Jr. and offensive linemen DJ Scaife Jr., Corey Gaynor, Justice Oluwaseun and Zalon’tae Hillery, plus walk-on wide receiver Dante Johnson. Mallory already said he plans to return next year and offensive line coach Garin Justice said he expects Oluwaseun to be back, but the rest have not publicly given an indication about their plans.

A decision to take part in senior day does not necessarily mean a player will not return next year, just as a decision to not take part doesn’t mean a player definitely will return.

Miami also honored seven players who are out of eligibility: McCloud, wide receiver Mike Harley, offensive linemen Navaughn Donaldson and Jarrid Williams, defensive linemen Deandre Johnson and Jonathan Ford, striker Amari Carter and walk-on punter Matias Gasc.

Williams out after groin injury

With the Hurricanes eliminated from Atlantic Coast Conference championship contention and now just playing out the string to try to earn bowl eligibility, Miami was missing one of its brightest young stars Saturday against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

James Williams, who went down with a groin injury in the Hurricanes’ loss to the Florida State Seminoles last Saturday, did not dress Saturday in Miami Gardens for the Hurricanes’ home finale as he continues to recover. He was on the field in sweatpants for the early portion of pregame warm-ups, standing on the field with the rest of the injured group.

Williams left the Florida State game in the middle of the second quarter with a groin injury and was unable to return after initially trying to play through it. Coach Manny Diaz said Monday the 6-foot-5, 224-pound safety “was pretty stiff and sore” the day after the game as he dealt with a “soft-tissue injury” and he was not able to get healthy enough to play Saturday with the Hurricanes out of ACC title contention.

Williams had played in every game this year with 31 tackles, a half a tackle for loss, two interceptions and two passes defended.

With Williams sidelined, Miami will still mainly play two freshman safeties at Hard Rock Stadium. Kamren Kinchens will make his fourth straight start next to Avantae Williams, who continued to play a major role as a reserve.

Williams had started seven straight games since taking over for safety Gurvan Hall Jr. as he served a one-game suspension for a game against the FCS Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in September. Williams never let go of the job and Hall decided to put his name into the transfer portal earlier this month.

When the Hurricanes lost safety Bubba Bolden to a season-ending shoulder injury last month, Kinchens also joined the starting lineup, giving Miami two freshman starters in the back end. Williams, from Plantation American Heritage, was the No. 1 safety recruit in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2021, while Northwestern’s Kinchens was No. 23.

The other Williams was the No. 2 safety in the Class of 2020, but didn’t play at all last year because of an unspecified medical issue. He served a six-game suspension to start this season because a domestic-violence allegation — charges were eventually dropped — and made his debut last month in the Hurricanes’ upset of the then-No. 18 NC State Wolfpack. He entered the weekend with 11 tackles and one interception.

Miami’s secondary got even thinner in the first half when cornerback Tyrique Stevenson exited with a shoulder injury and did not return.

Reserve offensive lineman Cleveland Reed Jr. did not dress, either. The team did not provide a reason for his absence.

The Hurricanes also have close to a dozen other players sidelined by long-term injuries, including King, Harris, Gaynor, Blades, quarterback Jake Garcia, running back Donald Chaney Jr., wide receiver Michael Redding III, and offensive linemen Jalen Rivers and John Campbell Jr.

Rambo cracks 1,000 receiving yards

It took less than four minutes Saturday for Rambo to pass the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

The redshirt junior began the day with 955 yards, and opened the game with a 39-yard catch and then an 8-yard grab on the first possession to push him past 1,000 receiving yards. He’s the first Hurricane with more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Allen Hurns in 2013 and he began the weekend on pace to break Hurns’ single-season record, assuming Miami makes a bowl game and he plays in it.

Rambo needed to average 69 yards per game across the last three weeks of the season to set the school’s single-season mark.

This story was originally published November 20, 2021 at 6:41 PM.