Zoom-zoom! Hurricanes’ practices are fast and physical. Miami tight ends like it that way
The way Miami Hurricanes veteran tight end Will Mallory spoke Wednesday, you’d think he was 22 going on 50.
“All the coaches, they’ve brought in quality young men,’’ Mallory told reporters after Day Two of University of Miami spring practice.
The quality includes 6-4, 210-pound early enrollee freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown, who had another strong day of practice during media viewing. “He’s an impressive young man,’’ Mallory said. “Physically, he’s a very gifted individual. And as a person you can’t ask for much better either. I’m very pleased with how the young quarterbacks are coming.”
Mallory can only hope, because he’ll likely be catching his share of balls from those quarterbacks, led by soon-to-be third-year-sophomore Tyler Van Dyke and rising redshirt freshman Jake Garcia. In early November, Mallory, the quintessential team player, revealed he’d be returning for the 2022 season.
The 6-5, 245-pound Mallory missed spring of 2021 recovering from shoulder surgery after catching 22 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns in 2020 behind current Houston Texan Brevin Jordan. He finished last season with 30 catches for 347 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games.
“Overall, I’m feeling better, feeling more confident,’’ he said when he announced he’d be back. “As a team we’re out there playing our game and we’re having fun, so I’m kind of feeding off that energy as well.’’
Little did Mallory know that in 2022 he’d have a new coach in Mario Cristobal, with substantially more energy surrounding him, according to players early in spring.
“One thing I noticed about the practices is they’re very hard, but at the end of it I feel I can keep going,’’ Mallory said Wednesday. “That’s something I noticed Monday and something I noticed today. Being out there I feel like the best player I can be and my conditioning allows me to perform at the highest level throughout the whole practice.
“The physicality of it, the standard that the coaches are requiring of us. Everything is very fast. Everything is very competitive. That’s the way they want it and that’s the way it’s going to be. That’s the thing I’ve noticed the last two practices, that level of intensity.”
UM’s tight end group includes 6-4, 250-pound sophomore Elijah Arroyo, who caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in 12 games.
Joining them this season will be 6-5, 210-pound true freshman Jaleel Skinner, a graduate of Bradenton IMG Academy and the nation’s No. 3 tight end prospect in the most recent recruiting class. He is from Greer, South Carolina.
“I love our tight end group,’’ Arroyo said after practice. “I feel like we’re the hardest working group on the team. Jaleel’s a great guy. He’s willing to work. He wants to learn.”
New UM offensive coordinator Josh Gattis also spoke Wednesday, saying he was “very confident” the tight ends “will be involved heavily” this season.
“When you look at Will,’’ Gattis said, “he has the ability to be a special player in this league. He can do a lot, not just in the run game, in the pass game, as well as in pass protection. That tight end room has been recruited really well. Coach [Stephen] Field has done a great job developing those guys, recruiting those guys.”
“...I will tell you this: They will be a big factor in what we do. The tight end position for us is like a Swiss Army Knife because we ask those guys to do so much for us. We’re going to develop the complete tight end, and I think that’s the thing that’ll be a little bit different — asking those guys to be involved in the run game as much as in the pass game.”
Out of 10 on-field assistants hired by Cristobal, the lone coach thus far retained from Manny Diaz’s former staff is tight ends coach Field. Mallory is grateful, and called his return an absolute advantage for the position group.
“Coach Field is my guy,’’ Mallory said. “He’s been here the last three years and I wouldn’t really want to be with anyone else. Him having a previous relationship with Coach Cristobal, they work well together.
“He’s just a great coach and great person. We’re in really good hands.’’
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 4:15 PM.
