Gattis saw Georgia’s talent firsthand. At Miami, he says, ‘we can recruit like that, too’
Josh Gattis’ Michigan Wolverines were one of the best teams in the history of the program. Now the Miami Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator, Gattis won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach, and helped Michigan reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history and finish in the top five for the first time since 1999.
Once they got to the Playoff, the Wolverines were no match for the Georgia Bulldogs, though, and lost by 23 to the eventual national champions in the 2021 Orange Bowl. It was a lesson for Gattis — confirmation, really — about what it takes to win a title: It has to start off the field.
“It was really kind of about the recruiting model because I thought last year the place that we were at — we had a very, very talented roster, offensively and defensively,” said Gattis, who spent three seasons as Michigan’s offensive coordinator and also went to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship in his lone season as a co-offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide. “It just kind of looked a lot different in the playoffs and that’s about recruitment -- recruiting size, recruiting speed.”
The good news, Gattis said, is Miami can get there.
“This is a very unique place because at the University of Miami we can recruit like that, too. We have the best football within a 15-mile radius here and we’ve got to do a great job keeping the best players here at home,” Gattis said. “How many guys from South Florida have been on those teams, those national-championship teams, whether that’s Georgia or whether that’s Alabama? We’ve got to take great pride in trying to keep those guys here at the University of Miami.”
Mario Cristobal is off to a solid start, too. The new coach added four blue-chip recruits to the Hurricanes’ Class of 2022 in the two months he had between his arrival and national signing day to give Miami a top-15 class, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, and he helped Miami land an oral commitment from four-star interior lineman Antonio Tripp on Tuesday.
The Hurricanes are a long way from catching the Bulldogs, who have had a top-five class in five straight recruiting cycles, but it’s going to be the priority.
Miami’s early first-team lineups
The Hurricanes held their second spring practice Wednesday in Coral Gables and wrapped up the morning on Greentree Practice Fields with 11-on-11 action.
It was the best glimpse yet at how Miami envisions its first-team offense and defense in the first week of spring.
On offense: quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, running back Thaddius Franklin Jr., tight end Will Mallory, wide receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George, and offensive linemen, from left to right, Zion Nelson, Ousman Traore, Jakai Clark, Justice Oluwaseun and DJ Scaife Jr.
On defense: cornerbacks DJ Ivey and Te’Cory Couch; safeties James Williams and Avantae Williams; defensive linemen Jahfari Harvey, Leonard Taylor, Jared Harrison-Hunte and Chantz Williams; linebackers Corey Flagg Jr., Waynmon Steed Jr. and Gilbert Frierson.
Offensive lineman Logan Sagapolu also rotated in at interior spots and, obviously, a ton of players are mixing in at the skill positions on offense and all over the defense.
Potential position change for Frierson?
Although he’s listed on the roster as a linebacker, Frierson spent practice Wednesday working with the cornerbacks and his spot on defense seems much more akin to a nickelback than a traditional linebacker.
Last year, Frierson played striker, which isn’t a position in new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s defense. It was a position all about versatility, though -- it’s a hybrid between linebacker and safety -- and Frierson, who started his career as a corner, will be able to use the skill set in a variety of roles on this defense.
On Monday, the soon-to-be redshirt senior laughed when asked what his new position is.
“Just moving around, everybody just trying different positions. Everybody moving around wherever we’re feeling comfortable at, things like that. They’re just trying to fill in the spot,” Frierson said. “Same, pretty much -- SAM, nickel; same thing pretty much.”
Roberts limited after injury scare
Elijah Roberts left practice Monday with an apparent lower-body injury and was right back at practice Wednesday, albeit in a limited capacity.
The defensive lineman went through pre-practice stretching with a brace on his right ankle before heading back into the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility. Whatever happened Monday, it doesn’t appear to be too serious. He even had some family in attendance to watch practice.
The players listed as out for the spring also took part in pre-practice stretching, which provided a chance to glean more specifics about their injuries. Wide receiver Romello Brinson had his right arm in a sling and running back Jaylan Knighton had a brace on his left wrist.
