The Hurricanes’ newest Swiss Army Knife. And UM personnel notes
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Thursday:
▪ It’s difficult enough to get a freshman to master his own position.
But Elija Lofton appears to be capably handling at least three of them.
He already has earned trust at tight end, H-back, running back and in a pseudo receiver role.
“He’s wired differently,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “He takes this game serious. You ask him to do something, he does it. He doesn’t talk a whole lot, just does his job and does it at a high level.
“He’s a very low rep guy; the first time you teach him something it looks pretty much like you envision seeing it. The game moves in a little bit slower motion to him. In the spring we put him at running back and he made big plays. He’s making big plays at receiver every day, he blocks well, is picking up blitzes.”
Lofton attends meetings with the tight ends but also must have a command of everything that’s being taught to the running backs.
What does he tell people who ask him his position?
“I just say I’m a tight end/running back,” he said. “Whatever the team needs me to do, I will do it.”
Lofton, who also strongly considered Texas and Washington before picking UM, said “as a tight end, what I do well at is route running and getting open. I need to work on blocking, beat guys in the trenches.”
If he makes the NFL, he said he envisions his role being a combination of jobs, “anywhere on the field they need me.”
He has been receiving mentoring from Canes alum and fellow Las Vegas Bishop Gorman graduate Brevin Jordan, who plays for the Houston Texans.
“He’s like a big brother to me, always gave me good advice,” Lofton said.
The best advice? “Don’t care what people say,” Lofton said.
▪ Jaden Harris and Markieth Williams are the returning players best positioned to compete to start alongside Washington transfer Mishael Powell at safety.
But Powell tells everyone to keep an eye on four-star freshman Zaquan Patterson.
“Zaquan Patterson is a baller,” Powell said. “He’s going to hit, but he’s also really smart. And that’s something people may not know. He’s a genius. So young to be that smart, which is really impressive.”
Another freshman safety, Dylan Day, “is quiet but he’s a player. He can cover. He played a little bit of corner in high school. It’s a big deal to be a free safety, too; it adds more to your game to not only be in the post in coverage but to slide down and cover a tight end.”
▪ Meanwhile, Patterson said he has spoken with legendary Canes safety Ed Reed a couple of times and Reed “told me that I remind him of himself in terms of how aggressive I am. There’s a great history with safeties here… I want to bring Miami back.”
He’s in position to earn playing time as a freshman, but said he’s fine either way: “I absolutely will take my time to get developed. I performed early [in the spring] and made plays.”
His strengths? “I’m a good tackler, understand angles and two-minute drills and game situations.”
▪ Second-year linebacker Bobby Washington has reshaped his body, hoping to catch the eye of coaches.
“Last year, I was 205, and that wasn’t cutting it,” he said. “I’m 232 now, heaviest I’ve been. It took a long, long way to get there. I’m ready to play this year. I want to show how talented I am. I can cover, tackle, do everything Mario Cristobal wants me to do.”
Washington, a SAM linebacker, is competing in a room that’s better than a year ago because of the additions of veteran Jaylin Alderman and impressive freshmen Cam Pruitt and Adarius Hayes and the growth of Raul Aguirre.
Francisco Mauigoa and Wesley Bissainthe are the returning starters.
▪ One player who changed positions this offseason, defensive end Malik Bryant, said Cristobal proposed the idea of moving over to linebacker but left the decision up to Bryant when they spoke several months ago about it.
Cristobal explained to him “how beneficial it could be for me and saw the capabilities I had.”
Bryant said he agreed to make the move to defensive end because he sees himself as a natural pass rusher.
He will try to push Elijah Alston for the No. 4 defensive end job.
▪ Among the freshman cornerbacks, keep an eye on St. Thomas Aquinas alum OJ Frederique, who has drawn raves from coaches and teammates.
“He’s ready for this level; physical, good with his hands,” cornerback Jadais Richard said.
As for Richard, he hopes for better results in his second year here after transferring from Vanderbilt. He opened camp as a starting cornerback, according to defensive coordinator Lance Guidry.
“I wanted to improve my awareness, seeing formations” before plays, he said.
Richard also can play safety, but UM needs him to play well at corner.
This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 4:26 PM.
