As he nears return, how Hurricanes’ Damari Brown has handled being sidelined by injury
Damari Brown ahead of the season talked seizing the moment. The sophomore cornerback was expected to be a key player in the Miami Hurricanes’ revamped secondary.
An undisclosed injury in Miami’s season-opening win over the Florida Gators on Aug. 31 changed exactly how he would be helping the team this season.
Brown has missed the past nine games while recovering from the injury. Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said Brown is practicing and, along with defensive lineman Elijah Alston and offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez, is a game-time decision for Miami’s home game against Wake Forest on Saturday (noon, ESPN).
But while Brown hasn’t been able to play for the majority of the season, his teammates have praised how he has done what he could to make an impact while sidelined.
“Every time I go to the sideline, Damari’s helping me on my mistakes and making sure I don’t make the mistakes he made when he was playing out of freshman,” said freshman cornerback OJ Frederique, who has been one of the main corners filling in for Brown. “He’s great. He’s coaching. He’s getting everybody better. He’s getting involved. If he plays this week, he plays this week, but hey, it’ll be great to have him back on the field.”
Cristobal said Brown’s rehab process has helped him “come out of his shell a little bit.”
“He’s very reserved in a good way. Just very focused. Takes care of his business,” Cristobal said. “When you go through something like that, you have to be engaged in different ways. We don’t allow guys to isolate during injury time; that’s the worst thing you can do for a player is let him drift off and get in his own mental space. That’s never good. You’ve seen him just develop from a personality standpoint and engagement standpoint. He looks great. This is a big week for him because the reps he’ll be taking and the work he’ll be doing is as close to gameplay as it can possibly be. We’re working hard to get him ready. He’s working hard to get himself ready.”
Should Brown return, it will be a boon for a secondary that has struggled this season. The Hurricanes have given up an average of 203.8 passing yards per game, which ranks 51st nationally. UM has allowed 29 pass plays of at least 20 yards.
“Everybody knows he’s a big leader on our team that can give us a extra spark,” fifth-year senior Daryl Porter Jr. said. “It’s been lovely having him back [at practice], seeing him get back in the groove. I feel like he’s gonna be a big part of this defense.”
Restrepo, Borregales semifinalist for national awards
Hurricanes fifth-year senior wide receiver Xavier Restrepo and senior kicker Andres Borregales on Tuesday were named as semifinalists for national awards.
Restrepo is one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to college football’s top receiver. Borregales is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to college football’s top kicker.
Restrepo enters the week with 934 receiving yards (10th nationally) and 10 touchdowns (tied third nationally) on 55 catches. His 16.98 yards per catch rank third among players with at least 50 receptions behind only TCU’s Jack Bech (17.54), Washington State’s Kyle Williams (17.10).
This has already been a record-setting year for Restrepo. He set the school’s marks for career receptions and receiving yards and is six touchdown catches shy of tying the school record for career receiving touchdowns as well. Restrepo also needs just 66 more receiving yards to become the first player in UM history to ever record multiple seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.
Borregales has made 13 of 14 field goals this season and is a perfect 48 of 48 on extra-point attempts. For his career, Borregales has made 69 of 81 field goal attempts and 169 of 170 PATs. His 376 points scored are third in school history behind Michael Badgley (403) and Carlos Huerta (397).
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