Miami Hurricanes defenders Trent Harris, Darrion Owens praised for work ethic

Hurricanes defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio lauded rush end/outside linebacker Trent Harris, a 6-2, 251-pound sophomore listed first on the depth chart released Sunday, as well as first-team strong-side linebacker Darrion Owens, a 6-3, 247-pound sophomore.

D’Onofrio said Harris “is the type of guy that just does everything you ask him to do and he’s done nothing but get better since he got here.”

Harris had 15 tackles and Owens had 23 last season, both in 12 games.

“He and Darrion benefited from coming here last January, and those guys made the most of it. They’ve been in the rotation since last year. Those guys played a lot of football for us as true freshmen, and they just picked it up where they left off.

“They come back, work hard in the winter program, have good springs, get better in the summer, hit their goal weights — guys who consistently do what we ask them to do and as a result they get better and make more plays.”

D’Onofrio said he’d like to see more consistency out of strong-side linebacker Tyriq McCord, a 6-3, 236-pound senior from Tampa.

“Just consistency, be the same guy everyday. He’s now going into his fourth year. He has played the [strong-side] and [rush end]. He has played both. Bring that type of veteran leadership and consistency on the field.’’

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 11:33 PM with the headline "Miami Hurricanes defenders Trent Harris, Darrion Owens praised for work ethic."