Here’s who was at UM practice Tuesday and who wasn’t. And Canes await word from recruits.
A six-pack of Canes notes on a Tuesday:
▪ Two NFL-bound juniors, defensive end Jon Garvin and receiver Jeff Thomas, aren’t playing in the Independence Bowl and thus not practicing with the team. Garvin has signed with an agent.
But two other Hurricanes underclassmen who are eligible to enter the draft if they choose —cornerback Trajan Bandy and defensive tackle Jon Ford — were at practice Tuesday as the team prepares for its Dec. 26 game against Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, Louisiana.
UM expects Ford to return for his senior season. Bandy hasn’t clarified his status.
Garvin and Thomas are projected as third-day picks, at best, and Thomas could go undrafted.
Two other juniors — running back DeeJay Dallas and guard Navaughn Donaldson — are injured, with Donaldson expected to return next season and UM awaiting word on Dallas’ intentions.
Linebacker Shaquille Quarterman said he doesn’t expect any other healthy player to skip the bowl game beyond Thomas, Garvin and senior Trevon Hill, who has begun preparing for the draft.
“I think everybody that has announced — or will announce — has announced, but I think everybody else is ready to go,” Quarterman said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Tate Martell — who had been away from the Hurricanes for personal reasons for the final two weeks of November — has rejoined the team and participated in the past two practices, on Sunday and Tuesday.
▪ The Hurricanes, with two offensive line commitments in the 2020 class, are scrambling for more help at the position. The Canes have reached out to multiple linemen in recent days, according to several reports.
One of them is Bradenton-based IMG Academy three-star guard Alex Atcavage, who decommitted from FSU and spoke to UM over the weekend. He’s expected to visit in January.
Also, UM recently offered Jonesboro, Georgia-based three-star prospect Phillip Wilder, according to Wilder. Penn State, Georgia Tech and Texas are among others in the mix, and he likely will visit UM in January.
UM also reached out to Parkland Stoneman Douglas three-star guard Gage Gaynor, and he’s also viewed as a backup plan if Miami wants to add another guard in January or February.
UM has held out hopes of luring Jacksonville-based three star guard Kobe Baynes, a Louisville commitment who will announce his intentions at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
But the Canes have lost hope of flipping four-star guard Chris Morris from Texas A&M; Morris canceled his planned UM visit this past weekend.
At least UM has two legitimate tackle prospects committed in Oakland four-star prospect Jalen Rivers and Chris Washington, a three-star prospect based in Nashville.
▪ Beyond the offensive linemen, the Canes enter signing day still in the mix for a few other offensive players, including five-star Las Vegas based tight end Darnell Washington. But many believe he will end up at Georgia or Alabama, with Tennessee and the Gators also having received consideration. Washington said he won’t sign during the early signing period.
Three-star Louisiana-based receiver Kyren Lacy, a Louisiana Lafayette commitment, is considered a backup plan if UM decides it wants to add another receiver in January or early February.
▪ The Canes also are awaiting word from a few players on defense: four-star Homestead South Dade High cornerback Jaiden Francois (who reportedly will choose between Miami and Nebraska) and Plantation American Heritage two-star safety Devonte Brown, who will pick between UM and UCF. Brown’s father, Selwyn, played for UM, but UCF is a formidable challenger. Francois is expected to announce at 9 a.m. Wednesday and Brown at 9:30 a.m.
Three-star Mississippi-based cornerback Daran Branch, a previous UM commitment, has told reporters he’s still considering UM even though he’s an Ole Miss commitment. He’s expected to hold off on a decision until February.
To its credit, UM has remained a contender for five-star California-based linebacker Justin Flowe, but most will be surprised if he picks the Canes. Southern Cal and Oregon are considered his most likely options. Clemson reportedly ran out of room in its class and cannot take him. Flowe plans to announce at 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
Also, DeLand four-year safety Avantae Williams decommitted from Oregon and is considering UF (considered the favorite) and UM, among others; he tweeted that he won’t sign until February.
And Hialeah Champagnat linebacker Jesus Machado remains a Plan B of sorts if the Canes decide to add another linebacker.
▪ The Canes lost out on a couple targets in the past four days. The most disappointing was Wakulla-based four-star linebacker Keyshawn Greene’s decision to pick Nebraska over UM. Greene was so impressed with his recent UM visit that he decommitted from FSU during that Coral Gables visit. But something happened to push him toward the Cornhuskers during the next week.
Four-star Georgia-based safety Doneiko Slaughter, who UM tried to flip from Arizona State, decommitted from ASU but then committed to Tennessee.
UM has 20 nonbinding commitments for the 2020 class, with many of those 20 expected to sign on Wednesday. There’s room for an additional five or six players in the class.
▪ Quick stuff: Though one prominent trustee member said it would wise to pursue Cleveland Browns executive and former UM star Alonzo Highsmith for a general manager-type role, the Canes hadn’t reached out to Highsmith as of Monday, according to a source… UM baseball is ranked fourth in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll — its first preseason top five ranking since 2015. UM finished last season ranked between 19th and 25 in all postseason polls.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 3:32 PM.
