UM football program working to fix behind-the-scenes issues
UM coach Manny Diaz hopes he has solved the program’s biggest problem with the hiring of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and the move to an up-tempo spread offense.
But conversations with multiple people around the program, including a veteran player, say there’s another issue, particularly in the quarterback room, that must be fixed. And UM is working to achieve that.
That player - and other sources around the team - say a few players seem more concerned with partying than focusing on football and that a handful (including a prominent one on offense) broke curfew the night before the FIU loss to go out.
It didn’t help that players are aware that UM’s drug policy does not call for a suspension for a first failed drug test; that policy was taken advantage of, according to numerous sources.
All of that had one regular on the team hoping Diaz becomes more of a disciplinarian next season. Diaz apparently realizes this.
We’re told Diaz reminded players before the Independence Bowl that breaking curfew, drinking and smoking weed would not be permitted.
A source said Diaz has discussed implementing a three-strike system in which the first failed test is a one-game suspension, a second failed test is a multi-game suspension and a drug education course; and a third failed test results in dismissal. It’s unclear if that system will be implemented.
Under UM’s current drug policy, the penalty for a first offense on a failed drug test is 10 hours of community service. The punishment for a second offense is players are withheld from 10 percent of their season’s competition (one game for football) and a third suspension requires missing 30 percent of the season’s games (three or four for football).
“The University of Miami has one of the strongest institutional drug testing policies in all of college athletics,” the UM athletic department told The Miami Herald in response to an inquiry last week. “Testing is outsourced to, and conducted entirely by, an independent entity that has no other affiliation with Miami Athletics.
“Any football student-athletes who violated the institutional drug policy this past season were penalized in accordance with the institutional policy. Any University of Miami coach has the authority to strengthen the drug testing policy for his or her respective sport.”
Only two players were suspended last season, for reasons not specified: cornerback DJ Ivey for one game for the opener and receiver Jeff Thomas for two games.
Now let’s be clear: 1) The majority of these UM players comport themselves well and take their student athlete role seriously. 2) Marijuana use is common all over college campuses; this column is no moral condemnation of that and there is no suggestion - or any indication - of any serious drug problem inside the UM program.
The problem, as UM sources said, is that the immaturity infiltrated the quarterback room - the position where you need your most mature players.
And the other issue is that a few players felt players could get away with some things without being punished, such as Jarren Williams not showing up for a practice and then playing (off the bench) the following Saturday. One player said there were multiple missteps with Williams regarding maturity.
That’s one reason - combined with the quarterbacks’ erratic play - why UM is pursuing a grad transfer quarterback to be the potential starter in 2020.
The other problem, as one player explained, is there were some players on the team (not a lot but some) that have a “do what they want” mentality, don’t possess the level of work ethic needed to succeed and don’t seem to care as passionately as they should.
You know what the Canes need, besides better players? More mature, grounded players like Shaq Quarterman, who consistently does the right thing. There are a lot of UM players like Quarterman in that regard. But the Canes need all of them to be that way, especially in the quarterback room.
▪ That UM source said the Canes need more students of the game, too, noting how ridiculous it was - as one example - that Williams took off running on what was supposed to be an end-of-the-half Hail Mary in the Independence Bowl.
▪ A UM source identified two other problems with Williams: 1) He missed a lot of open receivers this season. 2) He can’t recover quickly enough, or at all, from a mental standpoint after throwing interceptions. He spiraled downward after early-game interceptions against Virginia Tech and FIU, before rallying late in the FIU game.
But UM is prepared to move ahead with Williams, N’Kosi Perry, Tate Martell and newcomer Tyler Van Dyke if it cannot find an upgrade on the grad transfer market. That search continues, with Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman off the board after committing to Georgia but Jett Duffey back on the board after withdrawing his commitment to Tulane.
