More clarity offered on Ed Reed’s role at UM. And Reed shares more thoughts
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Sunday:
▪ So what exactly will Ed Reed do as UM’s chief of staff?
Manny Diaz offered some insight three times last week, including this from a conversation with Joe Zagacki on WQAM’s Hurricane Hotline:
“Having Ed in our offseason workout [Tuesday] and being able to pull a guy aside and talk to a young man, what value [there is] in that,” Diaz said. “His main role is to advise us in everything in the program. He’s got an encyclopedia of knowledge -- not just X’s and O’s but team building. He spoke to our team at alumni weekend last spring and he must have mentioned 20 guys on his team that an above average Miami Hurricane fan wouldn’t remember those names.
“He may pick up on things that we never see as a coach. He may notice a non-verbal [exchange] between two players… that could be a small thing that grows into a big thing. Maybe one player has a bad day; he can say, ‘Sit down, talk to me, what’s going on?’ Anything that can break down the fabric of trust of a football team, that’s one way - of all the ways he can help us - where his impact could be immeasurable.
“We will get to have him in our meeting rooms - talking to us about what we’re coaching and how we’re coaching it. Guys like Ed, who the game came so easily too - there’s immense value in that. One of the things this spring is to be a much more connected football team than we were a year ago. Ed has like a PHD in team dynamics.”
Foremost, though, “he is going to serve as a sounding board, as an advisor to me,” Diaz said. “Another set of eyes, somebody who sometimes can see things that I can’t see at practice, see things I can’t see at a workout.
“He can serve as a mentor to our players because he’s not in that direct role of being on the coaching staff. He can help evaluate in terms of everything we’re doing. Whether it’s a supporting thing or playing devil’s advocate, just to make sure we’re making the right decisions in everything we do. When you talk about a guy like Ed Reed, there are so many things that make him unique and special that go way beyond what he did as a football player.”
▪ So what will a typical work week look like?
Reed said he won’t be at UM every day but that Diaz said “I don’t want you to stop doing the things you do, but would love for me to be around as much as possible.”
Reed said his son lives in Georgia and “I won’t be here 365, but when I’m not doing other things I have to do my priority is Miami.”
Reed says he can “make calls over the phone” to recruits and will be able to meet them during campus visits. But he won’t be permitted to visit recruits off campus, per NCAA rules.
“I’m limited in what I can do. I can’t be on the field coaching; I am here to mentor these kids,” Reed said. “I’m here to assist coach Manny in everything he needs. I’m his right hand - it’s whatever he needs, man, whatever these coaches need. I’m here for them.”
Reed, who’s from Louisiana, said keeping the top South Florida recruits at home is “huge. That’s key to get as many Miami guys, Florida athletes as we can, but there’s also kids all across the country. Of course we want the best, but we want the ones that will compete and do the right things.”
Reed said: “I’m excited about having this gig. There isn’t anything any Cane wouldn’t do for this University. ... I think we’re in the right direction. I think coach [Mark] Richt laid a great foundation down. Manny has the right mindset to do things.”
▪ Reed, incidentally, said he will pick the brain of former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome - one of the league’s best executives this century after a standout NFL career as a tight end.
And Reed suggested he will caution players about “[Nevin] Shapiro-like people.”
“I just think we need to be preparing them not just for football, but for life,” Reed said. “I worked across the street at Blockbuster when it was there - I could tell you where the new releases were. Those were the best times, because these parents sending their children to us to raise them, to take over for them on what they’ve already built.
“Every kid is not going to make it to the NFL, I can promise you that. But like my senior class, once we bought into it we were trying to get our point across to all the players as leaders of this team that if we work together all of us will have a chance at success. Our mission here at Miami is to transform lives. Let’s get to that.
“I’ve become a Hall of Famer on every level, and that has helped me become a role model for a lot of kids. I’ve had mentors get me to this stage. You had to surround yourself with the right people. That’s what we’re trying to get these kids to understand. If they’re doing certain things [wrong] off the field, we have to address that.
“I can tell parents now, I can tell those kids now, if you don’t want to be here, don’t come here. If you don’t want to work hard, don’t come here. If you don’t want to compete, don’t come here. Not while I’m around. Not while these coaches are around.”
What is UM like now compared to when Reed played at Miami?
“Man, this place is huge, like a maze now,” Reed said. “It’s grown so much. The weight room is a lot bigger. These kids have a game room, their own area we didn’t have. Not as plush, fancy [when he played there] Definitely gives you those chills when you walk through here, knowing we were part of the rebuilding of this building.”
▪ Reed was new safety Avantae Williams’ coach at the recent Under Armour Game, but said he doesn’t know him well.
“The kid dislocated his finger, thought it was broken, was screaming. Reggie Wayne went over there and showed him his fingers, `Oh, snap.’ He’s young, needs guidance, help with his technique. But definitely happy he chose the U, to come here.”
▪ A Board of Trustees member who attended a recent meeting said trustees seem generally pleased with the recent additions inside the football program (players, coaching changes and Reed), though a couple would have liked Alonzo Highsmith to be hired.
That trustee noted that school president Julio Frenk seemed more educated and engaged about the athletic program recently. As one trustee has told me, Frenk doesn’t have nearly as much interest in sports - or interest in being involved in the athletic program - as his predecessor, Donna Shalala.
Incidentally, UM ended up rising 12th to Rivals.com’s final recruiting rankings, up from 35th a year ago.
▪ Quick stuff: Diaz likes the Air Raid background of new receivers coach Rob Likens. “There’s a different way of life of being receivers coach in the Air Raid,” Diaz said. “Those guys all throw for a bazillion yards and score a bunch of points. Having someone experienced in that system is such a bonus to [offensive coordinator Rhett] Lashlee. He knows he has a like-minded thinker who knows exactly how this offense is supposed to look.”...
UM is among many schools in the mix for Class of 2021 Georgia-based four-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin, who decommitted from Auburn on Feb. 4….
On Joe Rose’s show Friday, Diaz spoke of “improving our program” not only with the additions but also “with some of the people who are not here” any more, who didn’t fit the culture… Former UM offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who was South Carolina’s running backs coach last season, reportedly was hired as the Los Angeles Rams’ running backs coach.
Here’s my Sunday piece on what the Heat is getting with its three new players, with some feedback from a scout and others.
This story was originally published February 9, 2020 at 4:07 PM.
