Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz goes back to his bag of tricks this week. Here’s what he did
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Friday:
▪ UM coach Manny Diaz has changed up some of his off-field playbook in his second offseason as Hurricanes coach. He’s no longer nearly as bold and brash on Twitter, for example.
But here’s one motivational tool he’s kept in place:
For the second consecutive offseason, Diaz on Thursday had his players run throughout Hard Rock Stadium while audio and video of last season’s loss to Virginia Tech played on the scoreboard. Then they did the customary mat drills.
Last season, Diaz did the same thing, with the 2018 home loss to Duke airing on the Hard Rock scoreboard.
The message: Protect home turf. Losing at Hard Rock is unacceptable.
The Canes went 4-2 at home last season.
One UM person said some players kept running on Thursday, all the way from the stadium to the Sonic restaurant nearby.
▪ UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee will attend the funeral on Saturday in Houston for the father of UM quarterback D’Eriq King.
Eric King died Feb. 15 at age 48.
Lashlee and King have developed a good relationship in their first month together, which is obviously important.
One player said King has been very impressive in informal workouts. “He’s the real deal,” the player said.
▪ Former UM offensive coordinator Dan Enos is the front-runner to be the University of Cincinnati’s next running backs coach, per Chad Brendel of Bearcatjournal.com.
UM owed Enos more than $1 million for next season, but that number would be offset somewhat by a salary at a new job. Enos was fired the day after the season ended.
▪ UM cornerback Trajan Bandy measured just 5-7 6/8 in his NFL Combine weigh-in this week. Bandy extracted every bit of ability that anyone could from his body.
But if you wonder how far UM is being from championship caliber, ask yourself what top FBS teams have a No. 1 cornerback who’s under 5-8.
UM obviously badly underachieved last season and lost to at least four teams with less talent (FIU, Louisiana Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke).
But don’t overstate the talent, either. UM’s team last year didn’t have a first or second-day NFL Draft pick at quarterback, running back, receiver, linebacker, safety or cornerback.
Bandy is projected as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
▪ Running back DeeJay Dallas was his typical confident, colorful self at the NFL Combine this week, telling Jaguarwire.com that “I feel like I’m the most versatile dude in the draft I can play receiver, running back, catch punts and catch kicks. At running back, I’m an every-down back. I don’t have to come off the field. I’m physical, gritty, ready and a leader on and off the field. So you won’t have any problems out of me. I think I’m the best, if not top five.”
He said “It would mean a lot if I go to the Jaguars. I just feel like I would be a hometown hero, honestly. That’s my area — Jacksonville, South Georgia area, North Florida. That’s where I made my mark.”
▪ NFL-bound UM defensive end Jon Garvin, who spoke with a Dolphins coach at the NFL Combine, was asked in Indianapolis this week if there’s a player on the Hurricanes that he feels “isn’t getting the love that he should be considering the impact he had this year for you guys?”
“The first name that comes to mind is Nesta Silvera,” he said. “He’s not getting the love he deserves, but he’s a bad dude. And he will be.”
What stands out with Silvera, Garvin said, is his ability to move “people out of the way. You’ll see him. You could see it from film this year, from when he was a freshman and you’ll see it again next year.”
UM spring practice begins Monday.
Here’s part 1 of my series previewing the defense, by position.
Here’s part 2 of my series previewing the offense, by position.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:12 PM.
