Here’s the early word on one of Hurricanes’ best positions. And a Jaelen Phillips update.
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Thursday:
▪ Not only do the Hurricanes have two defensive ends who combined for 28.5 sacks last season in Greg Rousseau and Quincy Roche, but the staff is also very encouraged by what they have seen from former five-star recruit Jaelan Phillips and redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey.
Phillips, who transferred from UCLA after the 2018 season and sat out last season while enrolled at Miami, looked good in UM’s first four practices after transforming his body from 220 to 262 pounds since arriving on campus last year.
“He flashes and shows a lot of promise,” defensive line coach Todd Stroud said in a phone conversation Thursday. “He runs very well for a big guy. It’s a shame we got only four practices in, but he got his feet wet. He had to knock off the rust. He’s got a very good skill set. He’s eager to learn.
“Jaelan is an elite pass rusher. The system they played at UCLA is totally different than ours, but he adapts very well and likes our system. He can be a devastating” presence off the edge.
Phillips was rated by 247 Sports as the No. 1 player in the 2017 class and was rated by Rivals.com as the No. 2 defensive end and No. 6 overall prospect in that class.
In just 10 career games at UCLA, he had 41 tackles, including eight for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was limited to four games in 2018, his final season at UCLA, because of a concussion and other injuries. He’s now fully recovered from a wrist injury that affected him last year while he sat out.
Meanwhile, Stroud likes what he has seen from Harvey, who was rated by Rivals as the No. 11 defensive end in the 2018 class out of Vero Beach High. UM — which had a deep defensive line in 2019 — played Harvey in only four games last season, allowing him to preserve a year of eligibility.
“Jahfari is not as vertical as those other [edge] guys,” Stroud said. “He’s 6-3 and he’s extremely powerful. He was 218 when he got here, and he’s over 240 right now.
“As far as flat-out speed and ability to run, he’s our most elite defensive end in terms of how he runs. He’s very twitchy, and his short-area speed is unbelievable. He seems to be getting a better grip on our defense, which allows him to play full speed more. He’s responded to the pressure of having to learn this defense very well.”
▪ The combination of Rousseau (who had 15.5 sacks last season) and Roche (who had 13 sacks for Temple) has everyone excited. Could that mean more four-man rushes instead of blitzes?
“We’re going to run the fit to our system,” Stroud said. “A lot of times when you have two edge players like that, you may not have to pressure as much.”
Roche has looked as advertised since enrolling at UM.
“He is a dynamic player and was the best available [edge player],” Stroud said. “The transition with him has been really good. He played in a system very similar to ours at Temple, was a three-year starter there. He’s a very intelligent player and gifted pass rusher. He shows a lot of promise. He’s gotten his body weight from 228 to 240. He has incredible quickness and very good football IQ. He’s been a great addition, very good against the run. He’s a complete player. He can be sturdy on the edge, understands leverage as good as any of our defensive linemen.”
▪ Stroud loves how Rousseau isn’t content after his 15.5-sack season and is pushing for more.
“Just as far as character goes, he is probably the most coachable kid I’ve ever encountered in 35 years,” Stroud said. “He wants to get better every day. He takes to coaching. He had 15.5 sacks last season, and it could have been 27. He’s just starting to scratch the surface with what he’s capable of. His attributes are off the charts. He’s become a leader on our team.”
▪ Jason Blissett, who enrolled as a defensive tackle last season, will be used at end and tackle, Stroud said. Blissett, who weighs 272 pounds, got work at defensive end during the four spring practices.
“We are going to shuffle him back and forth,” Stroud said. “Genetically, Jason is not as big and sturdy as the other two [defensive tackle redshirt] freshmen we have [Jared Harrison-Hunte and Jalar Holley], but he’s extremely powerful and very strong. It’s good as a changeup to have an end that’s a little bigger. All three of those freshmen are extremely talented. They all have different attributes.”
▪ One of UM’s freshmen defensive ends (Chantz Williams) is already on campus but was limited during spring ball because of a wrist injury. The other, Charlotte-based Quentin Williams, hasn’t enrolled.
On Chantz Williams, Stroud said: “He is a big human being. You are getting a guy who is almost 250 pounds and he has a great jump off the ball. Highly intelligent and has a demeanor a lot like Greg Rousseau. Chantz will be a great player for us. He came off a wrist injury in high school, so we couldn’t see him early in the spring.”
And on Quentin Williams, Stroud said: “Not here yet, but he’s got huge hands, 240 plus, good feet, runs really well. He will give us that big end we’ve been looking for.”
▪ Stroud believes freshman Elijah Roberts will be able to play defensive end and defensive tackle. He’s already 265 pounds.
“He can do both,” Stroud said. “He has elite movement skills for a big man. It is going to be scary what he becomes. He’s a huge guy, has big hands.”
Stroud cannot comment on three-star former Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna defensive tackle Willie Moise, who was supposed to be part of this class, because academic issues surfaced.
But Moise — who transferred to Edgewater High in Orlando — told Canesport this week that he received the test score he needed to qualify and hopes to enroll at Miami this summer or fall. The Canes remain interested. He also needs to keep his grades at a qualifying level, with clarity on that to come in the months ahead.
We will have Stroud’s thoughts on his defensive tackles in the coming days... Here’s my Thursday piece on how Don Shula and the 1972 Dolphins are dealing with coronavirus.... And please check back for more posts later today.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 1:56 PM.
