Miami Hurricanes’ Rhett Lashlee dishes on young players, expresses reasons for optimism
Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee is losing his top NFL prospect (tight end Brevin Jordan is turning pro) but returns in 2021 with an elite college quarterback in D’Eriq King (provided he makes a full recovery from ACL surgery), a treasure trove of talented young skill players and badly-needed help on his offensive line.
Here’s how Lashlee assesses some of his talent:
▪ He’s excited about the injection of offensive tackles Michael McLaughlin (a highly-regarded incoming freshman), Issiah Walker (the former four-star freshman who becomes eligible to play next season), and guard/tackle Jalen Rivers, the top 2020 recruit who played only 20 offensive snaps in 2020.
“I think we will improve our depth,” Lashlee said. “Having a lot of guys back is big. Having guys like McLaughlin and Walker is big.”
McLaughlin and Walker are able to play left or right tackle. But Lashlee isn’t ready to commit to a side for either, at least not publicly.
Right tackle appears the bigger need over the next two years, amid Zion Nelson’s considerable improvement at left tackle. But Nelson also could shift to right tackle if a better left tackle emerges.
“You would like to play guys at right [or] left, would like them to hone in on one side, really develop their craft,” Lashlee said. “Some guys are better at one side or the other. [The plan is] to let them rep over and over. Setting on one side, over three, four years you get better.”
Lashlee said he believes Rivers could wind up playing guard or tackle.
“I do think he’s got a great chance to be a big factor for us; his future is bright,” Lashlee said. “He’s long enough to play tackle, big enough and strong enough to play guard. I don’t know where Jalen will end up.”
Three of the other young linemen project as interior players: 2021 signees Ryan Rodriguez and Laurence Seymore and 2020 addition Chris Washington.
▪ Nelson looks like the clear front-runner to start at left tackle in the Sept. 4 opener against Alabama. Credit goes to the young man for improving after a painful first season.
“Zion has cemented himself as a really good football player this year,” Lashlee said, admitting he was “thrown in the fire too early” out of necessity in 2019 and took “a lot of lumps. He really developed and changed his body in the offseason. He went from light in the 260s to over 300 [pounds]. He’s really athletic, has good football instincts. Since the [Sept. 26] FSU game, he has raised his level and been our most consistent performer up front.”
▪ Lashlee is excited by the receiving skills of incoming freshman tight end Elijah Arroyo, who hauled in 13 touchdowns for a Texas high school this past season.
“Arroyo, I got a relationship with when I was at SMU,” Lashlee said. “He grew up in Pinecrest, has family in Kendall. Being a big Miami fan, it ended up being a fit. We’re excited about him. He’s 6-4, athletic, plays like a receiver in a tight end’s body, in a lot of ways like Brevin Jordan does. He’s that style of player, which is big for us.”
The other tight end in this incoming class, Kahlil Brantley, could be more of an H-back type.
“Brantley is very versatile,” Lashlee said. “He’s used to winning championships. He’s thicker, not as long [as Arroyo], can play in the backfield as well.”
▪ Sophomore tight end/H-back Larry Hodges — stuck behind Jordan and Will Mallory — ended up playing sparingly and having a negligible impact as a freshman (two catches for three yards) and as a sophomore (one catch for minus two yards). But Lashlee is bullish on his future.
“I think he’s going to have a big offseason,” Lashlee said. “In bowl practice, having guys like Brevin and Will to learn from, what we’ve seen is he has the ability to really catch the football at a high level. Very athletic. If he can put on some weight, get a little stronger, his ball skills are there to help us next year, maybe make a big jump and and earn a lot of playing time for us.”
▪ On the young running backs:
“We feel really good about our [2020] freshmen,” Lashlee said. “We think Don Chaney and Jaylan Knighton are going to be really good running backs here. For Jaylan there were some up and down moments. The injury late in the year slowed him down. Don had a couple of minor injuries throughout the year, personal things going on, things that make it hard for any freshmen. But they pushed hard. Both have done some really good things.”
▪ Lashlee was pleased to add well-regarded receivers Romello Brinson, Brashard Smith and Jacolby George, noting: “We need depth. We need to get better at that position. We think they are going to be really good football players.”
As for freshman receivers Keyshawn Smith, Michael Redding, Daz Worsham and Xavier Restrepo, “we want [them] to play more in the future,” Lashlee said. “We feel good about Restrepo, Smith, Redding.”
Receivers coach Rob Likens said Worsham didn’t play on offense this year (just one snap) because he needs to get stronger in the weight room.
▪ Overall, Lashlee said in recruiting “we addressed all the needs” there were on offense. Lashlee praised the running back that was signed — four-star prospect Thaddius Franklin.
COACHING TALK
Former Hurricanes cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke, UM’s well-regarded assistant director of recruiting the past two years, originally was expected to accompany Ephraim Banda to Utah State, where Banda was named defensive coordinator. But UM has been making an effort to retain Van Dyke, and I would be surprised at this point if he ends up at Utah State.
Van Dyke coaching cornerbacks at Miami is one option.
But UM also is believed to have interest in Travaris Robinson, who was South Carolina’s defensive coordinator the past five seasons but was not retained after a coaching change there in December. Robinson played cornerback at Miami Coral Park, Auburn and in nine NFL games for Atlanta and Tampa. He previously coached cornerbacks at five different universities, including the Florida Gators from 2011 to 2014.
UM did not retain Mike Rumph as cornerbacks coach but he might get a job elsewhere in the athletic department.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 2:20 PM.
