One factor that’s helping Hurricanes keep draft-eligible players. And UM pursues more QBs
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday:
▪ Here’s one under-the-radar factor that has contributed to more Canes players bypassing the NFL and returning to UM than what we had seen in previous years: The players, for the most part, really like this coaching staff.
Players have offered positive feedback on this staff — conveyed to family members and associates — more so than previous years.
Here are a few of their remarks to those family members and associates that were then conveyed to me:
1). The defensive linemen were thrilled when Jess Simpson was rehired; two said he genuinely makes players better. (Nesta Silvera announced he was returning to UM — he had been on the fence — at the time Simpson was being rehired.)
2). They like this group of offensive coaches more than any collective group of offensive coaches in awhile.
Some players believed they needed to walk around on eggshells around former offensive coordinator Dan Enos, because of his occasional eruptions; that’s not so with Rhett Lashlee. Enos is now Maryland’s offensive coordinator. And players love playing in Lashlee’s modern spread offense, which is more appealing to many offensive prospects than a pro-style attack.
Offensive line coach Garin Justice can relate to players in a way that Stacey Searels (now at North Carolina) and Butch Barry (now with the San Francisco 49ers) could not. Players grew tired of Searels’ yelling. Barry lacked Justice’s warmth.
Former receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield (now at Penn State) wasn’t a favorite of some; I haven’t found anyone who has anything bad to say about Rob Likens.
And tight ends coach Stephen Field seems universally liked by his players. Tight end was a UM strength in 2020 and Field is regarded as a strong recruiter.
As one veteran player noted to a parent, the decision to replace Mike Rumph with DeMarcus Van Dyke as cornerbacks coach made sense because that player said Rumph — while well-liked — simply couldn’t recruit as effectively as the program needs. Rumph, ironically, will have a recruiting role at UM, but he has value overall to the program, and it was classy for coach Manny Diaz to keep him around.
▪ UM is pursuing a bunch of Class of 2022 quarterbacks and hopes to sign one or two. Among the quarterbacks offered scholarships by the Canes:
Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas three-star dual-threat Zion Turner, who told Canesport that Miami is his front-runner, with LSU and Texas A&M also places he wants to visit...
Georgia-based four-star dual-threat Jacurri Brown, Rivals’ No. 191 player in the 2022 class; he grew up a UF fan, and the Gators and Canes are among a bunch of teams pursuing him...
Georgia-based four-star dual-threat MJ Morris, Rivals’ No. 129 prospects in the 2022 class; Alabama, UF, LSU, Oregon, Auburn are among others in pursuit...
Four-star Alabama-based pro-style Tanner Bailey, Rivals’ No. 235 overall prospect; Alabama, LSU, South Carolina and Louisville are among others in the mix, and...
Texas-based three-star pro-style Braedyn Locke, who had 40 touchdown passes last season. Rivals says UM, UNC and Rice are the top contenders.
▪ One statistic uncovered by Herald metrics correspondent Daniel Gould that surprised us: In the games in which tight ends Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory were both available, they were on the field together only 32 percent of the time last season (162 snaps).
ESPN’s Chris Fowler noted before the Clemson game that maximizing the Jordan/Mallory package was one key in UM having any chance to pull off an upset that day. It doesn’t feel like Lashlee — who did excellent work last season — used that package as often as it could have been utilized.
With Jordan turning pro, the player on the roster who has the best chance of joining Mallory as a second top receiving threat at tight end is Texas-based incoming freshman Elijah Arroyo. H-back Larry Hodges also will get a long look. And Dominic Mammarelli becomes potentially the best blocker in the tight end room.
▪ Edgerrin James was pleased that UM offered a scholarship to his son Eden, a Class of 2022 running back from Treasure Coast High.
“You always want what’s best for your child, and this is just the beginning,” Edgerrin James recently told InsideTheU.com’s and 247 Sports’ Gaby Urrutia. “Miami is my school and always will be. If he ends up there that would be great.”
James said his son “hasn’t even scratched the surface of the type of running back he will be. Kid is super smart and learning the game from all angles. He has natural vision and instincts, which you can’t teach. Most great backs have those. Everything else you can develop, and he’s only getting better and better.”
Surprisingly, James’ only FBS scholarship offers — as of mid-February — were from Miami, Wake Forest and Indiana. He had 82 carries for 751 yards (9.1 per carry) and nine touchdowns last season for a team that qualified for the second round of the state playoffs.
▪ Because of his season-ending shoulder injury, guard/small forward Earl Timberlake prematurely ended one of the quietest seasons I can ever remember by a five-star basketball recruit.
Timberlake, a former top-50 recruit in the 2020 class, finished the season averaging 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 steals in seven games with three starts. He shot 47.6 percent (20 for 42) from the field and 28.6 percent (2 for 7) on threes.
His ballhandling must improve; he finished with 23 turnovers, 17 assists in those seven games.
“The one thing I know is he will turn the ball over,” coach Jim Larranaga said in December, after praising Timberlake. “He tries stuff.... Maybe it’s too hard for the guy to catch it. They will learn to be more prepared for the pass he’s capable of.”
▪ Larranaga told WQAM’s Joe Zagacki that he was told last week that after this season ends, the ACC will allow players to transfer to another school in the conference and be eligible to play immediately.
That’s worrisome, because it would allow other ACC schools to try to pluck Timberlake or Isaiah Wong, as an example. But it could also help UM lure a quality player who’s at a traditional ACC power but not playing much.
“It’ll be shuffling the deck because there will be so many transfers who will be immediately eligible, and the rosters in the ACC will be dramatically different,” Larranaga said. “We have six seniors, they’ll all be graduated and could all leave or could all return. In my own estimation, if you graduated and have your Master’s Degree, what are the odds of you coming back? We have a number of guys that fall into that category, also a number of guys anxious to turn pro. Everybody thinks they’re getting ready for the NBA.”
Here’s my Monday piece with a Xavien Howard update.
Here’s my Monday Marlins 6-pack filled with nuggets.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:21 PM.
