The toughest offensive lineup decision facing Hurricanes this August. And draft fallout
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday:
▪ The toughest call (on offense) that offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and coach Manny Diaz need to make during the next four months: Whether Jaylon Knighton’s big-play ability, high-end speed and elusiveness make him the better option to be UM’s bell-cow back over the more physical and experienced Cam’Ron Harris.
Keep in mind that Knighton started ahead of Harris against Duke because UM believed he earned it. So any notion that Harris is a clear front-runner to be UM’s starter likely isn’t accurate.
Knighton appears to at least have pulled even, if not ahead. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Harris is the starter.
Unlike last season, Lashlee has said he wants to give much of the carries to one player to allow that player to get into a rhythm.
The issue with Knighton is whether he would be quite as explosive (as opposed to exhausted) and as dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield if he carries 15 to 20 times a game instead of six.
Last season, he had only one game with double figures in rushing attempts — against Virginia, and he had just 37 yards on 12 carries in that game (just 3.1 per carry). His next-highest workload came against UAB: nine carries for 59 yards (6.6 average).
Though he started against Duke, he ran only twice for 11 yards before leaving with a season-ending shoulder injury.
Harris averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season, compared with Knighton’s 4.0, but had a midseason slump (28 carries for 35 yards in three games) and lost his starting spot after the program returned from its COVID stoppage in November.
Say this for Harris: In his games with his heaviest workloads last season, he was very good. Harris averaged a robust 7.9 per carry on 17 carries against UAB; 4.1 on 15 carries against North Carolina State and 6.4 on 15 carries against Duke.
In his heaviest workload game of 2019, Harris averaged 7.6 yards on 18 carries against Georgia Tech.
So we know he can be effective with high volume. And Harris is by no means slow; he can accelerate past defenders for long gains, like he did against UAB.
What isn’t known yet is whether Knighton can be effective with high-volume carries.
For what it’s worth (not a lot), Knighton had seven carries for 43 yards during UM’s spring game, Harris four for 9.
Even if Harris starts, expect UM to maximize Knighton as a receiver out of the backfield. That should be one of the offense’s strengths.
“Rooster, he moves so fast,” striker Gilbert Frierson said of Knighton’s value in the passing game. “He’s explosive; you’ve got to watch him. He turns plays that may be a loss of two to a play that can be a gain. You’ve got to put a hand on him” or you don’t have a chance to slow him.
The hope is that Don Chaney Jr. returns from shoulder surgery in time to challenge both Harris and Knighton for carries by mid-September. He’s iffy for the Sept. 4 opener against Alabama.
One UM source said Chaney might be the best of the three for the bell-cow role.
But whether he will be able to be full-go by the second half of fall camp is very much in question after the recent shoulder procedure.
▪ Tight end Brevin Jordan, on his fall to the fifth round in the NFL Draft, told Houston Texans reporters: “It’s such a crazy feeling. I was just so scared. Leading up to this I was just waiting. To finally get the call was beautiful. I saw that Houston number and freaked out.”
Jordan ended up going 147th overall; he was the ninth tight end off the board, lower than expected. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. called him “an undersized tight end who was extremely productive at Miami.”
▪ Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane, after taking UM’s Greg Rousseau 30th overall: “You don’t just luck into 15.5 sacks. He’s got a knack for getting to the quarterback. A lot of guys can get off and rush but they don’t necessarily have the feel to how to get the quarterback down or the instincts. Greg is an instinctive player. He’s just a young player that we think has a ton of upside and will fit in here well.”
Beane said Rousseau will need to improve some of his pass rush moves, but the team loves his upside.
▪ UM’s Quincy Roche, who went in the sixth round to the Pittsburgh Steelers, admitted:
“I expected to go higher in the draft. It was a long three days sitting on the couch. That is the story of my life. I wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school. I had to earn a starting role at Temple. I always had to prove myself and just work a little bit harder. It’s nothing new to me.”
Roche — who grew up a Ravens fan — told Steelers media: ”I know a lot about the Steelers. Growing up in Baltimore I was on the opposite side of the rivalry. I have always watched this defense. It’s right up my alley, hard-nosed rugged football. I am excited to be here. I am in a house full of Ravens fans. I told them today I don’t even want to see the color purple. I have someone dropping off Terrible Towels to me tonight.”
Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said he had expected Roche to be selected late in the third round or early in the fourth.
Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert said Roche “did a nice job [at UM]. He played exclusively defensive end at Miami, but he has the athleticism to project to the outside linebacker spot.”
We’ll have more on UM/Dolphins defensive lineman/linebacker Jaelan Phillips in the months ahead.
▪ UM kicker Jose Borregales, who signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent, will enter the offseason program as an underdog to unseat incumbent kicker Ryan Succop, who went 28 for 31 on field goals last season but missed five of 57 extra point attempts.
Succop signed a three-year, $12 million extension on March 25.
▪ We hear UM men’s basketball would like to add at least one more player from the transfer portal, preferably a power forward. The Canes could add more than one if wings Isaiah Wong and Kam McGusty remain in the NBA Draft; they must decide no later than mid-July, per NBA and NCAA rules.
Couple notes on UM’s additions from the transfer portal:
New 6-6 guard Jordan Miller, the George Mason transfer, is a quality scorer (15.8 points per game last season) and excellent rebounder for a two guard (6.1 per game) but not a great three-point shooter (33.3 percent — 24 for 72 last season — and 33.2 percent in his career). His 40-to-38 assist to turnover ratio last season needs work.
New 5-11 point guard Charlie Moore averaged 14.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.3 turnovers and 16 games and 15 starts for DePaul last season. He shot 34.6 percent on threes (28 for 81 last season). He also has averaged 1.5 and 1.1 steals the past two seasons at DePaul.
He previously played at California and Kansas.
QUICK NEWS NOTE
Texas’ Juwan Mitchell, perhaps the best linebacker in the transfer portal, announced he is transferring to Tennessee. Mitchell had conversations with Miami but the Canes ultimately did not pursue him. Diaz has left open the possibility of seeking more veteran help in the portal.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 2:44 PM.
