The disappointing reality of how little Miami Hurricanes are getting from this key group
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday:
▪ We would need half the space on the Internet to chronicle every problem plaguing this University of Miami football program — from recruiting mistakes, to poor tackling (UM has missed more tackles than any team in the country) to coverage busts to perpetually underwhelming offensive line play to a rash of penalties (UM has been in the top 23 of the country for most penalty yards the past two years).
But here’s another area where the Canes are underperforming: Not a single one of the 20 remaining players in the recruiting classes of 2017 and 2018 — the ones supposed to be leading this team back to genuine relevance — are giving the Canes elite play this year or anything close to all-conference-level play.
Some certainly are helping — led by Nesta Silvera — but the majority have been average or underwhelming.
Of the 48 players in those two classes, do you know how many became an elite college player for Miami? Two: Greg Rousseau, who had two sacks for the Bills against the Dolphins on Sunday, and Houston Texans tight end Brevin Jordan.
Two others — DeeJay Dallas and Jon Garvin — were very good college players before turning pro. So that’s four of 48; a case could be made for Mike Harley and ex-Canes cornerback Trajan Bandy.
Of the 20 still on roster, not a single one has been special or significantly impacted winning this season. Four-star guard Navaughn Donaldson was benched last week, and played Saturday only because Jalen Rivers left the Michigan State game with an injury.
Four-star guard Cleveland Reed has been a nonfactor, unable to crack the rotation.
Four-star tight end Will Mallory dropped a touchdown Saturday and has been a disappointment this season.
Four-star tackle DJ Scaife has been shuffled in and out of the lineup.
Three-star guard Zalon’tae Hillery is a nonfactor.
Four-star running back Cam’Ron Harris has averaged less than 3.1 yards per carry in five of his past 10 games against Power 5 teams and looks more like a No. 2 back than a workhorse No. 1.
Four-star safety Gurvan Hall and three-star striker Amari Carter have had multiple coverage breakdowns. Four-star striker Gilbert Frierson is off to a shaky start and lost playing time to Carter.
Five-star receiver Mark Pope, plagued by drops throughout his career, plays sparingly if at all this season.
Four-star defensive tackle Silvera and three-star Jon Ford have been adequate but also have been part of a defensive front that has given up lots of rushing yards against North Carolina and Michigan State, though Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz insisted Saturday’s problems were on the perimeter, not in the interior.
Receiver Dee Wiggins and cornerback DJ Ivey have had uneven careers here — helpful at times but error-prone at others.
Like much of these two classes, linebackers Waymon Steed and Bradley Jennings are merely adequate, though Steed deserves respect and admiration for coming back from serious injuries. Four-star Al Blades Jr. was demoted to No. 4 cornerback. Three-star Corey Gaynor has been a decent center but hardly dominant.
Four-star offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert was removed from the roster recently. A bunch of those 2017 and 2018 players transferred (Lorenzo Lingard, D.J. Johnson, Brian Hightower, Jarren Williams, N’Kosi Perry and several others).
Of the 20 left, receiver Mike Harley Jr. has been the best since the start of 2020 but has multiple drops to start this season.
So of your entire 2017 and 2018 classes — the groups that should be leading your team — who has been a real difference-maker so far this season, the type of players that warrant attention from NFL scouts or all-conference voters or scare the heck out of opposing coaches? Nobody.
That’s part of the myriad problems that has UM off to this 1-2 start.
▪ A UM staffer said Diaz has been disgusted by the poor tackling and is seriously mulling personnel changes. He also is planning more physical practices.
“The physicality aspect of it is most disappointing,” Diaz told WQAM’s Joe Rose Show. “We have to play the most physical guys we have. We have to play a secondary that is going to tackle… This week will be a different practice. We can’t go on getting outhit. You are what the film says you are.”
Diaz said on the offensive line, “We have to play the five guys who show the most physicality.”
▪ Diaz taking over as defensive coordinator so far has made little difference in the results. UM has had numerous communication breakdowns in the secondary, tackles poorly, has allowed teams to convert 22 of 46 third-down opportunities.
Of UM’s 30 missed tackles against Michigan State (according to Pro Football Focus), four were by Hall and four by cornerback Te’Cory Couch.
“There are times we look like we really have a chance,” Diaz said. “We started the game off really well this past game, put them on their heels. And then they take a bubble screen for 50 yards.”
▪ What about playing some of the freshmen more? Diaz said “the young players have to do something to earn it.”
Defensively, UM’s freshmen played sparingly. Leonard Taylor — the five-star defensive tackle — didn’t get any defensive snaps. Freshman safeties James Williams and Kamren Kinchens played six each compared with 68 for Bubba Bolden and 67 for Hall.
Offensively, freshman tight end Elijah Arroyo played 20 snaps, compared with 76 for Mallory. Freshman receiver Romello Brinson logged 27 snaps and played well (three catches for 33 yards); freshman receiver Breshard Smith played one snap.
Of the two freshman running backs backing up Harris, Cody Brown played two offensive snaps and Thad Franklin none.
▪ Who should be playing more, beyond some of the freshmen?
Perhaps second-year defensive end Chantz Williams, who has made three big plays the past two weeks. He logged only 18 snaps against Michigan State, compared with 39 each for fellow defensive ends Jahfari Harvey, Deandre Johnson and Zach McCloud.
“When he’s had an opportunity, he has taken advantage of it,” defensive line coach Jess Simpson said of Williams, adding that he has made some mistakes.
▪ Does Diaz believe he should bench players who have made repeated mistakes (penalties, dropped passes, etc.) if he believes the backup doesn’t give the team as good a chance to win as the struggling veteran starter?
“There might be another answer,” Diaz said when I asked him that. “Part of it might be roles changing. It’s easy to say we’re going to throw this guy in the trash and never play with him again. But certainly, if there are guys who are not performing to the standard you expected early on - and what’s different is if you go through preseason camp and have a new starter and it’s Guy A and Guy B, and you choose to go with Guy A. And Guy A is not performing, not doing the things he did in practice...
“What’s been unique about this year is there are guys who have done it in games and for whatever reason, it’s not happening. So you know they can do it.
“You don’t want your players to be tight like they can’t make a mistake. A person’s going to make a mistake. But the critical ones, you need your best guys. What it comes down to is, we need to make our layups. That’s been the most frustrating thing to us, we’re not making our layups. A year ago, we had issues like contested catches down the field. Those are lower percentage plays. Even some of the tackles we missed [this season], we missed some layups.
“We have to continue to press those guys, make them feel that competition in practice. You can’t be a good football player feeling comfortable. I’m not suggesting that’s their issue. You’ve got to continue to push the competition and bring the other guys along.”
This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 2:03 PM.
