Miami Hurricanes practice left impression on Rams coach McVay. And UM Pro Day nuggets
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Wednesday:
▪ Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, fresh off winning a Super Bowl, welcomed the opportunity to speak at Mario Cristobal’s clinic for coaches on Saturday on the UM campus.
And he emerged from watching practice with a good feeling about the Hurricanes.
“I had a chance to watch practice the other day,” he told me on Monday at the NFL owners meetings at The Breakers in Palm Beach. “Great energy. A lot of special players. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys do their thing. They’re going to do some special things.”
Why did McVay participate in Cristobal’s clinic?
“It was a chance to connect with him. I’ve always respected him from afar. It was the respect for program, the respect for coach Cristobal. And it worked out having league meeting here [in South Florida].”
▪ An NFL scout in attendance at UM’s Pro Day on Wednesday said safety Bubba Bolden is clearly the Canes’ best pro prospect from this class, a potential fourth- or fifth-round pick.
When I asked Bolden what’s the latest round he would be happy to be drafted, he said: “I know I’m the best safety in the draft by far. Third round, could fall into the fourth round. I’ll be a starting safety and the rest is history.”
Shoulder surgery prematurely ended his season last fall.
The scout said, in his view, running back Cam’Ron Harris is UM’s second-best prospect in this draft class, a potential late-round pick or priority free agent. All of UM’s other prospects are considered likely undrafted free agents.
▪ D’Eriq King (who’s working at quarterback and wide receiver), Bolden, Harris, defensive tackle Jon Ford, linebacker/defensive end Zach McCloud, safety Amari Carter and receiver Mike Harley Jr. all will audition for the Dolphins’ at the Dolphins’ local Pro Day on April 6. Charleston Rambo was non-committal about whether he would do the Dolphins workout.
King will work out for the Patriots on Thursday. Rambo and right tackle Jarrid Williams have sessions planned with the Dallas Cowboys, and Williams also will visit the Minnesota Vikings. Ford will meet with the Raiders on April 10.
▪ One player who wasn’t a member of UM’s 2021 team auditioned for NFL scouts at Canes Pro Day on Wednesday: cornerback Trajan Bandy, who went undrafted out of UM in 2020 and spent some time with the Pittsburgh Steelers but never appeared in a game.
▪ A bunch of former Canes players attended Pro Day in support of those working out, including Jon Beason, Brian Monroe, Jaquan Johnson, Brevin Jordan, Quincy Roche, Sheldrick Rewine, David Njoku, K.J. Osborn and Travis Homer.
Mark Pope, who left the team midway through last season, also was on hand; he’s transferring to Deion Sanders’ Jackson State team after completing this spring semester at Miami.
And several former Canes who work for UM also were there observing: Cristobal, chief of staff Ed Reed and analyst DeMarcus Van Dyke.
Other Canes present included Melvin Bratton (now an NFL agent) and Alonzo Highsmith, who works in the Seattle Seahawks personnel department.
No NFL head coach or scout was spotted, but there were multiple assistant coaches in attendance, including Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. Both are former Dolphins assistant coaches.
▪ Before hiring Kevin Steele as defensive coordinator, Cristobal pursued former Hurricanes assistant coach Clint Hurtt.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he thought, for a time, that he might lose Hurtt to UM. Instead, Hurtt remained with the Seahawks and was promoted to defensive coordinator.
“That was something we talked about quite a bit,” Carroll told me Tuesday, of Hurtt potentially moving to UM’s staff this offseason. “A number of teams have come after him over the years. He’s really been comfortable here, invested his time with us.
“He has been one of my guys for a long time. He’s been in a role on the staff where he’s had a lot of responsibilities working with the players, situations we deal with, discipline, leadership. He’s been fantastic. He made the decision to stay with us and that [UM opportunity] was one of them for sure” that he bypassed.
NEWS NOTE
UM - looking for help at inside linebacker - has offered a scholarship to LSU’s Josh White, who’s in the transfer portal. White, rated the No. 88 player in the 2020 class by Rivals, played in 10 games as a freshman in 2020 (and had six tackles) but sat out last season with an injury.
Texas, Colorado, TCU, Baylor and Nebraska also have offered White, who’s a Houston native.
This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 5:46 PM.
