What’s exciting new UM analyst Jason Taylor about the Canes. And Van Dyke, Orgeron updates
Dolphins legend Jason Taylor doesn’t often talk publicly in his new role as a defensive analyst on the Miami Hurricanes football staff. But when he does speak — usually on his sister Joy’s show or with his buddy and former Dolphins broadcast partner Joe Rose — there’s considerable insight.
Appearing with Rose on WQAM in recent days, Taylor spoke of the upside of the two defensive line jewels in this incoming Hurricanes freshman class: four-star prospects Cyrus Moss and Nyjalik Kelly.
“We have a young guy on our team that couldn’t play in the spring, a local guy out of Dillard named Nyjalik Kelly; he got hurt last year when we [Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas] beat [Fort Lauderdale] Dillard last year,” Taylor said, having worked on the Aquinas staff last year.
“[He] didn’t have a chance to go through spring, and [I] didn’t have a chance to see him and scout him a whole lot. But now that he is back healthy and I am able to watch him, holy [cow]! I told him the other day — and I actually told his mother — how special he can be. An elite talent, a kid that can do anything.
“He can bend, he can run, he can twist, he’s athletic, change of direction, plays with good pad level, he is flexible. He can be the entire package. The crazy thing is Nyjalik had a birthday a few days ago, just turned 18. Early enrollee. The sky is the limit for somebody like him.”
And Taylor said “Cyrus Moss is the same way, came over from Bishop Gorman [in Las Vegas]. Undersized right now. But you know I’ve got no problem with undersized defensive ends.”
Taylor was also considered undersized when Jimmy Johnson selected him in the third round, 73rd overall, in the 1997 draft. His 139.5 sacks rank seventh on the NFL’s all-time list.
For the 2022 class, Rivals rated Moss seventh among all defensive ends and the 104th-best prospect nationally. Rivals slotted Kelly 13th among defensive ends and 114th nationally.
Of UM’s overall talent level, Taylor said: “It’s what I thought it would be in a lot of ways. There are times you’re like, ‘holy cow’ and they’ll blow you away with what they can do.”
Taylor told Rose and Zach Krantz that working at UM “has been great. We are trying to change the culture and get The U where it is supposed to be. I’m not talking about getting back to where it was. Those historic days in years past are by us. It is a new day and age in college football and it is a new athlete. We are trying to make The U proud and get it back to prominence.”
When Krantz mentioned that recruits find the new staff impressive, Taylor said: “It should be. If you’re coming in as a player or parent and you look around and see who coach Cristobal has put together. You look at the defensive staff with [coordinator] Kevin Steele, who has 40 years of experience and [linebackers coach] Charlie Strong, who has been a head coach.
“[Secondary coach] Jahmile Addae won a national championship last year at Georgia. [Defensive ends coach] Rod Wright, who played for the Dolphins. [Defensive line coach] Joe Salave’a, who was a nine-year veteran in the NFL. That’s just the defensive room!
“You look on the offensive side. [Offensive coordinator] Josh Gattis was the top assistant coach last year in college football [at Michigan]. There’s a ton of guys on this staff who have done it at a high level.
“You talk about [chief of staff] Ed Reed in the hallway. I’ll tell you who’s been fantastic in the last month since he’s been in the building — [football program general manager] Alonzo Highsmith. It’s great being around him. He’s a one-of-a-kind guy. Never had a chance to meet him before. He’s something else.”
THIS AND THAT
Rose’s morning program offered more good UM insight this week, with former Canes quarterback Malik Rosier — who has been working with Canes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke — offering this assessment to Krantz and Brian Monroe:
“With me and Tyler, a lot of [the work] was deep placement. Everyone knows he’s great with the deep ball. There were a couple times his feet weren’t set [last season]. Stuff like that we cleaned up. There are some ways we can put more velocity on it; he’s worked on it.
“We had a bunch of guys at the Manning Passing Academy; a couple guys on staff said Tyler looked electric and the ball came out with great velocity. He’s going to eliminate some of those slower starts to games.”
Rosier said “the next step in his game is can he be consistent and not get aggravated when people only give him underneath 5 yards or the hitch route or the quick slant and don’t give you the deep throw. That’s the next progression I want to see him make from last year to this year.”
▪ Unlike predecessor Manny Diaz, Cristobal played college football, and that gives him some gravitas, according to Rosier.
While not mentioning Diaz, Rosier said of Cristobal: “He is an ex-player and I think that’s really big. This guy actually bled and sweat orange and green, the same way we did. You have a coach who says something and you [think to yourself] ‘you didn’t even play football, you don’t know what I’m dealing with.’ You can’t do that with Mario. There’s a respect factor that there wasn’t in the past.”
▪ Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron was spotted conducting drills at last weekend’s Legends Camp, but he hasn’t joined UM in any capacity.
Cristobal hired Orgeron’s son, Cody, as an offensive analyst; Cody played quarterback at McNeese State.
Ed Orgeron went 67-47 as a head coach at Mississippi, Southern Cal and LSU and won a national title at LSU in 2020 before parting ways with LSU after last year’s 6-6 season.
He coached defensive linemen at UM from 1988 to 1992, and Cristobal has invited him be around the program as much as he likes now that he has purchased a home in South Florida.
Orgeron, 60, previously told Dan Patrick that he plans to take the year off, but will likely see him around UM at times this season.
This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 3:57 PM.
