Offseason Additions: Keyshawn Smith (2020 signee), Michael Redding (2020 signee), Xavier Restrepo (2020 signee), Dazalin Worsham (2020 signee)
Offseason Departures: KJ Osborn (Graduation/NFL Draft), Jeff Thomas (NFL Draft)
Too often last year, the receiver unit struggled with drops and getting separation from defenders as a cog in an uninspiring offensive attack that was nowhere to be found in a lot of the Hurricanes’ games. In a way, it may not be completely fair to judge what we’ve seen from the receivers recently considering the plodding offensive schemes they’ve operated in over the past few years, but there will certainly be no excuses in 2020 with Rhett Lashlee’s new spread offense in town that has shown to be very favorable to receiver production at his past stops. For example, Lashlee had three 700+ yard receivers at SMU in 2019; in contrast, UM had zero.
New receivers coach Rob Likens enters the fray after the Canes lost two of their top three receivers in KJ Osborn and Jeff Thomas to the NFL Draft over the offseason, and Likens will look to mold the returnees in his image. Osborn’s loss in particular is going to be felt both on and off the field as a steady presence that embodied leadership and work ethic, but the position group will try to take what they learned from Osborn and continue their development, beginning with leading returning receiver Mike Harley (38-485-3 in 2019).
As the lone senior of the bunch, Harley will attempt to take over the leadership mantle from Osborn in 2020 and he might be the biggest winner of Lashlee’s offseason arrival. Tailor-made for Lashlee’s spread offense, the speedy Harley made a ton of plays out of the slot in the week of spring ball, showing a great connection with D’Eriq King while churning up yardage in the middle of the field. Harley finally put on some mass over the offseason as well, gaining 15 pounds of muscle from last season’s playing weight, which should serve him well when getting off press-man at the line. He seems to be in a good position to make the jump from part-time player to reliable starter in 2020.
Harley joined juniors Dee Wiggins (20-335-4) and Mark Pope (18-266-2) in the starting lineup during Miami’s abbreviated spring ball practices. The duo from Miami Southridge have both shown flashes of their promise, but to this point, have not demonstrated the consistency to be able to rely on them for production game-in and game-out. Wiggins in particular displayed signs of turning the corner last season with back-to-back big games vs. FSU and Louisville (7 catches, 159 yards, 3 TD’s combined) before the offense completely collapsed at the end of 2019. If he can build on that stretch, Wiggins’ 6’3” frame combined with his ability to get behind a defense offers Miami a potential true #1 receiver on the outside. More has been expected from Pope than he’s delivered to this point, as he’s a guy that struggled with learning the playbook in his first two years at UM. This is a make or break year for the former highly-touted prospect, as, like Harley, he’s also better suited for a spread offense and has nobody currently in front of him. Time to make it happen, or risk getting passed up for good by some of the younger players on the roster.
A receiver many around the program are expecting to take a giant leap forward is Jeremiah Payton, who redshirted as a freshman in 2019. This spring, Payton showed hints of his ability to cause problems for the defense at each level of the field as an outside receiver, but, as is a common theme with this group, he needs to learn to perform at a high level every rep. Something that can aid him in that endeavor and sets him apart (aside from his physical gifts) is his approach to the game, as Payton is known for being mature beyond his years. His demeanor and willingness to learn has not gone unnoticed by teammates and coaches in the past year. After a full year of getting his body ready for college football, Payton appears physically and mentally ready to really contribute and could push Pope or Wiggins for a starting role in camp.
The Canes brought in an impressive 4-man class of wideouts in 2020 and all were able to enroll early for spring ball, although Michael Redding was limited during the one week of practice with a wrist injury. The remaining three all offered a glimpse of what they could do, with none making a bigger impression than Keyshawn Smith. Ironically the least recruited WR of the freshmen, Smith showed why Miami was so high on him as a sleeper and took him into the class at the last minute; he made plays all over the field, got open in a variety of ways, and even burnt UM’s starting corners deep multiple times. Based on spring, Smith is the best-positioned of the freshmen to make a real impact in the rotation this fall.
Dazalin Worsham also showed skills as a smooth and fluid route runner, and Xavier Restrepo was a dynamo in the slot as a receiver that was very active both underneath and in the screen game. That’s not even to mention Redding, who was considered the receiver with the most upside in the class coming in; Redding is an athletic marvel that is physically ready to play, but must develop his game at the finer points of the position. Ultimately, all these guys certainly have the ability to play early.
This offseason, junior Elias Lugo-***undo joined junior Marshall Few as a former walk-on that earned himself a scholarship from UM. Both will likely see time on special teams this year, but they aren’t expected to make an impact in the regular rotation.
Bottom Line
It’s hard to remember going into a season where there were so many question marks at the WR position, a spot that is not usually lacking in established, explosive playmakers at a place like Miami. Having capable receivers on the roster takes on that much more of an importance in Lashlee’s spread offense, as pass-catchers are expected to have a bigger role in his scheme than in years past at Miami, so the Canes need to figure out a pecking order quickly.
Even though the overall upside is there at WR on an individual level, UM doesn’t really have a proven group of returnees at the position going into 2020, so reps are going to be up for grabs this fall and it could be anyone that impresses the new offensive coaches and develops into UM’s go-to receiver this year. The key aspect of this group to watch in camp is if Payton can make a push onto the first unit over Wiggins or Pope; regardless, Payton needs to show he’s taken a step forward from 2019 to further deepen the WR corps. UM will also need at least one of the freshmen to step up and get snaps in the rotation this year; it will be interesting to see if Smith can build on what he showed in spring to be that guy or if it is someone else that emerges.
Offseason Departures: KJ Osborn (Graduation/NFL Draft), Jeff Thomas (NFL Draft)
Too often last year, the receiver unit struggled with drops and getting separation from defenders as a cog in an uninspiring offensive attack that was nowhere to be found in a lot of the Hurricanes’ games. In a way, it may not be completely fair to judge what we’ve seen from the receivers recently considering the plodding offensive schemes they’ve operated in over the past few years, but there will certainly be no excuses in 2020 with Rhett Lashlee’s new spread offense in town that has shown to be very favorable to receiver production at his past stops. For example, Lashlee had three 700+ yard receivers at SMU in 2019; in contrast, UM had zero.
New receivers coach Rob Likens enters the fray after the Canes lost two of their top three receivers in KJ Osborn and Jeff Thomas to the NFL Draft over the offseason, and Likens will look to mold the returnees in his image. Osborn’s loss in particular is going to be felt both on and off the field as a steady presence that embodied leadership and work ethic, but the position group will try to take what they learned from Osborn and continue their development, beginning with leading returning receiver Mike Harley (38-485-3 in 2019).
As the lone senior of the bunch, Harley will attempt to take over the leadership mantle from Osborn in 2020 and he might be the biggest winner of Lashlee’s offseason arrival. Tailor-made for Lashlee’s spread offense, the speedy Harley made a ton of plays out of the slot in the week of spring ball, showing a great connection with D’Eriq King while churning up yardage in the middle of the field. Harley finally put on some mass over the offseason as well, gaining 15 pounds of muscle from last season’s playing weight, which should serve him well when getting off press-man at the line. He seems to be in a good position to make the jump from part-time player to reliable starter in 2020.
Harley joined juniors Dee Wiggins (20-335-4) and Mark Pope (18-266-2) in the starting lineup during Miami’s abbreviated spring ball practices. The duo from Miami Southridge have both shown flashes of their promise, but to this point, have not demonstrated the consistency to be able to rely on them for production game-in and game-out. Wiggins in particular displayed signs of turning the corner last season with back-to-back big games vs. FSU and Louisville (7 catches, 159 yards, 3 TD’s combined) before the offense completely collapsed at the end of 2019. If he can build on that stretch, Wiggins’ 6’3” frame combined with his ability to get behind a defense offers Miami a potential true #1 receiver on the outside. More has been expected from Pope than he’s delivered to this point, as he’s a guy that struggled with learning the playbook in his first two years at UM. This is a make or break year for the former highly-touted prospect, as, like Harley, he’s also better suited for a spread offense and has nobody currently in front of him. Time to make it happen, or risk getting passed up for good by some of the younger players on the roster.
A receiver many around the program are expecting to take a giant leap forward is Jeremiah Payton, who redshirted as a freshman in 2019. This spring, Payton showed hints of his ability to cause problems for the defense at each level of the field as an outside receiver, but, as is a common theme with this group, he needs to learn to perform at a high level every rep. Something that can aid him in that endeavor and sets him apart (aside from his physical gifts) is his approach to the game, as Payton is known for being mature beyond his years. His demeanor and willingness to learn has not gone unnoticed by teammates and coaches in the past year. After a full year of getting his body ready for college football, Payton appears physically and mentally ready to really contribute and could push Pope or Wiggins for a starting role in camp.
The Canes brought in an impressive 4-man class of wideouts in 2020 and all were able to enroll early for spring ball, although Michael Redding was limited during the one week of practice with a wrist injury. The remaining three all offered a glimpse of what they could do, with none making a bigger impression than Keyshawn Smith. Ironically the least recruited WR of the freshmen, Smith showed why Miami was so high on him as a sleeper and took him into the class at the last minute; he made plays all over the field, got open in a variety of ways, and even burnt UM’s starting corners deep multiple times. Based on spring, Smith is the best-positioned of the freshmen to make a real impact in the rotation this fall.
Dazalin Worsham also showed skills as a smooth and fluid route runner, and Xavier Restrepo was a dynamo in the slot as a receiver that was very active both underneath and in the screen game. That’s not even to mention Redding, who was considered the receiver with the most upside in the class coming in; Redding is an athletic marvel that is physically ready to play, but must develop his game at the finer points of the position. Ultimately, all these guys certainly have the ability to play early.
This offseason, junior Elias Lugo-***undo joined junior Marshall Few as a former walk-on that earned himself a scholarship from UM. Both will likely see time on special teams this year, but they aren’t expected to make an impact in the regular rotation.
Bottom Line
It’s hard to remember going into a season where there were so many question marks at the WR position, a spot that is not usually lacking in established, explosive playmakers at a place like Miami. Having capable receivers on the roster takes on that much more of an importance in Lashlee’s spread offense, as pass-catchers are expected to have a bigger role in his scheme than in years past at Miami, so the Canes need to figure out a pecking order quickly.
Even though the overall upside is there at WR on an individual level, UM doesn’t really have a proven group of returnees at the position going into 2020, so reps are going to be up for grabs this fall and it could be anyone that impresses the new offensive coaches and develops into UM’s go-to receiver this year. The key aspect of this group to watch in camp is if Payton can make a push onto the first unit over Wiggins or Pope; regardless, Payton needs to show he’s taken a step forward from 2019 to further deepen the WR corps. UM will also need at least one of the freshmen to step up and get snaps in the rotation this year; it will be interesting to see if Smith can build on what he showed in spring to be that guy or if it is someone else that emerges.
