Miami landed one of the most respected young assistants in America when it added former Houston and Auburn DB coahc Zac Etheridge. He met with reporters to discuss the spring:
On how the cornerbacks group is coming together: “We’re starting to jell together. … Early on, we had a lot of guys banged up and trying to get out there and trying to manage the reps for every guy to go out there and be able to compete. But the biggest thing I’ve been impressed with is guys in the meeting room. They’re taking coaching. They’re coming up, spending extra time trying to figure out exactly what we’re trying to do. I’ve been really impressed with their attention to detail and trying to get better every day.”
On transfer cornerback Xavier Lucas: “Xavier Lucas has been the most consistent corner in terms of his size, his speed, and the things he's able to do. He's been able to stand out. The biggest thing is he’s really smart. He eats up the film room. He wants to be coached. He wants to be developed. For a guy his size, he has good twitch. He’s been playing well, showing up in the run game, playing the ball down the field, making big plays and obviously, he’s smart. He can make the checks at the corner position. You can put him at safety. He knows what to do. So, just really been impressed with his attention to detail, like I said. And obviously, just coming out every day and just being consistent.”
On how the cornerbacks group is building chemistry, given the number of new faces in the room: “It’s really the growth. Right now, you’ve got a lot of new faces, not just the coaches. You’ve got a new defensive staff, but you’ve got a room full of new guys as well. And everybody’s coming from different places. So, the biggest thing we’ve been emphasizing is building a relationship and connecting. Because if we connect off the field, it eventually shows up on the field because we have to play as one. That’s the thing we take every day, making sure we’re on the same page. We meet together, we see it together and make sure guys go out there and communicate. They have to communicate. They have to be able to talk. But I’ve been really impressed with the group from day one to where we’re at now. … The guys have done a great job of trying to work on those communication skills.”
On cornerback Damari Brown, who missed a large chunk of last season with an injury: “I’m glad to have him. I’m glad to have him at Miami and have a chance to coach him and develop him. He’s been banged up, but, throughout the spring, he’s gotten better. Our medical staff has done a great job of just trying to get him back and he’s been building confidence. He got out there a couple downs and made some plays and that’s what you want to see from a guy that had a lot of football experience, how you go about your business every day to be a pro and he’s been attacking his offseason like a pro and continues to get better.”
On transfer cornerback Charles Brantley: "I love him. He's a little firecracker in the room. He's probably the lightest guy, but he loves football. He's very competitive, he wants to win and he's very familiar with the defense. He has earned a lot of respect from his teammates. They lean on him a lot, but I've been enjoying every day coaching him because he plays football the way it's supposed to be played. He's very intense. He's probably one of the smallest guys in the room, so he has to show he can handle this. He's played football a long time, so he knows how to practice. If you practice the right way, you'll eventually play that way, so he understands the mindset. He's going to challenge everyone to get better, and that's what you want from your leader."
On the player getting the most takeaways: [Lucas] has made some plays, Emmanual [Karnley] made a lot of plays [Tuesday], attacking the ball and making interceptions. We make an emphasis on that- the ball is everything.
On his relationship with S coach Will Harris: I wouldn't want to be with another guy. Just the professionalism that Will brings every day, being a coordinator, a guy that sees it. We come from the same type of tree, so we speak the same language. I love his intensity, I love the way he teaches, and I definitely enjoy working with him.
On how the cornerbacks group is coming together: “We’re starting to jell together. … Early on, we had a lot of guys banged up and trying to get out there and trying to manage the reps for every guy to go out there and be able to compete. But the biggest thing I’ve been impressed with is guys in the meeting room. They’re taking coaching. They’re coming up, spending extra time trying to figure out exactly what we’re trying to do. I’ve been really impressed with their attention to detail and trying to get better every day.”
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On transfer cornerback Xavier Lucas: “Xavier Lucas has been the most consistent corner in terms of his size, his speed, and the things he's able to do. He's been able to stand out. The biggest thing is he’s really smart. He eats up the film room. He wants to be coached. He wants to be developed. For a guy his size, he has good twitch. He’s been playing well, showing up in the run game, playing the ball down the field, making big plays and obviously, he’s smart. He can make the checks at the corner position. You can put him at safety. He knows what to do. So, just really been impressed with his attention to detail, like I said. And obviously, just coming out every day and just being consistent.”
On how the cornerbacks group is building chemistry, given the number of new faces in the room: “It’s really the growth. Right now, you’ve got a lot of new faces, not just the coaches. You’ve got a new defensive staff, but you’ve got a room full of new guys as well. And everybody’s coming from different places. So, the biggest thing we’ve been emphasizing is building a relationship and connecting. Because if we connect off the field, it eventually shows up on the field because we have to play as one. That’s the thing we take every day, making sure we’re on the same page. We meet together, we see it together and make sure guys go out there and communicate. They have to communicate. They have to be able to talk. But I’ve been really impressed with the group from day one to where we’re at now. … The guys have done a great job of trying to work on those communication skills.”
On cornerback Damari Brown, who missed a large chunk of last season with an injury: “I’m glad to have him. I’m glad to have him at Miami and have a chance to coach him and develop him. He’s been banged up, but, throughout the spring, he’s gotten better. Our medical staff has done a great job of just trying to get him back and he’s been building confidence. He got out there a couple downs and made some plays and that’s what you want to see from a guy that had a lot of football experience, how you go about your business every day to be a pro and he’s been attacking his offseason like a pro and continues to get better.”
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On transfer cornerback Charles Brantley: "I love him. He's a little firecracker in the room. He's probably the lightest guy, but he loves football. He's very competitive, he wants to win and he's very familiar with the defense. He has earned a lot of respect from his teammates. They lean on him a lot, but I've been enjoying every day coaching him because he plays football the way it's supposed to be played. He's very intense. He's probably one of the smallest guys in the room, so he has to show he can handle this. He's played football a long time, so he knows how to practice. If you practice the right way, you'll eventually play that way, so he understands the mindset. He's going to challenge everyone to get better, and that's what you want from your leader."
On the player getting the most takeaways: [Lucas] has made some plays, Emmanual [Karnley] made a lot of plays [Tuesday], attacking the ball and making interceptions. We make an emphasis on that- the ball is everything.
On his relationship with S coach Will Harris: I wouldn't want to be with another guy. Just the professionalism that Will brings every day, being a coordinator, a guy that sees it. We come from the same type of tree, so we speak the same language. I love his intensity, I love the way he teaches, and I definitely enjoy working with him.
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