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If they’re going to feed us DBs like O’Conner then I got no problem with it. He’s going to leave here a draft pick.
Current (projected) line up for 2025 thus far
QB - Emory/Portal
RB - Mark Fletcher | Jordan Lyle/Transfer
WR - CJ Daniels/(Noah Thomas?)
WR - Jojo Trader
WR - Ny Carr (Zachariah Branch?)
TE/HB - Alex Bauman | Elijah lofton
RT - Francis Mauigoa
RG - Anez Cooper
C - James Brockermeyer
LG - Matthew McCoy
LT - Markell Bell
DE - Reuban Bain
DT - David Blay
DT - Justin Scott/Ahmad Moten
DE - Ahkeem Messidor
LB - Wesley Bissainthe
LB - Popo Aguirre
CB - Charles Brantley
NCB - Ethan O’Connor
S - Xavier Lucas
S - Zachariah Poyser
CB - OJ Frédérique
Add The Branch Brothers, Noah Thomas, an LB/RB, a QB & get a upgrade at DC and we are set up better next year than we were this year…
QB - Emory/Portal
RB - Mark Fletcher | Jordan Lyle/Transfer
WR - CJ Daniels/(Noah Thomas?)
WR - Jojo Trader
WR - Ny Carr (Zachariah Branch?)
TE/HB - Alex Bauman | Elijah lofton
RT - Francis Mauigoa
RG - Anez Cooper
C - James Brockermeyer
LG - Matthew McCoy
LT - Markell Bell
DE - Reuban Bain
DT - David Blay
DT - Justin Scott/Ahmad Moten
DE - Ahkeem Messidor
LB - Wesley Bissainthe
LB - Popo Aguirre
CB - Charles Brantley
NCB - Ethan O’Connor
S - Xavier Lucas
S - Zachariah Poyser
CB - OJ Frédérique
Add The Branch Brothers, Noah Thomas, an LB/RB, a QB & get a upgrade at DC and we are set up better next year than we were this year…
Because it is my friend! It most certainly is!
Branch bros, outside WR and a QB1 for this window and we're set.
Spring window to add a MLB and a depth RB, DT and S.
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Bring them up anytime someone here says Miami should “leave the ACC and be independent again”. You get no TV deal and have to fill your entire schedule with low G5 opponents. All while being forced to tamper with UCONN kids because nobody else will transfer to you. They will be San Jose State soon.
CIS in a nutshell:
1. Mario can't recruit
2. Mario can't get portal guys.
3. We're broke
4. UM will never be great again.
3 weeks later
1. Mario is one of the greatest recruiters ever
2. We're flowing with money
Am I on track?
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Nice projection. A couple of notes though...
Obviously, we absolutely cannot go into next season with Emory as QB1. We also don't want to be in the position of having to rely on a True Freshman(Luke Nickel) to be QB1. So the biggest need is QB which we will have to get via the portal or grad transfer. As of right now I think our best shot is Quinn Ewers. He could use 1 more year to possibly raise his stock. I think both parties need each other. He's no Cam Ward but he is a very solid QB with a ton of experience.
At RB I agree we need another pickup for depth purposes. Unless the staff feels OK about going with the 4 we currently have Lyle, Fletcher, Pringle and Humphrey plus Lofton as a 5th. Personally I would plan on giving Lofton a few carries a game anyway in his role as a Utility Back(H-Back/FB/TE/SlotWR). He's just too good a football player not to. Maybe bring Don Chaney back for depth.
Would love another WR from the portal. Noah Thomas and/or Zachariah Branch would be great additions. Branch would immediately become our biggest threat at PR since Jeff Thomas and Deejay Dallas.
Alex Bauman is a fantastic addition at TE and is a faster more athletic version of Riley Williams who I hated to lose. I would like one more TE since we have lost 3 thus far and Jackson Carver has not shown much thus far. We need an inline blocking TE to replace the snaps that McCormick and Williams gave us. I like the Lofton/Bauman duo from a pass catching standpoint. I know Lofton is a physical player who can block but I'm not sure about Bauman. The true freshmen TE duo of Brock Schott and Luka Gilbert will arrive on campus soon and perhaps their presence will more than suffice. We'll see.
I love the pickup of Center James Brockermeyer. He will anchor what in my opinion will be the best Offensive Line of the Cristobal era while being backed up by Ryan Rodriguez, Nino Francavilla and true freshman phenom SJ Alofaituli.
On the Defensive Line, while I am excited about the return of DE Akheem Mesidor, I don't think that he should start opposite Rueben Bain. Bain may be better suited moving inside while Mesidor has proven to be much more effective at DE. What we desperately need is a quick and explosive DE with a great first step and a lethal closing burst to get around the edge. We have plenty of candidates already on the team. Kids like Marquis Lightfoot, Booker Pickett Jr, Elias Rudolph are the future here along with true freshmen Hayden Lowe and Herbert Scroggins. Cole McConathy and Armando Blount are more likely Strong Side DE types. We don't need two 5 techs at DE at the same time.
I feel very good about DT and the addition of David Blay. The potential 4 man rotation of Blay, Scott, Moten and Horton has excellent potential if Horton can somehow stay healthy. Bain may boost this group if he transitions inside. The true freshmen are likely 2 years away from contributing.
LB is an intriguing position with all the young talent there. This is why it's so crucial for the next DC to hire teachers and developers of talent. Aguirre, Hayes, Pruitt, Washington and Wiley are far too talented to go undeveloped another year. As of right now however, we could use an instant impact player at middle linebacker as I'm not sure I trust Popo there yet.
Being able to add Xavier Lucas to this secondary would put a nice bow on what has been nothing short of a complete transformation in the secondary. Zechariah Poyser at Safety, plus Charles Brantley, Emmanuel Karnley, Ethan O’Connor at CB is what I call a good start. Adding another Safety plus talented true sophomore CB Xavier Lucas 6'2" 200 lbs 10.5 100m would complete one of the most stunning overhauls to a Miami secondary that I've ever seen. Still, players like Zaquan Patterson, Damari Brown, Dylan Day, Ryan Mack and even OJ Frederique and everyone above must be developed, grounded in the fundamentals and taught the finer points of the game by the incoming defensive staff.
Now go get that elite DC and let him pick his staff.
Replace Danny Kalter with an experienced Special Teams coach.
And Lastly....Go get a QB coach. Not just any QB coach but the very best QB coach out there. I know Dawson has that title in addition to OC but it's not close to being enough. We need every advantage and every edge we can get. QB development in this current climate will be at a premium. The rules regarding hiring coaches are in our favor. Go take advantage of it.
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Yeah heard it was UGA who was heavily after him from the jump, so for us to get a high multiple year potential starter opposite of OJ plus the addition of the other 3 DBs, our new TE, new C, and DL. We are certainly looking for overall quality over quantity
Great move! Welcome to the U
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Encouraging additions to DB room...
But we MUST think along these terms...
What happens with a injury to one of these gets? It isn't a single play/quarter/half/game season.
Is it now O'Conner, OJ, Kearney as guaranteed starters somewhere in secondary? Perhaps Lucas?
House of Cards?
But we MUST think along these terms...
What happens with a injury to one of these gets? It isn't a single play/quarter/half/game season.
Is it now O'Conner, OJ, Kearney as guaranteed starters somewhere in secondary? Perhaps Lucas?
House of Cards?
+ Zaquan
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And Brantley.
We really need a true 1 at WR still. That group of pass catchers leaves a lot to be desired.
Don't forget Brantley. And yes with Lucas too that's a good top 4 of Lucas, Brantley, OJ, and O'Connor. Damari + Antoine likely the top backups. If any unit gets decimated by injury it can cripple a team, this one just even more magnified with how bad it was last year. Thankfully now we will have playable depth.
Smoochie Wallace da gawd!
