Coach Matt Merritt joined the Canes from USF after an outstanding season with the Bulls. He met with CanesInSight to discuss the opportunity and the players in his room:
On the transition to Miami: It’s really been seamless. Finding a house was probably the most difficult thing I had to do. Other than that, the transition here with the staff and players has been really good. I’ve had a lot of help in the building.
On the Canes’ RB tradition: I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that’s really excited. I grew up watching Clinton, Willis and all those guys. I would’ve been in middle school when they played. I know what that means to be the position coach for that position here. It’s been exciting. The guys in the room are trying to carry on that legacy. They know what it is, they see the pictures on the wall.
We don’t necessarily always talk about it, but the standard in the room of what it should look like is really, really high. I want to make sure we honor the people who came before by how we play, how we practice, and how we go about our everyday business.
On Damien Martinez: What’s great about Damien, I asked him in the recruiting process, “What’s the one thing you need to improve?” And he said, “I need to get better at my fundamentals in pass pro. I’m willing to do it, but I need to keep getting better at it.”
The fact that he already has that mindset makes that part a little bit easier. It’s really hard with the young guys, because in high school they're running the ball 30-40 times a game. They aren’t asking them to block unless they have a real dominant quarterback. So then they come here and realize that running the football got you here, but if you want to be good in college and have a chance to go to the next level, you have to protect the quarterback. With Damien, it’s been understood from the beginning.
On Elija Lofton: As a staff, we do a phenomenal job of everybody knowing every position. Me and Coach Woodiel do a good job of collaborating with Elija when we need to and have a plan for him in practice. I’ll also find time to grab him on my own.
There are so many guys with positional flexibility, and with the way Coach Dawson and Coach Cristobal promote it, we all know what’s going on. If I need to have one of my guys play some slot, I know what those guys are doing. I’ll send them to the expert to get the fine details down, but you can at least give them a base understanding.
On Chris Johnson: In high school, things are easier. If you’re the fastest guy on the field, you just run around everybody. When you get to college, even with Chris as a 10.2 guy, in college everybody’s fast. You have to learn to vary your speed and when to use it. Once you can teach them the ins and outs of what they’re really looking at, it allows them to slow down in their head while still being able to play fast and use their speed when it’s appropriate. But it takes time to get here. It’s a little bit of a transition.
On Ajay Allen: I expect him to be a huge contributor. Last year, he was getting ready to be but got nicked up a little bit. He recovered throughout the spring, and has brought a level of professionalism. He’s a very instinctive player, and has a high football IQ for the running back position. He knows what’s going on and sees the field extremely well. I expect him to have an incredible year for us.
On Jordan Lyle: He’s wired the right way. He wants to be coached, he wants to learn. So you’re job as a coach is to keep pouring into him. He was at a program that won. He knows what it looks like. He also knows he wants more.
On Chris Wheatley-Humphrey: He’s an example of a guy who ran it all the time in high school. Pass pro is his biggest thing. He’s gotten better. He’s grown as a runner. It’s about being more consistent with the other things to get where he wants to be.
On pass protecting as a smaller runner like Johnson or Wheatley-Humphrey: It’s the want to. We’ve been working on it a lot since we’ve been here. That’s where it starts. And then the fundamentals, since they are both at a disadvantage size-wise. So it’s the willingness to do it, which they have, and then the fundamentals.
On the transition to Miami: It’s really been seamless. Finding a house was probably the most difficult thing I had to do. Other than that, the transition here with the staff and players has been really good. I’ve had a lot of help in the building.
On the Canes’ RB tradition: I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that’s really excited. I grew up watching Clinton, Willis and all those guys. I would’ve been in middle school when they played. I know what that means to be the position coach for that position here. It’s been exciting. The guys in the room are trying to carry on that legacy. They know what it is, they see the pictures on the wall.
We don’t necessarily always talk about it, but the standard in the room of what it should look like is really, really high. I want to make sure we honor the people who came before by how we play, how we practice, and how we go about our everyday business.
On Damien Martinez: What’s great about Damien, I asked him in the recruiting process, “What’s the one thing you need to improve?” And he said, “I need to get better at my fundamentals in pass pro. I’m willing to do it, but I need to keep getting better at it.”
The fact that he already has that mindset makes that part a little bit easier. It’s really hard with the young guys, because in high school they're running the ball 30-40 times a game. They aren’t asking them to block unless they have a real dominant quarterback. So then they come here and realize that running the football got you here, but if you want to be good in college and have a chance to go to the next level, you have to protect the quarterback. With Damien, it’s been understood from the beginning.
On Elija Lofton: As a staff, we do a phenomenal job of everybody knowing every position. Me and Coach Woodiel do a good job of collaborating with Elija when we need to and have a plan for him in practice. I’ll also find time to grab him on my own.
There are so many guys with positional flexibility, and with the way Coach Dawson and Coach Cristobal promote it, we all know what’s going on. If I need to have one of my guys play some slot, I know what those guys are doing. I’ll send them to the expert to get the fine details down, but you can at least give them a base understanding.
On Chris Johnson: In high school, things are easier. If you’re the fastest guy on the field, you just run around everybody. When you get to college, even with Chris as a 10.2 guy, in college everybody’s fast. You have to learn to vary your speed and when to use it. Once you can teach them the ins and outs of what they’re really looking at, it allows them to slow down in their head while still being able to play fast and use their speed when it’s appropriate. But it takes time to get here. It’s a little bit of a transition.
On Ajay Allen: I expect him to be a huge contributor. Last year, he was getting ready to be but got nicked up a little bit. He recovered throughout the spring, and has brought a level of professionalism. He’s a very instinctive player, and has a high football IQ for the running back position. He knows what’s going on and sees the field extremely well. I expect him to have an incredible year for us.
On Jordan Lyle: He’s wired the right way. He wants to be coached, he wants to learn. So you’re job as a coach is to keep pouring into him. He was at a program that won. He knows what it looks like. He also knows he wants more.
On Chris Wheatley-Humphrey: He’s an example of a guy who ran it all the time in high school. Pass pro is his biggest thing. He’s gotten better. He’s grown as a runner. It’s about being more consistent with the other things to get where he wants to be.
On pass protecting as a smaller runner like Johnson or Wheatley-Humphrey: It’s the want to. We’ve been working on it a lot since we’ve been here. That’s where it starts. And then the fundamentals, since they are both at a disadvantage size-wise. So it’s the willingness to do it, which they have, and then the fundamentals.
Gaby Gabberson learned the hard way.
