In Ron Dugans' thirteen plus years of coaching receivers, he may not have had a more talented group than he has right at this moment. And that’s not hyperbole: the third year UM receivers coach already has a returning potential first round draft pick, a sophomore speedster that gets behind any defense at will, and a 6’5” tower that has a freaky vertical. On top of that, Dugans added what might have been the best WR recruiting class in the nation in 2018.
“All those guys are showing flashes: (Dee) Wiggins (Brian) Hightower, Mark Pope,” Dugans said. “(Marquez) Ezzard, he’s made some catches for us, but probably a different learning curve for him because of the different offense he was in in high school. But he’s learning.”
Specifically, it has been Mark Pope that has been receiving the most praise of freshmen receivers from the staff and players in interviews over the first few weeks of camp. Pope was one of the crown jewels of the entire Storm18 class and a definite recruiting win over SEC powers such as Alabama and Nick Saban, who tried their best to pry him from South Florida, but ultimately failed to get him to leave home.
“He’s further ahead than he thought he’d be,” Dugans said on Pope. “I tell him, ‘Just trust me’. I’m not going to put you out there if I feel like you can’t make a play or don’t know your assignment. Pope, he loves to compete and loves to get better. Early on in the process, I was teaching him and critiquing him on some of the things he wasn’t doing and he would take it to heart like, ‘Man, I just can’t get it right’. I say, ‘No just listen, I’m trying to teach you how to perfect your craft’. Now, when you teach him, you can see him applying it on the field.”
Dugans isn’t just a stand out as a recruiter, though. As a former NFL player himself, Dugans takes pride in developing his players and sending them to the NFL. His reputation as a technician both on and off the field earns him plenty of respect from the young receivers, as well as putting guys into the NFL like Devante Parker, Eli Rogers, and Stacy Coley to name a few.
“What I say is take it from the classroom to the field,” Dugans said. “Get on that board and draw up your assignment and technique. If I show you on film, and walk back and go through it with you, you should be able to go do it on your own. But everyone don’t learn the same.”
“So that’s the biggest thing, being able to take something from the classroom to the field what you learned. And also, being able to take something from the individual drills to the live drills or the team drills. Then also just being consistent. That’s the biggest thing I always tell my guys: ‘If you do what your coaches do, you’re never wrong.’ So just do what your coaches do and don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes these guys are just afraid to make a mistake so they’re not going full speed. If you make a mistake going full speed, I’m fine with that. Just be consistent in taking the meeting room to the field and taking the individual drills to the team drills.”
This will be returning starting QB Malik Rosier’s second year throwing to Dugans’ unit in the heat of battle. What has Dugans seen from Rosier over the off-season and into the first weeks of fall camp?
“Malik’s doing a great job making the right checks and being a student of the game,” Dugans said. “I think he’s more locked in and focused than he has been in the past.”
“All those guys are showing flashes: (Dee) Wiggins (Brian) Hightower, Mark Pope,” Dugans said. “(Marquez) Ezzard, he’s made some catches for us, but probably a different learning curve for him because of the different offense he was in in high school. But he’s learning.”
Specifically, it has been Mark Pope that has been receiving the most praise of freshmen receivers from the staff and players in interviews over the first few weeks of camp. Pope was one of the crown jewels of the entire Storm18 class and a definite recruiting win over SEC powers such as Alabama and Nick Saban, who tried their best to pry him from South Florida, but ultimately failed to get him to leave home.
“He’s further ahead than he thought he’d be,” Dugans said on Pope. “I tell him, ‘Just trust me’. I’m not going to put you out there if I feel like you can’t make a play or don’t know your assignment. Pope, he loves to compete and loves to get better. Early on in the process, I was teaching him and critiquing him on some of the things he wasn’t doing and he would take it to heart like, ‘Man, I just can’t get it right’. I say, ‘No just listen, I’m trying to teach you how to perfect your craft’. Now, when you teach him, you can see him applying it on the field.”
Dugans isn’t just a stand out as a recruiter, though. As a former NFL player himself, Dugans takes pride in developing his players and sending them to the NFL. His reputation as a technician both on and off the field earns him plenty of respect from the young receivers, as well as putting guys into the NFL like Devante Parker, Eli Rogers, and Stacy Coley to name a few.
“What I say is take it from the classroom to the field,” Dugans said. “Get on that board and draw up your assignment and technique. If I show you on film, and walk back and go through it with you, you should be able to go do it on your own. But everyone don’t learn the same.”
“So that’s the biggest thing, being able to take something from the classroom to the field what you learned. And also, being able to take something from the individual drills to the live drills or the team drills. Then also just being consistent. That’s the biggest thing I always tell my guys: ‘If you do what your coaches do, you’re never wrong.’ So just do what your coaches do and don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes these guys are just afraid to make a mistake so they’re not going full speed. If you make a mistake going full speed, I’m fine with that. Just be consistent in taking the meeting room to the field and taking the individual drills to the team drills.”
This will be returning starting QB Malik Rosier’s second year throwing to Dugans’ unit in the heat of battle. What has Dugans seen from Rosier over the off-season and into the first weeks of fall camp?
“Malik’s doing a great job making the right checks and being a student of the game,” Dugans said. “I think he’s more locked in and focused than he has been in the past.”
