It’s never too late to add defensive line bodies. That seems to be Al Golden’s motto. Rumors surfaced over the last week that former Nebraska DE Ernest Suttles might be transferring to Miami after being dismissed from the team for breaking a bottle over a teammates head. Tonight, those rumors became fact. Suttles, a class of 2013 graduate from Gaither High School in Tampa, has officially signed with Miami according to his high school coach Jason Stokes. Stokes is confident that Suttles’ mistake was not a show of his character.
“Ernest is a good-hearted kid. I’ve seen that kid give out of his pocket for someone to go eat lunch. He was one of the leaders in a group called Best Buddies, which is an after-school organization that worked with Special Ed kids on campus. I’ve seen him help tutor kids in class and I’ve really seen him do things that really show his heart. What happened up there was really not his character and I know that's all people are going to see, but I promise you he’s going to get down there and do ‘The U’ proud. He’s not going to get in any trouble or make any headlines. He’s just going to go down there and work and do what he has to do in class and bust his *** on the field,” said Stokes.
Suttles (6’5”, 240) is extremely new to the game of football, as he has only played for two seasons.
“I had Ernest for two years. He was a basketball player when I got him and I convinced him to trust me that he had a future in football and the first thing I noticed with him was his motor and the kid hit. You get basketball players out there and they’re not used to that kind of physicality, but he got out there and he was on it. He hit from the beginning, so I knew he would be special because he wasn’t afraid of contact. He’s only two years into football, so his upside is ridiculous.”
What are his strengths on the field?
“Besides his motor, he has a nastiness on the field. He turns into a different person and he really wants to hunt that ball down. He’s a great leader, very vocal and holds others accountable. He’s a great teammate.”
Stokes believes that Miami is a great fit for his former player, who will have to sit out this season due to the NCAA transfer rules.
“I like the fact he’s going down there with competition because that’s a big factor for him. I think him sitting out a year is the best thing for him because he will get bigger, faster, stronger and he will learn football a little bit better. He’ll learn the Miami way of doing things and jump out of the gate in Spring.”
“Ernest is a good-hearted kid. I’ve seen that kid give out of his pocket for someone to go eat lunch. He was one of the leaders in a group called Best Buddies, which is an after-school organization that worked with Special Ed kids on campus. I’ve seen him help tutor kids in class and I’ve really seen him do things that really show his heart. What happened up there was really not his character and I know that's all people are going to see, but I promise you he’s going to get down there and do ‘The U’ proud. He’s not going to get in any trouble or make any headlines. He’s just going to go down there and work and do what he has to do in class and bust his *** on the field,” said Stokes.
Suttles (6’5”, 240) is extremely new to the game of football, as he has only played for two seasons.
“I had Ernest for two years. He was a basketball player when I got him and I convinced him to trust me that he had a future in football and the first thing I noticed with him was his motor and the kid hit. You get basketball players out there and they’re not used to that kind of physicality, but he got out there and he was on it. He hit from the beginning, so I knew he would be special because he wasn’t afraid of contact. He’s only two years into football, so his upside is ridiculous.”
What are his strengths on the field?
“Besides his motor, he has a nastiness on the field. He turns into a different person and he really wants to hunt that ball down. He’s a great leader, very vocal and holds others accountable. He’s a great teammate.”
Stokes believes that Miami is a great fit for his former player, who will have to sit out this season due to the NCAA transfer rules.
“I like the fact he’s going down there with competition because that’s a big factor for him. I think him sitting out a year is the best thing for him because he will get bigger, faster, stronger and he will learn football a little bit better. He’ll learn the Miami way of doing things and jump out of the gate in Spring.”
