Going to seperate this into two posts because it is a lot. I might go to the final scrimmage next Saturday so I might have more after this.
QB:
Let me start off by saying this. Malik may be the safe pick but if Miami wants to reach new heights on offense, they need to roll the dice and roll with one of the young guns at some point this year.(N’Kosi or Jarren)
It might not be wise to throw them out there against LSU, but post LSU they need to get live reps and get their feet wet.
Yes, experience is a good thing but I didn’t see anything different from Malik yesterday that tells me he is going to get better. He has limitations, the other two have ceiling.
It is very telling that he has not separated himself from N’Kosi or Jarren.
Malik outside of that first throw to Cager was honestly quite underwhelming. N’Kosi and Jarren have better pocket awareness simply put. I’ve seen a lot of mentions of his struggles against the 1st team defense but he played against the 2nd team and that remained there as well. Meanwhile both Kosi and Jarren got there shots at the 1st defense too. He protected the ball but it was almost as if when he came out and the other two came in..... the offense just seemed to have more life and was actually able to create some drives under the young guns.
N’Kosi is still a bit raw but the big play factor is definitely there with him. They have to reign him in a bit more in regards to when to tuck the ball and run but his legs are dangerous. There was multiple runs he could have taken for even longer gains if QBs were allowed to be tackled. He throws a very nice ball and both his and Jarren’s release is MUCH quicker than Malik. He led the offense down the field 3 times and could have scored a second time towards the end but they didn’t call a timeout and time expired. I wouldn’t place much blame on him for the INT he threw to end the first half as it was more of a try and make something happen before the half ends , with very little time. One thing being excluded in his numbers not being talked about, some of his receivers dropped very catchable balls that could have went for big gains (Harris twice, Burns, Irvin & Harley). If he gets more comfortable and as the game slows down for him, I honestly believe he could challenge for the starting job. He made some throws that Malik just can’t make and was putting the ball where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. He’s a little raw but he has a lot of talent and Miami’s passing attack could be explosive with him in time. I’m very confident in his ability to lead this team if he takes full focus in the off-time and works on his game.
Jarren, he doesn’t look like a freshman and didn’t play like one either. He has great size already. Let me tell you, I wish N’Kosi arrived here for spring last year, he would be further along right now too.(If any recruit or commit or prospect anywhere reads this, I highly suggest trying to enroll early. It does makes a difference.) Although a lot of his work was on the 3rd team, he made some nice throws on the 2nd team and got a little burn against the 1st team too. He showed what I already knew, he is more ready as a freshman than Perry was coming in fall ball last year as a freshman. Looking forward to his progress over the summer. He’s very polished for a freshman and looked comfortable. I can’t say whether or not they will redshirt him but I can definitely say he can challenge to be the guy too.
*It’s not taking shots at Malik but I expected more from a 5th year senior at QB. He can win us games but for Miami to take the next step on offense, they need to roll the dice.
RB:
It was a relatively quiet day for the RBs, they didn’t take too many touches.
Homer, Deejay, Lingard and Burns all had one decent run each but nothing much to sample on.
Both Deejay and Burns have definitely put on size.
Deejay came very close to making a huge catch downfield on one of the drives.
Lingard has some ability as well in the pass game.
*Cam Davis will add more depth to this group in fall. It was refreshing to see Burns healthy.
*It was nice to see Trayone Gray to find a role within the offense but he will have competition with Realus George at FB in the fall.
WR:
*I honestly felt the WRs were more in synch with Kosi & Jarren opposed to Malik.
Jeff Thomas looks like he’s going to take the next step this year. He looked comfortable out there and made it look easy. The potential of him & a healthy Ahmmon playing together this year is very exciting.
Cager had some flashes here and there but must become more consistent. He made a big catch to open up the scrimmage but dropped another that could have been a big gain.
Harley made some catches and seems to have adjusted more to the college game as he struggled a bit last year. Nothing that really wowed anyone but did have a key 3rd down catch. Had one drop.
Harris had a very bad day. Idk if they will ever get much out of him as his hands leave a lot to be desired. It’s a shame IMO as he does possess some wiggle and speed at his size. He creates separation but if you can’t catch, you’re just not gonna play.
Langham is a spark guy, he will make a big play here and there but a bit inconsistent. He struggles a bit to create separation at times. He has his role and will continue to make a play when they need him.
Wiggins didn’t get a lot of burn but when he came in, he made the most of it. I was very impressed with a catch he made with a DB coming full speed at him and he held on to the ball.
The star of the day. Brian Hightower. One word, WOW. He has a legitimate chance to become a starting receiver at some point this season. Size, speed, hands & he blocks. He was slept on by some, I highly suggest keeping your eyes open cause this kid is gonna do great things at Miami. He looked the part too when he came in to play with the 1’s. As Dmoney mentioned in another thread, his baseball skills are coming to light in the way he tracks the ball. No one had an answer for him. It was refreshing to see for the first time in a while at Miami, a true big bodied WR who uses his size. Great body control and concentration by the kid on his two end zone grabs and showed he was more than just a redzone guy, with another two big catches going for 25 and 50+.
*Two key returns in Fall. Ahmmon Richards and Evidence Njoku. I am very high on Njoku and think he could make some noise too when fall ball opens up. I expect Ahmmon to make a full recovery and healthy in time for the season.
*Mark Pope and Marquez Ezzard have a chance to make a splash in the fall. I expect Pope to challenge Harley in the slot. Langham & Harris have not separated theirselves to be safe yet, Ezzard could take those snaps if he’s ready.
TE:
*We need help here ASAP.
Irvin was very inconsistent yesterday and dropped quite a few catchable balls.
Polendey was a bit of a surprise and made a very nice downfield catch.
*The opportunity is there for both Brevin Jordan & Will Mallory to come in and seize a lot of play time.
OL:
Miami is going to be fine on the interior of the line but the tackle spot needs to get figured out before the season. Not much more to be said than that. Searles has work cut out for him this off-season to find his best tackles. Donaldson needs to keep trimming weight if they are serious about him at RT because he didn’t look comfortable at that spot. St. Louis is going to need work to improve at LT opposed to RT previously.
*I expect some transfers from the unit now that spring has concluded.
*Cleveland Reed will be a great addition for depth on the interior as well.
QB:
Let me start off by saying this. Malik may be the safe pick but if Miami wants to reach new heights on offense, they need to roll the dice and roll with one of the young guns at some point this year.(N’Kosi or Jarren)
It might not be wise to throw them out there against LSU, but post LSU they need to get live reps and get their feet wet.
Yes, experience is a good thing but I didn’t see anything different from Malik yesterday that tells me he is going to get better. He has limitations, the other two have ceiling.
It is very telling that he has not separated himself from N’Kosi or Jarren.
Malik outside of that first throw to Cager was honestly quite underwhelming. N’Kosi and Jarren have better pocket awareness simply put. I’ve seen a lot of mentions of his struggles against the 1st team defense but he played against the 2nd team and that remained there as well. Meanwhile both Kosi and Jarren got there shots at the 1st defense too. He protected the ball but it was almost as if when he came out and the other two came in..... the offense just seemed to have more life and was actually able to create some drives under the young guns.
N’Kosi is still a bit raw but the big play factor is definitely there with him. They have to reign him in a bit more in regards to when to tuck the ball and run but his legs are dangerous. There was multiple runs he could have taken for even longer gains if QBs were allowed to be tackled. He throws a very nice ball and both his and Jarren’s release is MUCH quicker than Malik. He led the offense down the field 3 times and could have scored a second time towards the end but they didn’t call a timeout and time expired. I wouldn’t place much blame on him for the INT he threw to end the first half as it was more of a try and make something happen before the half ends , with very little time. One thing being excluded in his numbers not being talked about, some of his receivers dropped very catchable balls that could have went for big gains (Harris twice, Burns, Irvin & Harley). If he gets more comfortable and as the game slows down for him, I honestly believe he could challenge for the starting job. He made some throws that Malik just can’t make and was putting the ball where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. He’s a little raw but he has a lot of talent and Miami’s passing attack could be explosive with him in time. I’m very confident in his ability to lead this team if he takes full focus in the off-time and works on his game.
Jarren, he doesn’t look like a freshman and didn’t play like one either. He has great size already. Let me tell you, I wish N’Kosi arrived here for spring last year, he would be further along right now too.(If any recruit or commit or prospect anywhere reads this, I highly suggest trying to enroll early. It does makes a difference.) Although a lot of his work was on the 3rd team, he made some nice throws on the 2nd team and got a little burn against the 1st team too. He showed what I already knew, he is more ready as a freshman than Perry was coming in fall ball last year as a freshman. Looking forward to his progress over the summer. He’s very polished for a freshman and looked comfortable. I can’t say whether or not they will redshirt him but I can definitely say he can challenge to be the guy too.
*It’s not taking shots at Malik but I expected more from a 5th year senior at QB. He can win us games but for Miami to take the next step on offense, they need to roll the dice.
RB:
It was a relatively quiet day for the RBs, they didn’t take too many touches.
Homer, Deejay, Lingard and Burns all had one decent run each but nothing much to sample on.
Both Deejay and Burns have definitely put on size.
Deejay came very close to making a huge catch downfield on one of the drives.
Lingard has some ability as well in the pass game.
*Cam Davis will add more depth to this group in fall. It was refreshing to see Burns healthy.
*It was nice to see Trayone Gray to find a role within the offense but he will have competition with Realus George at FB in the fall.
WR:
*I honestly felt the WRs were more in synch with Kosi & Jarren opposed to Malik.
Jeff Thomas looks like he’s going to take the next step this year. He looked comfortable out there and made it look easy. The potential of him & a healthy Ahmmon playing together this year is very exciting.
Cager had some flashes here and there but must become more consistent. He made a big catch to open up the scrimmage but dropped another that could have been a big gain.
Harley made some catches and seems to have adjusted more to the college game as he struggled a bit last year. Nothing that really wowed anyone but did have a key 3rd down catch. Had one drop.
Harris had a very bad day. Idk if they will ever get much out of him as his hands leave a lot to be desired. It’s a shame IMO as he does possess some wiggle and speed at his size. He creates separation but if you can’t catch, you’re just not gonna play.
Langham is a spark guy, he will make a big play here and there but a bit inconsistent. He struggles a bit to create separation at times. He has his role and will continue to make a play when they need him.
Wiggins didn’t get a lot of burn but when he came in, he made the most of it. I was very impressed with a catch he made with a DB coming full speed at him and he held on to the ball.
The star of the day. Brian Hightower. One word, WOW. He has a legitimate chance to become a starting receiver at some point this season. Size, speed, hands & he blocks. He was slept on by some, I highly suggest keeping your eyes open cause this kid is gonna do great things at Miami. He looked the part too when he came in to play with the 1’s. As Dmoney mentioned in another thread, his baseball skills are coming to light in the way he tracks the ball. No one had an answer for him. It was refreshing to see for the first time in a while at Miami, a true big bodied WR who uses his size. Great body control and concentration by the kid on his two end zone grabs and showed he was more than just a redzone guy, with another two big catches going for 25 and 50+.
*Two key returns in Fall. Ahmmon Richards and Evidence Njoku. I am very high on Njoku and think he could make some noise too when fall ball opens up. I expect Ahmmon to make a full recovery and healthy in time for the season.
*Mark Pope and Marquez Ezzard have a chance to make a splash in the fall. I expect Pope to challenge Harley in the slot. Langham & Harris have not separated theirselves to be safe yet, Ezzard could take those snaps if he’s ready.
TE:
*We need help here ASAP.
Irvin was very inconsistent yesterday and dropped quite a few catchable balls.
Polendey was a bit of a surprise and made a very nice downfield catch.
*The opportunity is there for both Brevin Jordan & Will Mallory to come in and seize a lot of play time.
OL:
Miami is going to be fine on the interior of the line but the tackle spot needs to get figured out before the season. Not much more to be said than that. Searles has work cut out for him this off-season to find his best tackles. Donaldson needs to keep trimming weight if they are serious about him at RT because he didn’t look comfortable at that spot. St. Louis is going to need work to improve at LT opposed to RT previously.
*I expect some transfers from the unit now that spring has concluded.
*Cleveland Reed will be a great addition for depth on the interior as well.
