For the first time in over a decade, it’s fun to watch Miami play defense. My main takeaway from spring is that everyone stayed healthy.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE- Deepest group on the team. Coach Kool can replace Kendrick Norton and Richard McIntosh with Anthony Moten and Gerald Willis without missing a beat. This allows him to demand high effort. Willis was on the bike all spring but should be ready to roll in August. The story of spring was Pat Bethel. He looked quick at DT and showed off a nice spin move. He still needs to gain some weight but this should be a great spot for him. Tyreic Martin and Ryan Fines are a level below the other guys. Martin needs to get stronger and Fines needs to get quicker. Expect Kool to recruit some JUCO war daddies to replace them.
DEFENSIVE END- Similar story here. Chad Thomas and Joe Jackson caused havoc last year and Trent Harris is a proven commodity. I expected Demetrius Jackson to be a skinny pass rusher but he’s evolved into a solid, heavy player who bats down more passes than anyone I’ve ever seen on Greentree. Jonathan Garvin is every bit as impressive as Joe was last year. He doesn’t have the same horsepower but he’s plenty fast and extremely quick laterally. He also has long arms and surprising power that knocked a couple backup OL on their ***. His sack and forced fumble on Jack Allison set the tone for the full-contact scrimmage. Looking forward to adding Scott Patchan and D.J. Johnson to this group. D.J. just ran 11.22 100M and he may get faster before he’s done. For perspective, Dalvin Cook’s personal record was 11.18.
LINEBACKER- Mike Pickney spent most of his time with the second group, but we know what we’re getting when it counts: the best linebacking corps since the Bermuda Triangle. Shaq Quarterman is fully established as one of the leaders of the defense. Zach McCloud looks primed for a breakout. We know what we have here.
The surprise has been the emergence of the backup linebackers. Mike Smith was one the stars of the spring for me. We forget that he was one of the best defensive players in South Florida before blowing out his knee. Now, a few years and a position change later, he finally looks like his twitchy self. He’s rushing the passer, flying to the ball and he’s even had some nice moments in pass coverage. Very confident. Darrion Owens isn’t all the way back but he’s a lot closer. His strength right now is taking on blocks and being physical. The next step is getting back his former safety speed.
I was a big Charles Perry fan coming out of school and he’s finally starting to make athletic plays. He is a McCloud injury away from playing a big role. Terry McCray is just a guy. Bradley Jennings played mostly with the third unit because of the experience in front of him. He looks best during full contact. Violent striker with good instincts in the run game. Not as good as Shaq, but similar playing style. It’s a shame we can’t see Waynmon Steed yet. He fits in perfectly with this defense.
SAFETY- This was one of the key groups going in the spring. We knew what Jaquan Johnson could do, but Sheldrick Redwine and Amari Carter were unknowns. I feel much better now, as both guys look like Miami safeties. Redwine is an underrated athlete (remember the backflips after the Duke game?) who is playing with a lot more confidence since the switch. He’s by far our best cover guy at safety and he can tackle. Amari Carter reminds me of Jamal Carter from a physical standpoint. Similar speed and impressive on the hoof. But he has three advantages over Carter: (1) he has more bend; (2) he’s more aware; and (3) he has better ball skills. For a clean-cut student, I was surprised by how nasty Carter is after the whistle. You can tell he likes mix it up. He’ll be the third guy.
When Quan comes up to play nickel, Robert Knowles steps in as first-team safety. Knowles continues to make strides under Coach Banda and Coach Zuckerman (GA) but he’s still not ready for that. Look for Trajan Bandy to challenge for that nickel role, allowing Quan to stay at safety. Romeo Finley played with the third team all spring. He is a hitter with straight-line burst but he struggles changing directions. I think ultimately his best position may be SLB. Still a tough, talented player who will help on special teams. Derrick Smith will have a great opportunity to play now that Cedrick Wright and Jeff James flamed out. Physically, he is ready to roll. The mental game will be the key with him.
CORNERBACK- It’s hard to evaluate this position because three key guys aren’t here yet. Dee Delaney and Jhavonte Dean will compete for the spot opposite Malek Young, and Bandy is the favorite in the nickel. Young held down the fort this spring and looked incredible. He had four INTs in three scrimmages and all four were highlight reel plays. His spot is locked.
Michael Jackson was the starter all spring and did a nice job of competing. I suspect he’ll be more of a depth option come fall. Just not as talented as Delaney or Dean. Ryan Mayes didn’t really challenge Jackson, which was a surprise. Him and Terrance Henley are going to have a tough time getting on the field. Tyler Murphy did a real nice job as a walk-on and looked better than the scholarship players at time.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE- Deepest group on the team. Coach Kool can replace Kendrick Norton and Richard McIntosh with Anthony Moten and Gerald Willis without missing a beat. This allows him to demand high effort. Willis was on the bike all spring but should be ready to roll in August. The story of spring was Pat Bethel. He looked quick at DT and showed off a nice spin move. He still needs to gain some weight but this should be a great spot for him. Tyreic Martin and Ryan Fines are a level below the other guys. Martin needs to get stronger and Fines needs to get quicker. Expect Kool to recruit some JUCO war daddies to replace them.
DEFENSIVE END- Similar story here. Chad Thomas and Joe Jackson caused havoc last year and Trent Harris is a proven commodity. I expected Demetrius Jackson to be a skinny pass rusher but he’s evolved into a solid, heavy player who bats down more passes than anyone I’ve ever seen on Greentree. Jonathan Garvin is every bit as impressive as Joe was last year. He doesn’t have the same horsepower but he’s plenty fast and extremely quick laterally. He also has long arms and surprising power that knocked a couple backup OL on their ***. His sack and forced fumble on Jack Allison set the tone for the full-contact scrimmage. Looking forward to adding Scott Patchan and D.J. Johnson to this group. D.J. just ran 11.22 100M and he may get faster before he’s done. For perspective, Dalvin Cook’s personal record was 11.18.
LINEBACKER- Mike Pickney spent most of his time with the second group, but we know what we’re getting when it counts: the best linebacking corps since the Bermuda Triangle. Shaq Quarterman is fully established as one of the leaders of the defense. Zach McCloud looks primed for a breakout. We know what we have here.
The surprise has been the emergence of the backup linebackers. Mike Smith was one the stars of the spring for me. We forget that he was one of the best defensive players in South Florida before blowing out his knee. Now, a few years and a position change later, he finally looks like his twitchy self. He’s rushing the passer, flying to the ball and he’s even had some nice moments in pass coverage. Very confident. Darrion Owens isn’t all the way back but he’s a lot closer. His strength right now is taking on blocks and being physical. The next step is getting back his former safety speed.
I was a big Charles Perry fan coming out of school and he’s finally starting to make athletic plays. He is a McCloud injury away from playing a big role. Terry McCray is just a guy. Bradley Jennings played mostly with the third unit because of the experience in front of him. He looks best during full contact. Violent striker with good instincts in the run game. Not as good as Shaq, but similar playing style. It’s a shame we can’t see Waynmon Steed yet. He fits in perfectly with this defense.
SAFETY- This was one of the key groups going in the spring. We knew what Jaquan Johnson could do, but Sheldrick Redwine and Amari Carter were unknowns. I feel much better now, as both guys look like Miami safeties. Redwine is an underrated athlete (remember the backflips after the Duke game?) who is playing with a lot more confidence since the switch. He’s by far our best cover guy at safety and he can tackle. Amari Carter reminds me of Jamal Carter from a physical standpoint. Similar speed and impressive on the hoof. But he has three advantages over Carter: (1) he has more bend; (2) he’s more aware; and (3) he has better ball skills. For a clean-cut student, I was surprised by how nasty Carter is after the whistle. You can tell he likes mix it up. He’ll be the third guy.
When Quan comes up to play nickel, Robert Knowles steps in as first-team safety. Knowles continues to make strides under Coach Banda and Coach Zuckerman (GA) but he’s still not ready for that. Look for Trajan Bandy to challenge for that nickel role, allowing Quan to stay at safety. Romeo Finley played with the third team all spring. He is a hitter with straight-line burst but he struggles changing directions. I think ultimately his best position may be SLB. Still a tough, talented player who will help on special teams. Derrick Smith will have a great opportunity to play now that Cedrick Wright and Jeff James flamed out. Physically, he is ready to roll. The mental game will be the key with him.
CORNERBACK- It’s hard to evaluate this position because three key guys aren’t here yet. Dee Delaney and Jhavonte Dean will compete for the spot opposite Malek Young, and Bandy is the favorite in the nickel. Young held down the fort this spring and looked incredible. He had four INTs in three scrimmages and all four were highlight reel plays. His spot is locked.
Michael Jackson was the starter all spring and did a nice job of competing. I suspect he’ll be more of a depth option come fall. Just not as talented as Delaney or Dean. Ryan Mayes didn’t really challenge Jackson, which was a surprise. Him and Terrance Henley are going to have a tough time getting on the field. Tyler Murphy did a real nice job as a walk-on and looked better than the scholarship players at time.
