Summer WR enrollees Pope and Ezzard update fall camp progress

Stefan Adams

Aug 16, 2018 3 min read

If you’ve been following the team over fall camp, you know it has been Mark Pope that has been receiving the most praise of freshmen receivers from the staff and players in interviews. This week, he even began to start working in at first team and rotating with Lawrence Cager at Z receiver.

“It’s been going great so far, going out there and doing what I’ve got to do,” Pope said on his rise. “It’s just about staying focused and doing what the coaches ask.”

UM receivers coach Ron Dugans has told all of the freshman receivers that they’ll be playing this year and to stay ready for when their number is called. Pope’s relationship with Dugans was a big reason that he ended up at Miami and he elaborated on what makes Dugans such a good coach.

“Coach Dugans is just a great guy,” Pope said. “He’s going to make sure you’re good not just in football, but in life too. He definitely be on me about the playbook, though.”

As he’s worked with all three units at different points in camp, Pope has the unique perspective of having caught passes from all four of UM QB’s.

“The quarterbacks, I love all of them,” Pope said. “Everyone is so accurate, put the ball right in my chest, and there’s not much more you can ask for. They can do it all.”

The Hurricanes’ coaches made a blooper reel of all the freshmen players’ miscues called “Welcome to College Football” and play the tape in team meetings. Pope admits he’s made reel in the first few weeks of camp.

“(Laughs) I made it once,” Pope said. “I was loafing off the ball and Mike Jackson just drove me into the sidelines.”

Who is the hardest hitter on the UM defense?

“I’d say Amari (Carter) from what I’ve seen. I haven’t got welcomed (hit) by him yet, though. He’s got to catch me first.”

**Freshman wide receiver Marquez Ezzard is making the transition from playing in a triple-option offense in high school to Miami’s pro-spread attack.

“I feel really good about what we got going on,” Ezzard said. “It was hard coming in and learning a completely new offense type, but I stay learning.”

Ezzard has seen mostly third team reps from the slot behind Jeff Thomas and Mike Harley. To see more time, Ezzard is just going to keep grinding every day as he continues to become more comfortable with the offense.

“Coach Dugans said we’ve got to do it every day and keep getting better and better,” Ezzard said. “Keep grinding and learning, learning the playbook. I’m getting better with the offense.”

Coming to Miami from Georgia, Ezzard wasn’t completely starting over. He’s been good friends with fellow freshman Realus “Unc” George since they were kids and they’re currently roommates together at UM.

“I like Realus, he’s my boy,” Ezzard said. “We grew up together. It’s been cool living with him.”

Ezzard reports he’s down 7 pounds from when he arrived to UM in late May and will play this season at 208 pounds. How does he feel he performed in Saturday’s scrimmage?

“I felt like I did really good,” Ezzard said. “I stayed in the playbook (beforehand) like coach Dugans said and it paid off, made some plays.”

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RangerGranger

Aug 16, 2018

SinCityCane said:
I guess my hot take last week on Pope starting wouldn't be much of a hot take anymore

Alas, weez some **** geniuses.

Pope will secure the slot position by mid season.

KrazyCane

Aug 16, 2018

I wouldn’t be mad if Ezzard tried out at FS... freak athlete and big as **** already wouldn’t be a bad experiment to see. Only bc of the depth at WR is crazy but it’s no pressing need to move him though. I know he’s a beast at WR so it’s a win regardless.

Gatorhater

Aug 17, 2018

k9cane said:
Ive said that for awhile, we dont need to go full Cuse or Chip Kelly but it's almost a waste of all this talent and depth by not going tempo at least a little bit. Especially at home in the South Florida heat and humidity

Tempo is not the friend of defense of either team. Once your defense get tired, it becomes a long game.

C
CanesSince07

Aug 17, 2018

brock said:
Both will be really good imo and that’s great for us. Remember before they dropped his rating Hightower was **** near a 5 star and was top 40 in the country.

A lot of people's forget this, he was basically 5

and everything he's done since his season ended at IMG shows he was 5

, think he has a Coley, Richards type freshman year

fishfanmiami

Aug 17, 2018

I want to see Richards , Thomas and Pope on the field at the same time. Four wide Hightower goes outside with Pope and Thomas in the slots. Stop that.

Number1CanesFan

Aug 17, 2018

g8rh8rMD said:
Agree with this for the last part, but I could def see Pope starting a game or few later in the year

I don't see it. Who's going to sit? Cager? Don't think so. Cager is going to get his shine on this year. Pope will play a lot. However, it doesn't make sense to to have 2 smaller guys in Pope and Thomas/Harley on the field at the same time. Perhaps when we goto 4 WRs, but not as a base offense.

This WR core is unreal. We have every type of WR to put on the field. That gives us such flexibility. I agree with others that we should run a fast paced offense and just wear defenses down with our group of talent. Very few schools have the DB depth to match up with our WR core for 4 qtrs.

S
S.O.M.

Aug 17, 2018

fishfanmiami said:
I want to see Richards , Thomas and Pope on the field at the same time. Four wide Hightower goes outside with Pope and Thomas in the slots. Stop that.

You’re exactly right. You’re just a year early.

Rellyrell

Aug 17, 2018

I want all our positions to be stacked like this. Dammmit, I want a new 30/30 where they brag about all the 1st round talent was behind each other! We’re close.

Hegemon

Aug 17, 2018

Carter announced himself already fellas against that Bethune Cookman tightend.

No one sleeping on Carter....

DMoney

Aug 17, 2018

Ezzard is starting to look really good in the slot lately. The game is slowing down and he’s speeding up.

BeastMode

Aug 17, 2018

k9cane said:
And now that Miami is back to a full allotment of scholarships, you can't use 'lack of depth' as an excuse. Miami now has the bullets, lets start pulling the trigger here

Richt has shown he will go uptempo at times. At times last year though it seemed he slowed it down to give our defense a breather. If you go up tempo and keep getting 3 and outs, you are going to gas your defense by the 3rd quarter.

SinCityCane

Aug 17, 2018

Number1CanesFan said:
I don't see it. Who's going to sit? Cager? Don't think so. Cager is going to get his shine on this year. Pope will play a lot. However, it doesn't make sense to to have 2 smaller guys in Pope and Thomas/Harley on the field at the same time. Perhaps when we goto 4 WRs, but not as a base offense.

This WR core is unreal. We have every type of WR to put on the field. That gives us such flexibility. I agree with others that we should run a fast paced offense and just wear defenses down with our group of talent. Very few schools have the DB depth to match up with our WR core for 4 qtrs.

Pope is 6'1. Not exactly small. Besides, by midseason last year, our starters were AR with Thomas & Berrios who are both under 5'10. Dugans will start & play the best guys like he has since he's been here. Another thing - whichever of Pope & Cager doesn't line up on the first play vs LSU isn't going to sit. They'll more than likely be rotating, & both should see snaps regardless.

g8rh8rMD

Aug 17, 2018

Number1CanesFan said:
I don't see it. Who's going to sit? Cager? Don't think so. Cager is going to get his shine on this year. Pope will play a lot. However, it doesn't make sense to to have 2 smaller guys in Pope and Thomas/Harley on the field at the same time. Perhaps when we goto 4 WRs, but not as a base offense.

This WR core is unreal. We have every type of WR to put on the field. That gives us such flexibility. I agree with others that we should run a fast paced offense and just wear defenses down with our group of talent. Very few schools have the DB depth to match up with our WR core for 4 qtrs.

Someone could get hurt or dinged, Pope could start a game in slot over Harley/Thomas/Ezzard. I’m not predicting he’ll get a start this year, just saying it doesn’t seem all that far fetched.

But yeah, we’ve got talent at the position. It’s real nice.

BostonCane

Aug 17, 2018

Ezzard = Boldin

ShadowSpring

Aug 17, 2018

DMoney said:
Ezzard is starting to look really good in the slot lately. The game is slowing down and he’s speeding up.

Think Jarvis Landry.

Ezzard is much bigger. Kinda surprised to see such a big WR at the slot. Maybe to beat up on small slot CB's?

DMoney

Aug 17, 2018

ShadowSpring said:
Ezzard is much bigger. Kinda surprised to see such a big WR at the slot. Maybe to beat up on small slot CB's?

It’s normal. Brandon Marshall is much bigger and he was devastating when lined up in the slot.

Ezzard is quicker than fast and better with the ball in his hands. The slot plays to his strengths.

C
cubin10

Aug 17, 2018

g8rh8rMD said:
Someone could get hurt or dinged, Pope could start a game in slot over Harley/Thomas/Ezzard. I’m not predicting he’ll get a start this year, just saying it doesn’t seem all that far fetched.

But yeah, we’ve got talent at the position. It’s real nice.

You never know a lot can happen between now and the end of the season.

The Franchise

Aug 17, 2018

BeastMode said:
Richt has shown he will go uptempo at times. At times last year though it seemed he slowed it down to give our defense a breather. If you go up tempo and keep getting 3 and outs, you are going to gas your defense by the 3rd quarter.

You can’t coach scared. You have to coach to your team’s strength. And ours is our insane allotment of skill depth and talent.

If you have a couple 3 and outs then so be it. It’s then the defense’s job to force a couple 3 and outs.

Spread em out and increase the tempo. Then gash the fck out of them in the run game like Briles. Spread. Increase tempo. Stay balanced in the run game.

ShadowSpring

Aug 17, 2018

DMoney said:
It’s normal. Brandon Marshall is much bigger and he was devastating when lined up in the slot.

Ezzard is quicker than fast and better with the ball in his hands. The slot plays to his strengths.

Wow. I thought he'd be more of a possession type guy. I didn't realize he was that quick at his size. Very very cool.

N
nycane

Aug 17, 2018

KrazyCane said:
I wouldn’t be mad if Ezzard tried out at FS... freak athlete and big as **** already wouldn’t be a bad experiment to see. Only bc of the depth at WR is crazy but it’s no pressing need to move him though. I know he’s a beast at WR so it’s a win regardless.

whats the obsession with position switches?

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Summer WR enrollees Pope and Ezzard update fall camp progress

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