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- Feb 9, 2018
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Offseason Additions: Andres Borregales (2021 signee)
Offseason Departures: Jose Borregales (NFL Draft)
Miami easily had the best specialists duo in college football last season with Ray Guy finalist P Louis Hedley (tied for 2nd nationally at 47.2 ypp) and Lou Groza winner K Jose Borregales, who had an incredible debut at Miami in 2020 (90.9% on FG’s). You can set it and forget it with Hedley, as the redshirt junior is back to boom more punts in 2021 and is poised to give the Hurricanes a true weapon in the field position battle yet again.
That’s not the case with Jose Borregales, who left the program to enter the NFL Draft over the offseason. His replacement? His younger brother and true freshman Andres, who was considered a better prospect than Jose coming out of high school and was seen as one of the best high school kickers in the country before signing with UM in December. Andres is known for his strong leg, and there is film of him kicking a 67-yard field goal in practice at just 16 years old. His timing and rhythm are very advanced for his age, and he possesses solid accuracy that will improve as his technique becomes more refined. As is always the case for young kickers, building confidence and staying mentally tough will be a determining factor in his success or failure, so the Canes have to do everything possible to get Andres comfortable at the college level starting this spring.
Despite their success in the kicking game, UM struggled to find an impact returner all last year. Mike Harley, Gurvan Hall, Mark Pope, Jaylan Knighton, and Xavier Restrepo all got looks, and none of them really impressed while also committing numerous fumbles and muffed punts. Spring is always the time where UM experiments with a ton of different players at returner and certainly nobody locked the job down in 2020, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who emerges and takes hold of the returner positions.
Sophomore Clay James has been a quality long snapper for the Hurricanes the past two years with no noticeable hiccups, and he is all set to handle those duties once again in 2021.
Bottom Line
Hedley was one of the best punters in America last season, and the only question with him is if he can break through and go from “Ray Guy Award finalist” to “Ray Guy Award winner” in 2021. The focus this spring will be on Andres Borregales and how quickly he can acclimate to the college lifestyle. It was huge to get him in early and start that process in January, as those extra few months will be key ahead of the pressure cooker that is the Alabama opener in September.
The return game must get fixed, and although it was a disaster in 2020, the upside is that UM does have plenty of explosive options to choose from to potentially reverse their fortunes in that area. This spring and going forward will be about who can show the reliability and consistency that the returner position demands, and who emerges to get return looks will be an interesting storyline in camp.
Offseason Departures: Jose Borregales (NFL Draft)
Miami easily had the best specialists duo in college football last season with Ray Guy finalist P Louis Hedley (tied for 2nd nationally at 47.2 ypp) and Lou Groza winner K Jose Borregales, who had an incredible debut at Miami in 2020 (90.9% on FG’s). You can set it and forget it with Hedley, as the redshirt junior is back to boom more punts in 2021 and is poised to give the Hurricanes a true weapon in the field position battle yet again.
That’s not the case with Jose Borregales, who left the program to enter the NFL Draft over the offseason. His replacement? His younger brother and true freshman Andres, who was considered a better prospect than Jose coming out of high school and was seen as one of the best high school kickers in the country before signing with UM in December. Andres is known for his strong leg, and there is film of him kicking a 67-yard field goal in practice at just 16 years old. His timing and rhythm are very advanced for his age, and he possesses solid accuracy that will improve as his technique becomes more refined. As is always the case for young kickers, building confidence and staying mentally tough will be a determining factor in his success or failure, so the Canes have to do everything possible to get Andres comfortable at the college level starting this spring.
Despite their success in the kicking game, UM struggled to find an impact returner all last year. Mike Harley, Gurvan Hall, Mark Pope, Jaylan Knighton, and Xavier Restrepo all got looks, and none of them really impressed while also committing numerous fumbles and muffed punts. Spring is always the time where UM experiments with a ton of different players at returner and certainly nobody locked the job down in 2020, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who emerges and takes hold of the returner positions.
Sophomore Clay James has been a quality long snapper for the Hurricanes the past two years with no noticeable hiccups, and he is all set to handle those duties once again in 2021.
Bottom Line
Hedley was one of the best punters in America last season, and the only question with him is if he can break through and go from “Ray Guy Award finalist” to “Ray Guy Award winner” in 2021. The focus this spring will be on Andres Borregales and how quickly he can acclimate to the college lifestyle. It was huge to get him in early and start that process in January, as those extra few months will be key ahead of the pressure cooker that is the Alabama opener in September.
The return game must get fixed, and although it was a disaster in 2020, the upside is that UM does have plenty of explosive options to choose from to potentially reverse their fortunes in that area. This spring and going forward will be about who can show the reliability and consistency that the returner position demands, and who emerges to get return looks will be an interesting storyline in camp.
