We can’t sit here, on this July 14 morning, and tell you UM is going to have a good defense in 2014.
Michael Wyche (left), posing down recently with teammate Al-Quadin Muhammad (instagram.com/qua_nito)
No, we can’t guarantee good. Can’t even guarantee it will be better than last year, when … ah, you know. All the points and yards allowed. Ebron going off. The FSU loss. Logan Thomas in the rain. The Duke loss (the Duke loss…) Teddy throwing for 447. Yeah, yeah. You’ve replayed it in your heads many times.
After last year nothing is guaranteed. If UM’s defense has improved, it must prove that each week this fall.
But how would you feel if we told you people inside the UM program were legitimately pleased with their progress at … defensive tackle, of all places?
Yes, defensive tackle, one of the major trouble spots of a troubled defense, has been a positive this summer, several folks inside the Schwartz Center said.
UM believes it has a major upgrade in transfer Michael Wyche, who has impressed in the weight room. One source called him “what we’ve been missing in terms of length and width at nose.”
Wyche certainly had the width when he arrived. He reported for summer classes June 30 at 6-foot-4 and 360 pounds, but is now less than 350 and is expected to be lower when camp begins Aug. 5. UM wants him around 330-335.
But several teammates have raved about Wyche’s considerable strength. He told the Post last December he could bench 435 pounds and squat close to 600, which made him among the strongest Canes before he stepped on campus.
“He’s a powerful kid, powerful as can be,” the UM source said. The big question will be how much Wyche can play this fall, being as big as he is, but that source wasn’t worried: “He’s got some twitch to him. He’s not a sideline-to-sideline guy, but neither is Vince Wilfork. I don’t want to crown the guy, but he’s what we thought we were getting” from a size, strength, character and workout standpoint.
“Now we just need to see it with pads on,” the source said.
Another JUCO transfer, Calvin Heurtelou, has been through a round of spring ball and drew March raves from Al Golden for his strength. UM is also impressed with Anthony Moten, a 6-foot-4 freshman who arrived at 292 and is now more than 300 pounds. Courtel Jenkins is in good shape and progressing well.
“People seem to think we’re not where we need to be at defensive tackle,” the source said. “We’re young, but we’re deeper than people think.”
Earl Moore and Corey King are entering their junior seasons with plenty to prove. King, from West Boca High, has dealt with a nagging knee injury his entire UM career, but said recently he feels good and hopes to make an impact (we’re talking mostly nose tackle-types here, but junior Jelani Hamilton also falls in the same category as King).
So who’s next? UM is in the mix for Neville Gallimore, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound four-star DT from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. UM offered him in May and will try to get him on campus this fall for an official visit. Gallimore competed the Opening last week. UM also feels good about recent commit Richard “R.J.” McIntosh, a defensive end who has the frame to play tackle in college.
Duke of dash: According to UM sources, Duke Johnson recently ran a 40-yard dash below 4.4 seconds. That’s notable because Johnson, coming off a season-ending broken ankle last November against Florida State, has added 15 pounds to his frame. Johnson now checks in at 5-9 and 210 pounds.
Johnson also broke the 4.4 mark as a freshman – when he was around 180 pounds. Stacy Coley and Herb Waters also broke 4.4.
It has been reported that Phillip Dorsett clocked a 4.16, but it’s likely someone had an itchy finger on the stopwatch. Dorsett ran a legitimate 4.29 last fall and has likely improved since then, but 4.16 would be faster than every NFL Combine time since 1999 by a wide margin (Chris Johnson’s 4.24 is the record). Not saying it couldn’t happen, but that’s Olympic sprinter speed.
I’d like to see it with my own eyes (as would Canes fans – preferably in a game, headed for six). For what it’s worth, Dorsett tweeted last week, “Hate telling people what I ran because they won’t believe me lol”
One to watch: UM feels good about its chances of landing Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes athlete Jaason Lewis (yes, there is an extra ‘a’). Lewis, listed at 6-2 and between 230 and 240 pounds, named the Hurricanes in top five along with Oregon, Arizona State, Ole Miss and LSU.
Lewis, who decommitted from UCLA in May, has a brother (Jeffrey) who briefly ran track at UM. The Canes are recruiting him as an all-purpose offensive player and see him as a jumbo wide receiver/H-back/Kellen Winslow-type they could line up all over the field.
Quick slants: Four defensive backs UM is targeting in the 2015 class: Four-star safety Jaquan Johnson (Miami-Killian), three-star cornerback Davante Davis (Miami-Booker T. Washington), four-star safety Tim Irvin (Miami-Westminster Christian; Michael Irvin’s nephew) and three-star safety Carlton Davis (Miami-Norland) … UM feels good about its chances with Michael Irvin Jr., a four-star 2016 prospect Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian, but he would likely play tight end at UM. The son of “The Playmaker” has a 6-2, 200-pound frame that can hold a lot more bulk … Of the two 2015 Coconut Creek-Monarch standouts who committed to Alabama, UM has a better shot at landing receiver Calvin Ridley than safety Shawn Burgess-Becker. UM will be in the mix until signing day with those two.
If you missed it, check out my Sunday “Recruiting Insider” column, which enlisted the help of SBNation’s Bud Elliott to break down UM, FSU and UF targets at The Opening.
- See more at:
http://caneswatch.blog.palmbeachpos...0-times-recruiting-buzz/#sthash.7lCiqdlA.dpuf
