CORAL GABLES — Training camp is under way.
Hurricanes coaches, players and the media got their first real look at UM’s stable of quarterbacks, five of whom are aiming for the starting job. I wrote about that in this story (click here to read), so most of the quarterback-related news and quotes will be found there.
There was plenty to watch besides quarterbacks, of course. Here are things seen and heard on Day 1 of Hurricanes practice:
The Hurricanes prepare to take the field for their first practice of 2014. (Photo by Matt Porter)
The Hurricanes prepare to take the field for their first practice of 2014. (Photo by Matt Porter)
* Head coach Al Golden, who addressed the media Monday, was not available to the media. Golden will speak before Wednesday’s practice. All other players and coaches spoke to the media before a two-and-a-half hour practice mostly under a scorching afternoon sun. Freshmen, per UM policy, were not available to the media.
* Aside from Ryan Williams, no player was clearly limited for all of practice. UM did not practice in pads, in accord with the NCAA’s preseason acclimatization policy. After five practice periods, teams are allowed to conduct full-contact drills. We may see some players in red (no-contact) or yellow (limited) practice jerseys then.
* Quarterbacks Jake Heaps, Kevin Olsen, Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier wore braces on their left knees, which Olsen said was a precautionary measure to protect them from freak injuries. All are right-handed quarterbacks, so they plant and twist off their left (front) leg. Williams, who participated in individual drills and did some light throwing, wore a brace to protect his injured right knee.
* Heaps received the first practice reps, with Kaaya second. Once again, check out my story for a full breakdown of the quarterback situation.
* I asked offensive coordinator James Coley how he evaluates Jake Heaps’ performance at Kansas (he completed 49 percent of his passes). Tough question to answer, but how much was on Heaps, and how much was on the players around him?
“Right,” Coley said. “I thought it was a tough season for him. Obviously he’s here, so we liked what we saw. I thought he handled things very well. To his credit, he was very classy, spoke very highly of his teammates. But you know, they were behind the 8-ball with some injuries and stuff like that. It was hard on him. You couldn’t tell.”
* See this blog post for the full Q&A with Coley.
* Defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio said his No. 1 goal for the first couple weeks is to identify the best combinations of defensive linemen, “particularly in passing situations,” he said. “Let’s get that front four going, getting after the quarterback.”
* D’Onofrio said he, like others on the team, was disappointed with the actions of former linebackers Alex Figueroa and JaWand Blue, who admitted to drugging and raping an underage girl last month and were dismissed from UM. From a football standpoint, linebacker depth is now the most pressing issue on defense.
D’Onofrio said junior Tyriq McCord has the ability to help on the strong-side. McCord plays rush end, which is a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position. “I know we have someone that’s trained there before that we can use while we develop other guys,” D’Onofrio said.
D’Onofrio said he believes in junior Raphael Kirby and senior Thurston Armbrister, who can play multiple spots. Along with star middle linebacker Denzel Perryman, Kirby and Armbrister will play key roles. Next in line is sophomore Jermaine Grace, who is undersized at 6-1, 210 but is earning the trust of the coaching staff. Freshman Darrion Owens, who enrolled in January, is making an early impact.
“Now we’ve got to develop the rest of that depth,” D’Onofrio said. “We need to find Nos. 6, 7 and 8. I felt like we had seven guys coming out of the spring. We’ve got to go back and find 6, 7, and 8.”
* D’Onofrio feels better about his defensive line. “We’re in a pretty good situation as far as depth goes. I think on the back end [secondary] and on the D-line, I think this is the best depth we’ve had. Obviously we’re going to have to deal with the issue we had at linebacker and get that to where it was in the spring. That’s our job. We’ve got to get that done in training camp. But I feel good about the depth.”
* One of the key pieces in the trenches, defensive tackle Michael Wyche, spent most of the practice performing conditioning drills. Wyche, who arrived at 6-foot-4 and 360 pounds, is now close to 340 and is on his way to his goal weight of 335. barely fit into his No. 11 practice jersey, which was last year worn by 250-pound defensive end David Gilbert. If Wyche is in condition, he could be a huge asset to the Canes’ defensive front as a run-stopping nose tackle. Asked what he could bring to the defense, Wyche said “leadership,” but added he preferred to let his play speak for him.
“I’d rather show it than tell it,” he said. “I’m more about actions than words.”
* Defensive end Chad Thomas (6-5, 260) showed flashes of speed and agility during individual drills. A day after Golden told reporters expectations for Thomas were “high,” D’Onofrio called him “really explosive.” Asked if he was physically capable enough to help UM in its season-opener against Louisville, D’Onofrio said: “We have to give everybody the same opportunity. But I’m thrilled to have Chad Thomas on the team. Let’s leave it at that. I can’t wait to get to work with him today.”
* Signee Trayone Gray, who was not academically cleared to practice, hung out with coaches before practice while wearing street clothes. Gray, listed at 6-2 and 210 pounds, looked big enough to play linebacker but will start his UM career at running back. He is expected to participate in his first practice Wednesday. The other member of UM’s 2014 signing class who did not take the field, ex-Santaluces High receiver Darrell Langham, was not seen at practice.
* Sophomore Walter Tucker, who signed as a linebacker but was moved to fullback, practiced with the linebackers and switched his jersey from No. 44 to No. 4. It is unknown if the move is permanent, but it would seem that switch would open up a spot for Gray in UM’s backfield. UM has walk-on Ronnie Regula to play as a true fullback, and Gus Edwards in a short-yardage role.
* Big (6-9, 241) tight end Raphael Akpejiori was excited to get going. Akpejiori, a *****ian native who graduated after playing four seasons on UM’s basketball team, is playing football for the first time. He said he spent the summer watching a ton of film. He learned the game by practicing with former Canes Jimmy Graham and Santana Moss and participated in 7-on-7 workouts.
“At first I was getting jammed a lot,” he said. “I didn’t know how to get a release. But I’ve been doing pretty well so far. I’ve been finding myself open a lot. I dropped a few balls, but I think I caught more than I [dropped]. It’s been great.”
His goal? “I won an ACC championship as a basketball player, and my goal is to win one as a football player,” he said. “One day in the future, they can tell my story as a two-sport athlete at the University of Miami who succeeded at everything he did.”
* Players wearing orange jerseys, denoting offensive team leaders: left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Jon Feliciano, center Shane McDermott, right tackle Kc McDermott, right guard Danny Isidora, tight ends Clive Walford and Beau Sandland, receivers Herb Waters and Phillip Dorsett, running back Duke Johnson and surprisingly, Regula. It’s not often a walk-on earns a premier jersey.
* Players wearing black jerseys, denoting defensive team leaders: defensive tackle Earl Moore, middle linebacker Perryman, weak-side linebacker Kirby, strong-side linebacker Owens, defensive ends Trent Harris, Ufomba Kalamu and Anthony Chickillo, cornerbacks Tracy Howard and Antonio Crawford and safety Dallas Crawford. Owens and Harris, like Kc McDermott, are freshmen who enrolled in January.
* The first-team offensive line: Flowers (LT), Feliciano (LG), S. McDermott (C), Isidora (RG), K. McDermott (RT).
* The second-team offensive line: Taylor Gadbois (LT), Hunter Wells (LG), Alex Gall (C), Trevor Darling (RG), Sunny Odogwu (RT).
