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After sophomore cornerback Christian Williams entered his named into the transfer portal, Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz gave his take on the move and what it means for the CB position going forward following Wednesday’s practice.
"Sometimes there's just a fit and Christian is a good, young man," Diaz said. "He comes from a good family, but ultimately it comes down to competition on Greentree Practice Fields and that's what everybody wants, right? That's why everybody says we want it to be the way it used to be at one time and you've got to be able to compete. You've got to be the best version of yourselves and we've had nothing but competition. One thing we pride ourselves in as a secondary is playing the most competitive guys and I like the guys we've got.”
Williams was operating as UM’s fourth cornerback with juniors Al Blades and DJ Ivey starting and fellow sophomore Te’Cory Couch seeing the majority of the backup snaps vs. UAB in the opener. Without Williams, Diaz expects the young guys throughout the entire secondary to step up.
"I like the guys we roll with and I love the way Isiah Dunson is competing,” Diaz said. “I think he'll be in the mix more and more as the season goes on just like Brian Balom [at safety]. I think those two guys, for young guys, really have a competitive spirit.
“Look at our pass defense numbers since 2016. We know what we're doing when it comes to stopping the pass and I love the guys we've got. I love the guys we got back there and I think they feel the bond. I think it's important to have that in any type of secondary play. You've got to know that everybody has your back, everybody out there is going to compete at a high level. The only way they know that is with what happens on that practice field right outside that window. I wish Christian the best. He's got a good future ahead of him, but I think so do we."
However, until Miami’s younger players in the secondary do make that leap, Diaz implied that he’d be comfortable going with just three corners this weekend vs. #18 Louisville.
"You can't just put guys in the secondary that you're not sure that they're going to compete,” Diaz said. “The line is the line. If there's three guys across that line, if there's four guys across that line, some years it's taken guys halfway through the season to become that guy - that's just all part of it. We're not just trying to play whoever just for the sake of playing whoever.
“I've got three really competitive guys in Ivey, Blades, and T.C.--those guys bring it every day out there. Look, the only way not to get a ball caught on you is to not show up for the game. I'm not worried about that. We have techniques, we can coach that better on some of those plays. What I am looking at is who is running to the ball, who tackles, who sets edges on defense, and who among their teammates know they can believe in to be highly competitive on every play. Once you raise your level to that standard, it's amazing how the playing time shows up after that. Until that point, we continue to develop [players] as coaches."
"Sometimes there's just a fit and Christian is a good, young man," Diaz said. "He comes from a good family, but ultimately it comes down to competition on Greentree Practice Fields and that's what everybody wants, right? That's why everybody says we want it to be the way it used to be at one time and you've got to be able to compete. You've got to be the best version of yourselves and we've had nothing but competition. One thing we pride ourselves in as a secondary is playing the most competitive guys and I like the guys we've got.”
Williams was operating as UM’s fourth cornerback with juniors Al Blades and DJ Ivey starting and fellow sophomore Te’Cory Couch seeing the majority of the backup snaps vs. UAB in the opener. Without Williams, Diaz expects the young guys throughout the entire secondary to step up.
"I like the guys we roll with and I love the way Isiah Dunson is competing,” Diaz said. “I think he'll be in the mix more and more as the season goes on just like Brian Balom [at safety]. I think those two guys, for young guys, really have a competitive spirit.
“Look at our pass defense numbers since 2016. We know what we're doing when it comes to stopping the pass and I love the guys we've got. I love the guys we got back there and I think they feel the bond. I think it's important to have that in any type of secondary play. You've got to know that everybody has your back, everybody out there is going to compete at a high level. The only way they know that is with what happens on that practice field right outside that window. I wish Christian the best. He's got a good future ahead of him, but I think so do we."
However, until Miami’s younger players in the secondary do make that leap, Diaz implied that he’d be comfortable going with just three corners this weekend vs. #18 Louisville.
"You can't just put guys in the secondary that you're not sure that they're going to compete,” Diaz said. “The line is the line. If there's three guys across that line, if there's four guys across that line, some years it's taken guys halfway through the season to become that guy - that's just all part of it. We're not just trying to play whoever just for the sake of playing whoever.
“I've got three really competitive guys in Ivey, Blades, and T.C.--those guys bring it every day out there. Look, the only way not to get a ball caught on you is to not show up for the game. I'm not worried about that. We have techniques, we can coach that better on some of those plays. What I am looking at is who is running to the ball, who tackles, who sets edges on defense, and who among their teammates know they can believe in to be highly competitive on every play. Once you raise your level to that standard, it's amazing how the playing time shows up after that. Until that point, we continue to develop [players] as coaches."
