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Earlier this week, sophomore defensive end Joseph Jackson had strong words about freshman Jonathan Garvin, saying he had more raw talent than Jackson himself. If that wasn't enough validation, Coach Kuligowski made it even clearer that Garvin will play a role this season.
"Jonathan Garvin has really looked more like an upperclassman than a true freshman and we're very happy we had him in the spring and had him here all summer to train and I think he'll really be able to contribute some good things for us this year," Kuligowski said of Garvin.
The other star freshman edge rusher in Miami's 2017 class was D.J. Johnson, who has impressed with his combination of size, speed, and motor.
"He's been great. The big thing about the freshmen is they come out here and they've gotta learn how to stretch, they've gotta learn like where we eat, where we go to meetings -- we're making them work harder than they've ever worked in their life and it's a shock and awe factor that goes on, so the big thing is get better one day at a time and he's really done that," he said.
There has been some speculation from fans that Johnson could eventually grow into defensive tackle, but Kuligowski reiterated today they plan to keep him at end.
"Oh, he'll be defensive end. If he keeps eating to 300 pounds, then yanno," he said.
"He's a guy that weighs 270 pounds and can really fly. Once he learns what to do with it, then who knows what can happen," Kuligowski added.
The expectations for starting defensive tackles Kendrick Norton and R.J. McIntosh are sky high, but the offseason departures of Gerald Willis and Courtel Jenkins put a bit of a damper on what was perceived as a ton of quality depth. However, sophomore Patrick Bethel and senior Anthony Moten have stepped up in a major way as their roles will increase from last season.
"Pat has done a great job. He had a nice day yesterday and again a nice day today. Anthony Moten, whose a senior, has played a lot. I really feel like he's behind Kendrick, but he's really like a starter-level player, so he'll get a lot of time and we're expecting big things from him," Kuligowski said of those two.
The talk around camp is that Jospeh Jackson, who led the team in sacks with 8.5 last year, has taken the next step.
"Joe Jackson is a much better player now than he was at this time last year at the end of the season. You talk about getting better everyday and that kid is really focusing on his weaknesses and getting better at them. He wants to be the best player on our team, he wants to be the best player in the country, and he's working towards that," Kuligowski said.
On the overall talent of his position group and how they stack up with some of the defensive lines he has coached:
"I don't think there will be too many other people in the country who can line up and say they've got better people than us," Kuligowski said of the talent of his group.
"Jonathan Garvin has really looked more like an upperclassman than a true freshman and we're very happy we had him in the spring and had him here all summer to train and I think he'll really be able to contribute some good things for us this year," Kuligowski said of Garvin.
The other star freshman edge rusher in Miami's 2017 class was D.J. Johnson, who has impressed with his combination of size, speed, and motor.
"He's been great. The big thing about the freshmen is they come out here and they've gotta learn how to stretch, they've gotta learn like where we eat, where we go to meetings -- we're making them work harder than they've ever worked in their life and it's a shock and awe factor that goes on, so the big thing is get better one day at a time and he's really done that," he said.
There has been some speculation from fans that Johnson could eventually grow into defensive tackle, but Kuligowski reiterated today they plan to keep him at end.
"Oh, he'll be defensive end. If he keeps eating to 300 pounds, then yanno," he said.
"He's a guy that weighs 270 pounds and can really fly. Once he learns what to do with it, then who knows what can happen," Kuligowski added.
The expectations for starting defensive tackles Kendrick Norton and R.J. McIntosh are sky high, but the offseason departures of Gerald Willis and Courtel Jenkins put a bit of a damper on what was perceived as a ton of quality depth. However, sophomore Patrick Bethel and senior Anthony Moten have stepped up in a major way as their roles will increase from last season.
"Pat has done a great job. He had a nice day yesterday and again a nice day today. Anthony Moten, whose a senior, has played a lot. I really feel like he's behind Kendrick, but he's really like a starter-level player, so he'll get a lot of time and we're expecting big things from him," Kuligowski said of those two.
The talk around camp is that Jospeh Jackson, who led the team in sacks with 8.5 last year, has taken the next step.
"Joe Jackson is a much better player now than he was at this time last year at the end of the season. You talk about getting better everyday and that kid is really focusing on his weaknesses and getting better at them. He wants to be the best player on our team, he wants to be the best player in the country, and he's working towards that," Kuligowski said.
On the overall talent of his position group and how they stack up with some of the defensive lines he has coached:
"I don't think there will be too many other people in the country who can line up and say they've got better people than us," Kuligowski said of the talent of his group.
