We suck. So this is a long list. The problem might be as simple as "Manny Diaz and the people who hired him." But someone is going to have to fix these issues, so let's address the specifics:
Lack of discipline. We dropped from 48th to 104th in penalties. We finished with a total score of 41-42 against G5 teams. For comparison, Richt’s UM teams averaged a 43-18 win against G5. Worst of all, Manny was 0-3 coming off byes. The stats show that this team lost focus at every opportunity. Manny might be attuned to analytics, but analytics don’t mean much if your players don’t respect you.
The first change should be accountability. In retrospect, it was a mistake to bring back Jeff Thomas. He’s not good enough and his football character is not good enough. It’s one thing to tolerate a hard-working whoremonger like Michael Irvin. Jeff isn’t that kind of team player. Navaughn Donaldson is another example. He was too fat to play. Pat Riley doesn’t condone that with professionals. Manny shouldn’t condone it with college kids.
This class is critically important because of the high number of early enrollees. If they are ready to play, it gives Manny more leverage to bench underperformers.
Lack of leadership in the QB room. We’ve struggled here since at least 2007. It’s either been criminal issues (Marve and Olsen), discipline issues (Jarren and Kosi) or work ethic issues (Rosier, Jacory, Morris). The only guy who conducted himself like a quarterback was Brad Kaaya. Not coincidentally, he’s also our all-time leading passer.
We can’t rely on Jarren or Kosi. Ideally, Tyler Van Dyke is the real deal and a worker. If there is any doubt in January, bring in a grad transfer to compete. Maybe he comes in with the new OC.
Enos has been a bust. This one is easy. The top 5 teams in yards per play are Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Ohio State. It’s an important stat. Enos finished 90th. Even Richt’s teams averaged 51st, and he was using a playbook from 1992. There is no choice but firing Enos. And since “pro-style offense” has been the common thread through 15 years of failure, it is time for a dedicated spread offense.
The OL stinks. Barry’s OL can’t run block or pass block. They are 113th in yards per rush. They are 112nd in sack percentage. Barry is also struggling to recruit. Signing Day is a week away, and he only has two commits. Barry needs to fired along with Enos.
The Michigan model is our best hope. They were awful in 2017. Harbaugh hired a new coach and developed his young starters. Eventually, they grew into a solid unit. Nelson, Campbell, Gaynor, Clark and Scaife should get better – individually and as a group – with more time in the weight room and more experience. Time will tell how much better they get. There was some really bad film but also flashes of athleticism and toughness.
Donaldson should not play again until he loses at least 25 pounds. Given his knee injury, a full redshirt makes some sense. You can bring him back for the last four games and keep his redshirt. A grad transfer should come in to compete and add depth. Herbert and Hillary are currently unplayable.
No speed in the back 7. Our LBs and DBs were too slow this year. The speed at LB should improve naturally with guys like McCloud, Brooks and Huff. Speed at DB is another story. This class is a disaster. I’ve defended Rumph and Banda in the past because their players developed. But they have been negligent this cycle. This class reminds me of Golden and Shannon’s depth-killing DB classes. That's how you end up starting grad transfers. Manny needs to evaluate that operation from top-to-bottom, with all options on the table.
One thing I’d like us to do is pursue big-time traits out of state. If you can’t get the Tyriques of the world with the total package, find a tough high-ceiling guy and pair him with a high-floor local player. There are plenty of viable DBs in South Florida and you can task your recruiting department with tracking down out-of-state speedsters.
We are too slow to offer. We aren’t good enough to offer kids late. We need to be first and we need to be aggressive. OL recruiting is a perfect example. Everyone down here knew this was a historic OL class in South Florida. But the SEC beat us to the punch and took the best guys. How does LSU offer a Cuban OL before UM? That’s unforgivable. We don’t have a problem dropping guys, so get in early and be aggressive.
Barry is saying the right things about OL traits but he is slow to actually identify those players. For example, I posted about a player named James Pogorelc from Virginia. This was in May 2019 and he still had no offers. His testing numbers were public and his film showed a prototype tackle in the Barry mold—tall (6’7), flexible, coordinated, laterally quick (4.68 shuttle) with great grades. I even sent his name to the staff. We did nothing.
Flash forward seven months. We are still short on tackles, and Pogorelc now has offers from Michigan and Stanford. If we had gotten him on campus in spring or Paradise we could have stolen him. Now, there’s no chance. Given the state of our program, we need to be ahead of the curve.
We need a more consistent run game. Miami finished dead last nationally in power success rate, per Football Outsiders. Some of that is on the OL. But in general, the Enos run game was boom or bust. If Dallas leaves, this becomes a much bigger problem. Harris, Lingard, Chaney and Knighton are big-play backs but they aren't guys who chew up yards between the tackles. Marcus Crowley could prove to be one of the biggest misses from the 2019 class.
One option is adding more of a QB-run dynamic. Trevor Lawrence has run for 407 yards and 7 TDs this year. Lawrence is a better athlete than our QBs, but the difference is slight when you look at testing numbers. Get those guys involved.
We have no proven WRs. One of the most glaring aspects of the FIU and Duke games was that our WRs couldn't separate. Some of that is schematic. But we don't have enough proven playmakers. It would be nice to see athletic workers like Payton and Wiggins step up in the bowl game and carry that into the offseason. We need a couple players to separate from the pack.
We need to get more out of our TEs. This is a first-world problem, but we never got Jordan and Mallory going at the same time. One adjustment I would make is using Mallory more like a flexed receiver. He was in-line too often when they were together and he performed worse than I expected. Throw him some screens and get him running with the ball. Jordan is just as good of a receiver, but he is so much better as a blocker that it makes sense for him to take on the bigger role there.
Add it all up and you have 6-6. The only group I'm comfortable with is DL. We've finished 2nd, 2nd and 7th in sack percentage the last three years and now we are stopping the run. Recruiting is also going well. That's a godsend, because DL is one of the most difficult positions to restock.
The bowl game is irrelevant but also important. The young guys and the OL should be eager to prove themselves. And Manny needs to show that he can keep his players focus when it isn't FSU or Florida week. So far, he's failed spectacularly.
