Genghis Cane
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By Matt Porter
The Hurricanes begin fall practice Aug. 5 on campus in Coral Gables. Every day this week, we’ll take a look at five items of note.
Today’s post looks at the most intriguing positional battles in 2014 fall practices.
Undoubtedly the most discussed battle of camp will be between quarterbacks Jake Heaps, Kevin Olsen, Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier. We wrote about that in today’s Post (click here to read), so we’ll put that aside for now.
Let’s take a look at five other key position battles:
Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman is expected to be the rock of the Hurricanes' defense, but there is competition all around him. (Photo by Matt Porter)
Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman is expected to be the rock of the Hurricanes’ defense, but there is competition all around him. (Photo by Matt Porter)
Defensive line
If the Canes were lining up tomorrow against Louisville, they might start with Anthony Chickillo at strong-side defensive end, Al-Quadin Muhammad on the weak side, Olsen Pierre at one tackle and Calvin Heurtelou at the other.
Or they might not. Every spot on the line will be contested as UM looks for a variety of fronts.
Let’s look at the ends first. Entering his senior season, Chickillo (6-4, 280) needs to hold off surging junior Ufomba Kamalu (6-5, 290) for the starting spot at strong-side end. Both players drew equal praise from Al Golden last week when I spoke with him 1-on-1 at the ACC media days. Golden said he was able to split up Chickillo and Kamalu and play them on opposite ends should the situation call for more muscle (like a 3-4).
Of Chickillo and Kamalu, Golden said: “I think they’ve had the best summers of anybody in terms of leadership and growth. When you see Chick he looks different now, 280 pounds. Kamalu’s 292, 293, in that range, and starting to lead. Both of those guys are really leading for us, which is huge,” he said.
Freshman Chad Thomas (6-5, 260) is UM’s top incoming player and will almost certainly play a role on third down to start, as a strong-side defensive end or speedy pass-rush tackle.
On the weak side, Muhammad (6-4, 240) and Tyriq McCord (6-3, 245) will compete for time. Both are strong pass-rushers who should play much more than last year, when they played opposite ends in UM’s third-down speed package. McCord, a junior, has the edge in experience and can drop back to play strong-side linebacker. Muhammad, a sophomore, plays mostly with his hand down. Golden said having freshmen Demetrius Jackson (6-5, 240) and Trent Harris (6-2, 240) as depth behind Muhammad will allow UM to put McCord at linebacker at times (in a three-man front, for example).
Having Jackson and Harris competing with Muhammad “gives us the flexibility” to let McCord play Sam, Golden said. “We’re just in a much better situation on defense than we have been,” Golden said. “For example, at this time last year, we were still trying to get four or five guys into school and get them on campus.”
UM especially needed that help last year at defensive tackle, which is in much better shape now. Depending on the alignment, UM can employ larger tackles (junior Michael Wyche at 6-4, 340; junior Calvin Heurtelou at 6-3, 310; freshman Courtel Jenkins at 6-1, 320) or leaner tackles (senior Olsen Pierre at 6-5, 305; freshman Anthony Moten at 6-4, 295; junior Jelani Hamilton at 6-5, 290; Chickillo, Kamalu or Thomas could kick inside).
Golden mentioned Pierre as someone who “clearly should be one of the guys that steps up now. … He’s a senior, he’s strong, he’s got a lot of experience, a lot of reps,” Golden said.
“Heurtelou, he’s done a good job since the end of spring just trimming up and becoming leaner,” Golden said. “His body mass is good. He’s in much better condition, which is awesome. He’s very strong. So that’s great. And then we added Courtel Jenkins and Mike Wyche, and A.J. Moten and Chad Thomas. So that group is a lot more consistent, with [juniors] Earl Moore and Corey King, that group’s a lot more consistent, a lot more experienced, than we’ve had.”
Can UM consistently get to the quarterback from the edge? Likely. Can the Canes push the pocket and stop quarterbacks from stepping up all day? That remains to be seen.
There are no clear-cut starters anywhere along the line. If I’m guessing now (which is somewhat foolish, given several players have yet to put on pads for UM) I’d say the players with the highest snap counts will be Chickillo, Pierre, Muhammad, Kamalu, Wyche, McCord and Heurtelou, with Moten and Thomas seeing significant action. A rotation of nine or 10 quality players is exactly what Golden wants, and for once, he may have it.
Wide receiver
What we know for sure: sophomore Stacy Coley, junior Herb Waters and senior Phillip Dorsett are UM’s top three receivers heading into camp, and depth should no longer be an issue.
But that creates another issue: who gets targeted?
UM ended last season with one healthy regular (Coley), which contributed to its disastrous performance in the 33-9 loss to Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Miami was 0-for-11 on third down. Injuries reduced Waters (DNP), Dorsett (decoy), Allen Hurns (severely limited), Malcolm Lewis (mostly limited) to nothing, and Rashawn Scott was sent home via suspension. D’Mauri Jones and Garrett Kidd were far too inexperienced for UM to trust on that stage.
Everyone’s back but Hurns, who graduated. Coley will take over his spot as the No. 1 receiver. Dorsett returns to his stretch-the-field role after running a 4.21-second 40-yard dash in summer workouts. Waters has the size (6-2, 200) and speed (4.39) to play anywhere. Golden mentioned Lewis as someone who has “really leaned out and looks good,” and should push the top group. He averaged a 4.43 in testing.
Who else will get a look? Scott, who had an excellent sophomore season in 2012, isn’t a blazer (4.69) but is one of UM’s stronger receivers. Golden spotlighted two freshmen: Tyre Brady (“He’s making a case to play”) and Braxton Berrios, who could be slowed by offseason ACL surgery but could be a factor as a slot receiver and return man. Freshman David Njoku and sophomore D’Mauri Jones, both 6-4, could be red-zone threats.
Offensive line
The left side of the line (junior tackle Ereck Flowers and redshirt senior guard Jonathan Feliciano) and center (redshirt senior Shane McDermott) is locked in.
The right side is not. Right guard Danny Isidora, a redshirt sophomore, and redshirt sophomore tackle Taylor Gadbois are the favorites, but will be pushed by freshmen Trevor Darling, Kc McDermott and Nick Linder, redshirt freshmen Sunny Odogwu, redshirt sophomore Alex Gall and redshirt junior Hunter Wells.
My guess on the starters: Flowers, Feliciano, S. McDermott, Isidora and Gadbois. The top rotation players appear to be Wells and Gall. Golden said he needs to see “the young guys” – certainly meaning the freshmen, and possibly meaning Odogwu – step up to give UM a true 10-man rotation.
“I like the quality of the offensive line,” Golden said. “The quantity part of it is my concern. We have to make sure we have enough depth.”
Linebacker
Denzel Perryman all the time, Raphael Kirby most of the time, and the rest is unknown.
Perryman (5-11, 245), a senior and the ACC’s top returning tackler (108), plays the middle and will rarely come off the field. Kirby (6-1, 235), a junior, appears to have locked in a spot on the weak side. After the dismissal of Alex Figueroa, the strong-side spot is a question mark, with senior Thurston Armbrister (6-3, 240) and freshman Darrion Owens (6-3, 220) battling for reps and McCord playing in certain packages.
Sophomore Jermaine Grace (6-1, 210) will play a role in passing situations, but Golden said he can use him against the run. “That’s all he needs to be,” he said. “He’s a striker. He’s physical. He’s very instinctive.” Freshman Juwon Young (6-3, 240) could be Perryman’s main backup, and likely would have been so even if UM did not dismiss JaWand Blue. Freshman Terry McCray (6-3, 205), is a likely redshirt candidate.
Secondary
If you think junior Tracy Howard and senior Ladarius Gunter have locked down starting jobs based on experience, Golden would ask you to think again.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” he said. “There’s going to be more competition this year than we’ve ever had, there’s no question. I’d like to see you say that with Artie Burns and Corn Elder here.”
Howard (5-11, 190) isn’t UM’s speediest corner (4.57) but is the most technically sound. Gunter (6-2, 195) runs about the same and may be the hardest hitter. Burns, a track athlete, and Elder (UM’s fastest corner at 4.46, with a 4.37 max) bring more speed to the mix.
“I’m just saying, those guys are all going to compete,” Golden said.
At safety, it’s even muddier. Junior Dallas Crawford, who came to UM as a safety before switching to running back, spent the spring at safety. Sophomore Jamal Carter, who broke Sean Taylor’s power clean program record (318 pounds), is UM’s fastest safety (4.67). Healed from injuries that hampered them in 2013, juniors Deon Bush and Rayshawn Jenkins will be in the mix.
“Dallas is going to be hard to get out of there, and Jamal had the best spring of anybody,” Golden said. “Deon’s got a lot to prove. Jenkins has got a lot to prove. [Freshmen Marques] Gayot and Kiy [Hester] coming in, two really smart kids, physical kids, both 205-pounders, good kids.
“We’re just in a much different place than we have been. It’s a lot different having guys go through the spring and go through the whole summer, than having guys show up the first day of training camp and have to get them ready to play. It’s a lot different.”
The Hurricanes begin fall practice Aug. 5 on campus in Coral Gables. Every day this week, we’ll take a look at five items of note.
Today’s post looks at the most intriguing positional battles in 2014 fall practices.
Undoubtedly the most discussed battle of camp will be between quarterbacks Jake Heaps, Kevin Olsen, Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier. We wrote about that in today’s Post (click here to read), so we’ll put that aside for now.
Let’s take a look at five other key position battles:
Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman is expected to be the rock of the Hurricanes' defense, but there is competition all around him. (Photo by Matt Porter)
Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman is expected to be the rock of the Hurricanes’ defense, but there is competition all around him. (Photo by Matt Porter)
Defensive line
If the Canes were lining up tomorrow against Louisville, they might start with Anthony Chickillo at strong-side defensive end, Al-Quadin Muhammad on the weak side, Olsen Pierre at one tackle and Calvin Heurtelou at the other.
Or they might not. Every spot on the line will be contested as UM looks for a variety of fronts.
Let’s look at the ends first. Entering his senior season, Chickillo (6-4, 280) needs to hold off surging junior Ufomba Kamalu (6-5, 290) for the starting spot at strong-side end. Both players drew equal praise from Al Golden last week when I spoke with him 1-on-1 at the ACC media days. Golden said he was able to split up Chickillo and Kamalu and play them on opposite ends should the situation call for more muscle (like a 3-4).
Of Chickillo and Kamalu, Golden said: “I think they’ve had the best summers of anybody in terms of leadership and growth. When you see Chick he looks different now, 280 pounds. Kamalu’s 292, 293, in that range, and starting to lead. Both of those guys are really leading for us, which is huge,” he said.
Freshman Chad Thomas (6-5, 260) is UM’s top incoming player and will almost certainly play a role on third down to start, as a strong-side defensive end or speedy pass-rush tackle.
On the weak side, Muhammad (6-4, 240) and Tyriq McCord (6-3, 245) will compete for time. Both are strong pass-rushers who should play much more than last year, when they played opposite ends in UM’s third-down speed package. McCord, a junior, has the edge in experience and can drop back to play strong-side linebacker. Muhammad, a sophomore, plays mostly with his hand down. Golden said having freshmen Demetrius Jackson (6-5, 240) and Trent Harris (6-2, 240) as depth behind Muhammad will allow UM to put McCord at linebacker at times (in a three-man front, for example).
Having Jackson and Harris competing with Muhammad “gives us the flexibility” to let McCord play Sam, Golden said. “We’re just in a much better situation on defense than we have been,” Golden said. “For example, at this time last year, we were still trying to get four or five guys into school and get them on campus.”
UM especially needed that help last year at defensive tackle, which is in much better shape now. Depending on the alignment, UM can employ larger tackles (junior Michael Wyche at 6-4, 340; junior Calvin Heurtelou at 6-3, 310; freshman Courtel Jenkins at 6-1, 320) or leaner tackles (senior Olsen Pierre at 6-5, 305; freshman Anthony Moten at 6-4, 295; junior Jelani Hamilton at 6-5, 290; Chickillo, Kamalu or Thomas could kick inside).
Golden mentioned Pierre as someone who “clearly should be one of the guys that steps up now. … He’s a senior, he’s strong, he’s got a lot of experience, a lot of reps,” Golden said.
“Heurtelou, he’s done a good job since the end of spring just trimming up and becoming leaner,” Golden said. “His body mass is good. He’s in much better condition, which is awesome. He’s very strong. So that’s great. And then we added Courtel Jenkins and Mike Wyche, and A.J. Moten and Chad Thomas. So that group is a lot more consistent, with [juniors] Earl Moore and Corey King, that group’s a lot more consistent, a lot more experienced, than we’ve had.”
Can UM consistently get to the quarterback from the edge? Likely. Can the Canes push the pocket and stop quarterbacks from stepping up all day? That remains to be seen.
There are no clear-cut starters anywhere along the line. If I’m guessing now (which is somewhat foolish, given several players have yet to put on pads for UM) I’d say the players with the highest snap counts will be Chickillo, Pierre, Muhammad, Kamalu, Wyche, McCord and Heurtelou, with Moten and Thomas seeing significant action. A rotation of nine or 10 quality players is exactly what Golden wants, and for once, he may have it.
Wide receiver
What we know for sure: sophomore Stacy Coley, junior Herb Waters and senior Phillip Dorsett are UM’s top three receivers heading into camp, and depth should no longer be an issue.
But that creates another issue: who gets targeted?
UM ended last season with one healthy regular (Coley), which contributed to its disastrous performance in the 33-9 loss to Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Miami was 0-for-11 on third down. Injuries reduced Waters (DNP), Dorsett (decoy), Allen Hurns (severely limited), Malcolm Lewis (mostly limited) to nothing, and Rashawn Scott was sent home via suspension. D’Mauri Jones and Garrett Kidd were far too inexperienced for UM to trust on that stage.
Everyone’s back but Hurns, who graduated. Coley will take over his spot as the No. 1 receiver. Dorsett returns to his stretch-the-field role after running a 4.21-second 40-yard dash in summer workouts. Waters has the size (6-2, 200) and speed (4.39) to play anywhere. Golden mentioned Lewis as someone who has “really leaned out and looks good,” and should push the top group. He averaged a 4.43 in testing.
Who else will get a look? Scott, who had an excellent sophomore season in 2012, isn’t a blazer (4.69) but is one of UM’s stronger receivers. Golden spotlighted two freshmen: Tyre Brady (“He’s making a case to play”) and Braxton Berrios, who could be slowed by offseason ACL surgery but could be a factor as a slot receiver and return man. Freshman David Njoku and sophomore D’Mauri Jones, both 6-4, could be red-zone threats.
Offensive line
The left side of the line (junior tackle Ereck Flowers and redshirt senior guard Jonathan Feliciano) and center (redshirt senior Shane McDermott) is locked in.
The right side is not. Right guard Danny Isidora, a redshirt sophomore, and redshirt sophomore tackle Taylor Gadbois are the favorites, but will be pushed by freshmen Trevor Darling, Kc McDermott and Nick Linder, redshirt freshmen Sunny Odogwu, redshirt sophomore Alex Gall and redshirt junior Hunter Wells.
My guess on the starters: Flowers, Feliciano, S. McDermott, Isidora and Gadbois. The top rotation players appear to be Wells and Gall. Golden said he needs to see “the young guys” – certainly meaning the freshmen, and possibly meaning Odogwu – step up to give UM a true 10-man rotation.
“I like the quality of the offensive line,” Golden said. “The quantity part of it is my concern. We have to make sure we have enough depth.”
Linebacker
Denzel Perryman all the time, Raphael Kirby most of the time, and the rest is unknown.
Perryman (5-11, 245), a senior and the ACC’s top returning tackler (108), plays the middle and will rarely come off the field. Kirby (6-1, 235), a junior, appears to have locked in a spot on the weak side. After the dismissal of Alex Figueroa, the strong-side spot is a question mark, with senior Thurston Armbrister (6-3, 240) and freshman Darrion Owens (6-3, 220) battling for reps and McCord playing in certain packages.
Sophomore Jermaine Grace (6-1, 210) will play a role in passing situations, but Golden said he can use him against the run. “That’s all he needs to be,” he said. “He’s a striker. He’s physical. He’s very instinctive.” Freshman Juwon Young (6-3, 240) could be Perryman’s main backup, and likely would have been so even if UM did not dismiss JaWand Blue. Freshman Terry McCray (6-3, 205), is a likely redshirt candidate.
Secondary
If you think junior Tracy Howard and senior Ladarius Gunter have locked down starting jobs based on experience, Golden would ask you to think again.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” he said. “There’s going to be more competition this year than we’ve ever had, there’s no question. I’d like to see you say that with Artie Burns and Corn Elder here.”
Howard (5-11, 190) isn’t UM’s speediest corner (4.57) but is the most technically sound. Gunter (6-2, 195) runs about the same and may be the hardest hitter. Burns, a track athlete, and Elder (UM’s fastest corner at 4.46, with a 4.37 max) bring more speed to the mix.
“I’m just saying, those guys are all going to compete,” Golden said.
At safety, it’s even muddier. Junior Dallas Crawford, who came to UM as a safety before switching to running back, spent the spring at safety. Sophomore Jamal Carter, who broke Sean Taylor’s power clean program record (318 pounds), is UM’s fastest safety (4.67). Healed from injuries that hampered them in 2013, juniors Deon Bush and Rayshawn Jenkins will be in the mix.
“Dallas is going to be hard to get out of there, and Jamal had the best spring of anybody,” Golden said. “Deon’s got a lot to prove. Jenkins has got a lot to prove. [Freshmen Marques] Gayot and Kiy [Hester] coming in, two really smart kids, physical kids, both 205-pounders, good kids.
“We’re just in a much different place than we have been. It’s a lot different having guys go through the spring and go through the whole summer, than having guys show up the first day of training camp and have to get them ready to play. It’s a lot different.”
