I don’t post much as I am not as plugged into UM as I used to be. I wrote the above before the season and I thought it might be useful to look back.
Biggest disappointment for me is the DL. Should have been very good, was average. Internal issues played a role here, but I was wrong on this. We should have been a top unit and we were not.
Glad Arroyo delivered on all his promise. Lofton is a different style of player, but he looks strong.
Martinez was as advertised. Will miss him.
Safeties were godawful.
I am writing this because there are some wild narratives on this board, and I thought I’d throw my two cents in.
I have written several times about the difference between good and elite. Miami fans have forgotten what great coaching and players look like in my opinion, and a tendency to overrate coaches/players sets this fan base up for disappointment constantly.
We finally saw what elite looks like: Cam Ward was better than advertised and showed that Dawson/Cristobal are not QB killers. The other elite player was Borregales IMO.
Restrepo, Martinez were very good. Several OL played very well and that unit, while not elite, was very good. The offense AS A GROUP was elite. Should have made a playoff run with an elite side of the ball. We did not because we lost to teams we shouldn’t have, which is a Mario constant. He is who he has always been: a mediocre coach who recruits well. He’s Ron Zook, and NIL has eroded his recruiting advantage and so we are left with a mediocre coach with a mediocre overall football operations staff.
What about next year? We have a personnel problem — I see no room that has a chance of being elite, and several that will struggle to be average. Some posters seem to believe otherwise, which is fueling classic Miami fan delusion.
Reuben Bain is a perfect example. He had a very good freshman year, UM fans say he is elite and then he struggles his sophomore year (a Miami specialty) and now he “sucks”. Of course he doesn’t he just got
Immediately overrated by our fan base.
RB room is another example. I’ve read about how stacked we are at running back. Fletcher is an average ACC back, Lyle shows some promise. How is that stacked?
Ohio State has an elite player or an elite group at almost every position group. We will have zero next year.
We do not have the coaching acumen to overcome this. I like Dawson, think he is a good coordinator but not a magician. The offense will take a step back. DC is to be determined but an average defense, while an improvement, seems like the ceiling.
Miami needs more elite players. Whether portal or high school, we simply aren’t getting enough of them. We have had how many elite players in the past decade? 5, maybe? OSU has 3 this year. Player development at UM has been a problem for 20 years, across multiple coaches, and it continues today. But UM will not be back under Mario unless there are wholesale changes to the way UM approaches football. Cribby and others know what I mean.
Sorry for long post.
