Paul Austria
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- Feb 21, 2018
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Hey guys, sorry for the long layoff from the site, I had to take some time off to handle personal matters. This will Part 1 of a two-part series, where I am going to talk about players that have something to prove this season. The list stems more from players who have an opportunity this season to overcome any doubts from media and fans alike and show what they are capable of when health and/or trust are no longer a concern. Starting this off with the offensive side of the ball:
QB Malik Rosier
Rosier was Miami’s primary starter at quarterback last season and finished with 26 touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions and he played an integral part in the team making the ACC Championship game. He carries an 11-3 record as a starter and with coach Mark Richt placing a large premium on experience, he should be getting the keys again. However, he was notorious for having slow, rough starts to most of the games last season, where he’d take time to establish his rhythm and led to him thriving mostly in the second half. The doubters started to creep up a bit towards the end of last season, and now with fans knowing that N’Kosi Perry is waiting in the wings and Jarren Williams looking a lot better than expected for a true freshman, it’s all on Rosier to prove that he can be the kind of quarterback that Miami needs to earn a spot in the BCS playoff.
RB Trayone Gray
Gray just walked across the graduation stage and is now entering his final season of eligibility with the Canes. Playing time has been sparse for the running back in his Canes career and he has spent a lot of time buried on the depth chart. After Gray taking a medical redshirt in 2016, Gray seemed to be in a good position to snag the backup running back spot in 2017 behind Mark Walton but coaches favored Travis Homer. There’s no doubt he has big-play ability, as he’s shown that in his high school tape when he played at Carol City High. Due to his size at 236 lbs., coaches were starting to experiment Gray along with fellow RB Robert Burns at fullback in spring practice, but soon, that manchild Realus George will make his way to campus and Richt’s plan is to make him the starting fullback this season With the arrivals of freshman running backs Lorenzo Lingard and Cam Davis this season, not to mention Deejay Dallas also being utilized a lot more in the running back, opportunities for Gray will run low.
WR Ahmmon Richards
Yes, Richards seems like one of the last players you’d expect to see on this list, especially knowing what he did during his freshman season. He broke the UM freshman record for receiving yards in a season (935) and gained nationwide attention. However, his sophomore season was plagued by injuries to his hamstring, Achilles’ tendon, ankle, and meniscus, which the latter happened to be season-ending. There is a strong possibility that Richards decides to enter the 2019 NFL Draft should he have a great season, as there is potential for him to be a first-round pick. Hopefully his injuries are a thing of the past as Coach Richt has reiterated that he should be 100% healthy by the time fall camp comes around.
WR Lawrence Cager
The first three years of Cager’s career with Miami have been infused with injuries up until this past season, where he saw action in ten games with five starts and recording 161 yards on 12 catches. He showed flashes of what he can do with all of his 6’5” frame, which when utilized correctly, can prove to be a matchup nightmare for any defense, especially with teams already having to worry about Ahmmon Richards on the other side. With a full spring camp and having him as healthy as ever, coaches hope he plays a bigger role in supporting Malik Rosier this season and showing his full capabilities. The urgency for Cager to step up is now a lot higher, especially considering that the competition in the wide receiver room this fall is insane.
Any Tight End not named Brevin Jordan or Will Mallory
For the entirety of spring, the Canes have ran with only two scholarship tight ends on the roster: Michael Irvin Jr. and Brian Polendey. Both are upperclassmen but despite that, overall tight end performance has been very underwhelming in spring practice, to put it in a nice way. Irvin and Polendey have not done a consistent job of making catches and neither have yet given a reason to even slightly forget the name Brevin Jordan. The red carpet will be laid out for Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory as all eyes will be on the incoming freshmen once fall camp commences.
Everyone on the Offensive Line
So offensive line coach Stacy Searels has one of the most important tasks on the team, which is to configure and find the best combination of starting offensive linemen. Not only is this important to find out who are the best players and who fits better where, but this is very crucial to the success of the offense. The spring game/scrimmages were a testament to that, as every quarterback was pressured often. I’ll even say this with no disrespect, but even the reserve defensive linemen were applying pressure with ease. The Canes were able to get three days of practice after the spring game, and this included a chance for a revamped O-Line unit to get acclimated with each other. This unit included from left-to-right; Tyree St. Louis, Jahair Jones, Tyler Gauthier, Hayden Mahoney, and Navaughn Donaldson. This even goes without saying, but if the offensive line can find their groove, this opens up more opportunities for Malik Rosier to find open receivers and create plays with his feet, as well opportunities for Travis Homer to gain extra yards that can make a huge difference.
QB Malik Rosier
Rosier was Miami’s primary starter at quarterback last season and finished with 26 touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions and he played an integral part in the team making the ACC Championship game. He carries an 11-3 record as a starter and with coach Mark Richt placing a large premium on experience, he should be getting the keys again. However, he was notorious for having slow, rough starts to most of the games last season, where he’d take time to establish his rhythm and led to him thriving mostly in the second half. The doubters started to creep up a bit towards the end of last season, and now with fans knowing that N’Kosi Perry is waiting in the wings and Jarren Williams looking a lot better than expected for a true freshman, it’s all on Rosier to prove that he can be the kind of quarterback that Miami needs to earn a spot in the BCS playoff.
RB Trayone Gray
Gray just walked across the graduation stage and is now entering his final season of eligibility with the Canes. Playing time has been sparse for the running back in his Canes career and he has spent a lot of time buried on the depth chart. After Gray taking a medical redshirt in 2016, Gray seemed to be in a good position to snag the backup running back spot in 2017 behind Mark Walton but coaches favored Travis Homer. There’s no doubt he has big-play ability, as he’s shown that in his high school tape when he played at Carol City High. Due to his size at 236 lbs., coaches were starting to experiment Gray along with fellow RB Robert Burns at fullback in spring practice, but soon, that manchild Realus George will make his way to campus and Richt’s plan is to make him the starting fullback this season With the arrivals of freshman running backs Lorenzo Lingard and Cam Davis this season, not to mention Deejay Dallas also being utilized a lot more in the running back, opportunities for Gray will run low.
WR Ahmmon Richards
Yes, Richards seems like one of the last players you’d expect to see on this list, especially knowing what he did during his freshman season. He broke the UM freshman record for receiving yards in a season (935) and gained nationwide attention. However, his sophomore season was plagued by injuries to his hamstring, Achilles’ tendon, ankle, and meniscus, which the latter happened to be season-ending. There is a strong possibility that Richards decides to enter the 2019 NFL Draft should he have a great season, as there is potential for him to be a first-round pick. Hopefully his injuries are a thing of the past as Coach Richt has reiterated that he should be 100% healthy by the time fall camp comes around.
WR Lawrence Cager
The first three years of Cager’s career with Miami have been infused with injuries up until this past season, where he saw action in ten games with five starts and recording 161 yards on 12 catches. He showed flashes of what he can do with all of his 6’5” frame, which when utilized correctly, can prove to be a matchup nightmare for any defense, especially with teams already having to worry about Ahmmon Richards on the other side. With a full spring camp and having him as healthy as ever, coaches hope he plays a bigger role in supporting Malik Rosier this season and showing his full capabilities. The urgency for Cager to step up is now a lot higher, especially considering that the competition in the wide receiver room this fall is insane.
Any Tight End not named Brevin Jordan or Will Mallory
For the entirety of spring, the Canes have ran with only two scholarship tight ends on the roster: Michael Irvin Jr. and Brian Polendey. Both are upperclassmen but despite that, overall tight end performance has been very underwhelming in spring practice, to put it in a nice way. Irvin and Polendey have not done a consistent job of making catches and neither have yet given a reason to even slightly forget the name Brevin Jordan. The red carpet will be laid out for Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory as all eyes will be on the incoming freshmen once fall camp commences.
Everyone on the Offensive Line
So offensive line coach Stacy Searels has one of the most important tasks on the team, which is to configure and find the best combination of starting offensive linemen. Not only is this important to find out who are the best players and who fits better where, but this is very crucial to the success of the offense. The spring game/scrimmages were a testament to that, as every quarterback was pressured often. I’ll even say this with no disrespect, but even the reserve defensive linemen were applying pressure with ease. The Canes were able to get three days of practice after the spring game, and this included a chance for a revamped O-Line unit to get acclimated with each other. This unit included from left-to-right; Tyree St. Louis, Jahair Jones, Tyler Gauthier, Hayden Mahoney, and Navaughn Donaldson. This even goes without saying, but if the offensive line can find their groove, this opens up more opportunities for Malik Rosier to find open receivers and create plays with his feet, as well opportunities for Travis Homer to gain extra yards that can make a huge difference.
