I'll preface this by saying that I've spent the past 25+ years watching a fast and aggressive 4-3 Miami Hurricane scheme. I don't pretend to know the inner workings of this defense and nuances of each position - so correct me where I'm wrong.
DE - Chickillo vs. Kamalu
Obviously Chick will get the nod here heading into his senior season, but I'm really hoping Kamalu can be a presence in this spot and add more of a pass rush at the position. After 3 years, Chick doesn't get to the QB much. I'm not sure if thats not his role in this defense or if he just struggles in that department, either way, it would be nice to see a little sack/pressure production from that spot.
DE - AQM vs. Trent Harris - Hoilett
I'm not sure if this is much of a battle, but I'm extremely interested in seeing what AQM can do with a little added weight this season. I would really love for him to become an every down type DE instead of just coming in on passing situations. While I don't think he will compete for starting snaps, it was imperative to get a guy like Trent Harris in early - he obviously has some growing to do, but if the comparisons to Olivier are accurate, he can help the team this year. (I think Chad forces his to redshirt come fall). Would also love to hear something out of the Dwayne Hoilett camp - so for he seems to be on the David Perry career path. With the talent being brought in at the position, he needs to start contributing soon if he wants have a relevant career at UM.
DT - Pierre Vs Hamilton
Olsen Pierre enters spring as our most polished and experienced guy inside. IMO, a very solid player, but not making any AA lists anytime soon. We need to see an increase in production from him if our D has any hope this year. For Hamilton, the time is now to start producing. He should enter the spring injury free and ready to compete for serious reps inside. Imo, we desperately need him to start living up to the caliber player we thought he was coming in.
NT - Earl Moore, Calvin Hertelou, and (I guess) Corey King
From what I understand of our scheme, in order to have a lot of success you need to have a NT that can take on multiple blockers and effectively clog the middle. I'm not sure we have that on this team. Moore has supposably shown some flashes in practice, but he seems a bit undersized to be a clog in the middle of the line. Enter Calvin Hertelou, who, according to Golden, is already 325. He certainly wasn't an all world NT coming out of the JC ranks, so I'm really hoping the staff saw something that we haven't. Then there is King ... whatever. I think we really need Wyche to come in and learn on the fly this fall.
The talent/body types on the Dline seem to scream 4-3. I really hope we see more of it this season.
OLB - Perryman - Grace
Perryman has been one of the few bright spots over the past few years on Defense. I think he will continue to improve this season and become one of the better LB's in the country (certainly the ACC). At the same time, I think he has to be more consistent. Better Dline play will help, but I think it was wise for him to come back for his senior season. Watching those UF highlights someone posted reminded of the post game and everyone wondering where the **** Thurston Armbrister came from - he put on a bunch of weight and was seemingly making a lot of plays in that game. Opinions seemed to change over the course of the season when we where given a bigger sample size. If he shows continued development he could be a real solid and surprise player, but needs to make a big jump this year, imo. Grace, coming out of high school, just seemed to be your quintessential Miami Hurricane LB. Fast, physical, athletic - can't wait to see more of him. Imo, a perfect guy to spell Perryman. He should be in line for a lot of playing time this season.
ILB - Kirby vs Juwon Young
This really has to be the year for Kirby. He'll be an instant upgrade in athleticism over Gaines. Hopefully, he has just as firm a grasp on the defense that Gaines was said to have. Its great to get an EE out of a guy that, in a physical sense, is as ready as Juwon Young. Hopefully he can come in and contribute quickly.
OLB - McCord, Figueroa, Armbrister
McCord gets to the QB better than anyone, imo. He's great in passing situations. I'm not sure if he is consistent enough in stopping the run and in coverage to be an every down guy. Watching those UF highlights someone posted reminded of the post game and everyone wondering where the **** Thurston Armbrister came from - he put on a bunch of weight and was seemingly making a lot of plays in that game. Opinions seemed to change over the course of the season when we where given a bigger sample size. If he shows continued development he could be a real solid and surprise player, but needs to make a big jump this year, imo. Figueroa is clearly a guy everyone wants to see more of. He's another guy that seemed to come out of the gates quick to only fade by the end of the season. If he can put it all together this season he can be a force.
CB - Burns vs Crawford
With Gunter and Howard seemingly entrenched as the starters, the battle for the #3 position will come down to Burns and Crawford. I think its great that we have talent like this battling it out for the nickel CB job. Both seem to have a bunch of talent and both will receive plenty of playing time. They might also be the two fastest guys on the team, along with Dorsett. We've yet to see anything out of Dortch or hope and, for the most part, I see that continuing.
Safety - Carter -Kiy Hester- Marques Gayot
Judging by the amount of time Highsmith and KC received, its safe to say that we'll be seeing a fair amount of at least 2 of these guys this season. I expect Carter to see a large spike in playing time and production from him. I really wish Hester could have got here for spring ball. I think he'll need some time to adjust to the speed, but hopefully him and Gayot can provide some help on special teams and increase there rolls as the season progresses.
DE - Chickillo vs. Kamalu
Obviously Chick will get the nod here heading into his senior season, but I'm really hoping Kamalu can be a presence in this spot and add more of a pass rush at the position. After 3 years, Chick doesn't get to the QB much. I'm not sure if thats not his role in this defense or if he just struggles in that department, either way, it would be nice to see a little sack/pressure production from that spot.
DE - AQM vs. Trent Harris - Hoilett
I'm not sure if this is much of a battle, but I'm extremely interested in seeing what AQM can do with a little added weight this season. I would really love for him to become an every down type DE instead of just coming in on passing situations. While I don't think he will compete for starting snaps, it was imperative to get a guy like Trent Harris in early - he obviously has some growing to do, but if the comparisons to Olivier are accurate, he can help the team this year. (I think Chad forces his to redshirt come fall). Would also love to hear something out of the Dwayne Hoilett camp - so for he seems to be on the David Perry career path. With the talent being brought in at the position, he needs to start contributing soon if he wants have a relevant career at UM.
DT - Pierre Vs Hamilton
Olsen Pierre enters spring as our most polished and experienced guy inside. IMO, a very solid player, but not making any AA lists anytime soon. We need to see an increase in production from him if our D has any hope this year. For Hamilton, the time is now to start producing. He should enter the spring injury free and ready to compete for serious reps inside. Imo, we desperately need him to start living up to the caliber player we thought he was coming in.
NT - Earl Moore, Calvin Hertelou, and (I guess) Corey King
From what I understand of our scheme, in order to have a lot of success you need to have a NT that can take on multiple blockers and effectively clog the middle. I'm not sure we have that on this team. Moore has supposably shown some flashes in practice, but he seems a bit undersized to be a clog in the middle of the line. Enter Calvin Hertelou, who, according to Golden, is already 325. He certainly wasn't an all world NT coming out of the JC ranks, so I'm really hoping the staff saw something that we haven't. Then there is King ... whatever. I think we really need Wyche to come in and learn on the fly this fall.
The talent/body types on the Dline seem to scream 4-3. I really hope we see more of it this season.
OLB - Perryman - Grace
Perryman has been one of the few bright spots over the past few years on Defense. I think he will continue to improve this season and become one of the better LB's in the country (certainly the ACC). At the same time, I think he has to be more consistent. Better Dline play will help, but I think it was wise for him to come back for his senior season. Watching those UF highlights someone posted reminded of the post game and everyone wondering where the **** Thurston Armbrister came from - he put on a bunch of weight and was seemingly making a lot of plays in that game. Opinions seemed to change over the course of the season when we where given a bigger sample size. If he shows continued development he could be a real solid and surprise player, but needs to make a big jump this year, imo. Grace, coming out of high school, just seemed to be your quintessential Miami Hurricane LB. Fast, physical, athletic - can't wait to see more of him. Imo, a perfect guy to spell Perryman. He should be in line for a lot of playing time this season.
ILB - Kirby vs Juwon Young
This really has to be the year for Kirby. He'll be an instant upgrade in athleticism over Gaines. Hopefully, he has just as firm a grasp on the defense that Gaines was said to have. Its great to get an EE out of a guy that, in a physical sense, is as ready as Juwon Young. Hopefully he can come in and contribute quickly.
OLB - McCord, Figueroa, Armbrister
McCord gets to the QB better than anyone, imo. He's great in passing situations. I'm not sure if he is consistent enough in stopping the run and in coverage to be an every down guy. Watching those UF highlights someone posted reminded of the post game and everyone wondering where the **** Thurston Armbrister came from - he put on a bunch of weight and was seemingly making a lot of plays in that game. Opinions seemed to change over the course of the season when we where given a bigger sample size. If he shows continued development he could be a real solid and surprise player, but needs to make a big jump this year, imo. Figueroa is clearly a guy everyone wants to see more of. He's another guy that seemed to come out of the gates quick to only fade by the end of the season. If he can put it all together this season he can be a force.
CB - Burns vs Crawford
With Gunter and Howard seemingly entrenched as the starters, the battle for the #3 position will come down to Burns and Crawford. I think its great that we have talent like this battling it out for the nickel CB job. Both seem to have a bunch of talent and both will receive plenty of playing time. They might also be the two fastest guys on the team, along with Dorsett. We've yet to see anything out of Dortch or hope and, for the most part, I see that continuing.
Safety - Carter -Kiy Hester- Marques Gayot
Judging by the amount of time Highsmith and KC received, its safe to say that we'll be seeing a fair amount of at least 2 of these guys this season. I expect Carter to see a large spike in playing time and production from him. I really wish Hester could have got here for spring ball. I think he'll need some time to adjust to the speed, but hopefully him and Gayot can provide some help on special teams and increase there rolls as the season progresses.
