Additions: None
Departures: Zach Feagles (Transfer), Jordan Butler (Graduation)
Special teams as a unit was an unmitigated disaster in 2018, especially in the punting game. Miami punters often times failed to flip the field, and UM’s coverage units generally did a poor job covering those short punts, setting up plenty of short fields for opposing offenses and allowing a return touchdown to FSU. The Canes will hope new special teams coordinator Jon Patke has some ideas on how to fix the issues that arguably cost Miami a few games last season.
5th year senior Jack Spicer returns and will have the punting job to himself this spring after splitting time with the since transferred Zach Feagles in 2018. However, Spicer did not inspire a lot of confidence last season after finishing last in the ACC among qualified punters in yards per punt with 37.7, a full two yards behind the next closest player, and the Canes as a team finished 118th out of 130 FBS programs in yards per punt with 38.3. Spicer switched to a more side run-up, line-drive approach towards the end of the year and that seemed to be slightly more effective for him. Whichever style he uses this spring and beyond, UM recruited JUCO punter Louis Hedley from Australia in the 2019 class and he will come in during the summer with every opportunity to take Spicer’s job.
Even though many expected some freshman hiccups, kicker Bubba Baxa was relatively quiet last season, most definitely a positive attribute for any kicker. Baxa connected on 9-12 (75%) FG’s, having one blocked, and kicked a long of 47 yards against Virginia, with his 75% efficiency tying him for 6th in the ACC in 2018. He was also near automatic on extra points at 45-46 (98%), and booted the majority of his kickoffs (41-69) into the endzone for touchbacks. Now with a year under his belt and certainly all of the freshman jitters out of his system, Baxa is looking to take that next step from merely good to great beginning this spring. He already has the leg, and his accuracy has improved greatly from his senior season of HS.
DeeJay Dallas and Jeff Thomas split both the punt and kick return jobs relatively evenly in 2018, and they were the highlight of the special teams unit. Both took punts back for touchdowns last season, and both would have finished in the top 5 nationally in yards per return if they had enough returns to qualify individually; collectively, Miami was 3rd in the country in yards per punt return with 20.8. The kick return game was less inspiring at times in terms of decision-making, but still finished 26th in the nation at 23.2 yards per kick return. The pair could be challenged this spring by grad transfer WR KJ Osborn, who returned kicks and punts for Buffalo last season and finished 15th in the country in yards per punt return with 10.3.
Sophomore Clay James was given a scholarship over the off-season and will handle the long snapping duties with the graduation of Jordan Butler.
Bottom Line
Special teams, and more specifically the punting game, are going to be a main point of emphasis over the off-season after the debacle that was 2018. The staff has a lot of confidence in Baxa to become one of the best kickers in the ACC. Now that he has been through a full season, Miami will be more likely to trust him in pressure situations in 2019.
Punter will be more worrisome, as Spicer really struggled badly most of last season. This aspect of special teams was the main culprit of this group’s woes in 2018 and it’s hard to imagine they could be much worse in 2019; it simply must be fixed. If Spicer doesn’t take full command of the job and show massive improvement this spring, the job will be all Hedley’s in the summer.
The return game has the potential to be truly dynamic, with three proven returners in Dallas, Thomas, and Osborn. However, all three will play big roles on the offense this season, so coaches may want to limit their exposure on special teams. It will be interesting to see if there is a primary guy in either return spot, or if Patke goes with more of a rotation.
Put it all together, and the Hurricanes have a special teams crew that has promise, but truly has to show improvement as an entire unit this spring to feel confident in their prospects next season.
Departures: Zach Feagles (Transfer), Jordan Butler (Graduation)
Special teams as a unit was an unmitigated disaster in 2018, especially in the punting game. Miami punters often times failed to flip the field, and UM’s coverage units generally did a poor job covering those short punts, setting up plenty of short fields for opposing offenses and allowing a return touchdown to FSU. The Canes will hope new special teams coordinator Jon Patke has some ideas on how to fix the issues that arguably cost Miami a few games last season.
5th year senior Jack Spicer returns and will have the punting job to himself this spring after splitting time with the since transferred Zach Feagles in 2018. However, Spicer did not inspire a lot of confidence last season after finishing last in the ACC among qualified punters in yards per punt with 37.7, a full two yards behind the next closest player, and the Canes as a team finished 118th out of 130 FBS programs in yards per punt with 38.3. Spicer switched to a more side run-up, line-drive approach towards the end of the year and that seemed to be slightly more effective for him. Whichever style he uses this spring and beyond, UM recruited JUCO punter Louis Hedley from Australia in the 2019 class and he will come in during the summer with every opportunity to take Spicer’s job.
Even though many expected some freshman hiccups, kicker Bubba Baxa was relatively quiet last season, most definitely a positive attribute for any kicker. Baxa connected on 9-12 (75%) FG’s, having one blocked, and kicked a long of 47 yards against Virginia, with his 75% efficiency tying him for 6th in the ACC in 2018. He was also near automatic on extra points at 45-46 (98%), and booted the majority of his kickoffs (41-69) into the endzone for touchbacks. Now with a year under his belt and certainly all of the freshman jitters out of his system, Baxa is looking to take that next step from merely good to great beginning this spring. He already has the leg, and his accuracy has improved greatly from his senior season of HS.
DeeJay Dallas and Jeff Thomas split both the punt and kick return jobs relatively evenly in 2018, and they were the highlight of the special teams unit. Both took punts back for touchdowns last season, and both would have finished in the top 5 nationally in yards per return if they had enough returns to qualify individually; collectively, Miami was 3rd in the country in yards per punt return with 20.8. The kick return game was less inspiring at times in terms of decision-making, but still finished 26th in the nation at 23.2 yards per kick return. The pair could be challenged this spring by grad transfer WR KJ Osborn, who returned kicks and punts for Buffalo last season and finished 15th in the country in yards per punt return with 10.3.
Sophomore Clay James was given a scholarship over the off-season and will handle the long snapping duties with the graduation of Jordan Butler.
Bottom Line
Special teams, and more specifically the punting game, are going to be a main point of emphasis over the off-season after the debacle that was 2018. The staff has a lot of confidence in Baxa to become one of the best kickers in the ACC. Now that he has been through a full season, Miami will be more likely to trust him in pressure situations in 2019.
Punter will be more worrisome, as Spicer really struggled badly most of last season. This aspect of special teams was the main culprit of this group’s woes in 2018 and it’s hard to imagine they could be much worse in 2019; it simply must be fixed. If Spicer doesn’t take full command of the job and show massive improvement this spring, the job will be all Hedley’s in the summer.
The return game has the potential to be truly dynamic, with three proven returners in Dallas, Thomas, and Osborn. However, all three will play big roles on the offense this season, so coaches may want to limit their exposure on special teams. It will be interesting to see if there is a primary guy in either return spot, or if Patke goes with more of a rotation.
Put it all together, and the Hurricanes have a special teams crew that has promise, but truly has to show improvement as an entire unit this spring to feel confident in their prospects next season.
