Nobody had two replacement corners playing like starters on their bingo card, and that includes former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards, who took your questions on Friday's show.
Q: What's your biggest concern going forward, and what's been an unexpected bright spot through three games?
Ahmmon: The concern is the O-line, specifically the interior. I want that solidified before Notre Dame, and even before Clemson, because Clemson loves to blitz and send pressure. So it's the guard position. Either the current guys elevate their game and get more consistent, or you bring in Cantwell, Congdon, any of those guys, and they jump in and get it rolling. We need a lineup that can start gelling now.
The bright spot is going to sound crazy: cornerback.
When you lose OJ Frederique and Xavier Lucas, my first thought was that teams are going to throw on us. Bryce Fitzgerald moving to corner, I know he's an athlete, but can he just do it in one week? And Ethan O'Connor, I know he's a dog, but can he elevate his play enough?
Now O'Connor has the highest PFF coverage grade for a corner in college football. Didn't have that on my bingo card. And Fitzgerald comes up, tackles, plays the ball in the air. I'm not going to say he's a better corner than safety, but I ain't gonna lie. I'm not seeing a drop-off. We have two guys who were considered backups and replacements playing at a high level. I didn't see that coming.
Q: Life on the line, what's your o-line unit, left to right?
Ahmmon: Samson Okunlola at left tackle. Jackson Cantwell at left guard. Ryan Rodriguez at center. Max Buchanan at right guard. Matthew McCoy at right tackle.
SJ Alofaituli has put some really good stuff on film. It's the inconsistency. So I'm going with the bigger guy and throwing Cantwell in there. I don't know what happened with Ben Congdon. He may be banged up. I really don't know.
Q: How does Miami stack up against the rest of the top 10?
Ahmmon: This year truly feels like there's no superior team. Everyone has deficiencies, whether it's the O-line, the D-line, quarterback play, whatever. It's the best team that shows up on that Saturday.
If Ohio State and Texas played again, does Ohio State dog-walk them this time and not let them come back 20 points in a quarter? Florida plays Ole Miss. Which Ole Miss shows up? The one that couldn't get a stop against Louisville, or the one that was ready to play against LSU? Anybody telling you a team is a guaranteed champion right now is guessing.
But having watched all these teams, we're one of the better teams in the nation for sure. Our quarterback is completing something like 89 percent of his passes. The most points our defense has allowed is 20. A lot of teams can't say that.
We could stack up against any team in the nation, whether it's Indiana, Ohio State, Texas. I said it last year and I'll say it again. And we're nowhere near our peak. That's what's crazy about it.
Q: What are your observations on Justin Scott so far? A lot of people thought he'd be a first-round pick.
Ahmmon: This reminds me of last year with him. He started off not making a lot of noise, and then toward the end of the season, when we got into playoff football, he hit another stride.
My expectation from game one was that our two defensive tackles would be game-wreckers and get our edge rushers one-on-ones. So far that hasn't really been the case. Ahmad Moten Sr. had opportunities for sacks and missed on one last game. They've been very stout against the run, but I haven't seen them get after the quarterback and be disruptive in the pocket.
So I haven't seen first-round Justin Scott yet. To be fair, it's game three. I really believe he could be the first defensive tackle on our team drafted, ahead of Moten, because he has that type of ceiling. I know tackles aren't statistically supposed to be a high-sack group. But I want to see him take that next step on passing downs and really affect the quarterback.
Q: Shannon Dawson said Cooper Barkate has missed out on some explosive plays because of timing. How do coaches teach a receiver to time his route with the quarterback's drop, especially when he's not the first read?
Ahmmon: Dawson says he doesn't scheme up a play for a specific player. He doesn't scheme to get Malachi Toney open or Barkate open. He calls a play and the defense dictates where the ball goes. So Barkate has to get to certain spots on the field at a certain time.
Say you've got an outside receiver running a deep post, somebody on an over, and a third receiver running a dig on the backside. If that dig is 14 yards, they want you at exactly 14. Not 13 and break in. Not 15. Everything is on a timer. One yard short or one yard long is the difference between the quarterback seeing you in the window or not. Come out of your break too slow, and the quarterback is already on his third read or the check-down. Round off your route instead of breaking down at the top, and now you're not in the read at all. That's how I read what Dawson said.
And I want to see more of him. Teams are starting to give Barkate more one-on-ones, especially with Malachi heating up. Take the shots down the field. I believe he had one of the highest PFF grades on contested catches over the middle at Duke last year. Great hands, great ball tracking. Give him the opportunities and he'll take care of the rest.
Q: What are your thoughts on Vandrevius "Dre" Jacobs' route running? We know he can go deep.
Ahmmon: Creating separation is the thing he can get better at. He has the speed, but he has to win more at the line of scrimmage. If he does, he'll cause problems. Against FAMU he had a really good release, held his line as long as he could, late hands, touchdown. That's what it looks like.
With Joshua Moore hurt, he's naturally going to get more opportunities. For a receiver, it just takes one play down the field to get you going. It's like what I said about Elija Lofton: get him a catch early and you see him get more engaged in the offense. Same with Dre. He'll come down with one of those deep balls, and you'll see it snowball through the year.
Q: Besides the corners, which position group has surprised you most?
Ahmmon: The tight end room. Lofton has done a really good job blocking this year. You watch him in the run game and he's putting hats on people and driving them into the ground. He had the touchdown, too, and he's getting more involved in the offense. And Owen Ruskavich makes plays all day in practice, but seeing him out there in the mix in running situations was a little shocking. I was waiting for Gavin Mueller and Israel Briggs to take a step, but so far, the whole unit has been better than what I saw last year.
Q: When fans and media are hammering one side of the ball, like the O-line right now, how much do you stick up for those guys?
Ahmmon: You ride for your guys. None of those players go out there wanting to get beat and you have to question yourself more than any fan does. Am I doing enough in practice to really be a starter? If I'm a receiver, why am I getting jammed? Why can't I get separation on my inside release? A lot of people try to be delusional and ignore it, and it keeps happening.
Those conversations are happening in the locker room, player to player. I can tell you Samson is probably talking to SJ and the other guards about what to improve. It's collaborative. If I'm a left tackle and my left guard plays better, I'm naturally going to play better too. We've been at practice on Greentree. It's hot, and those guys are pushing themselves. So I'd tell them: ignore the fans. It's your brothers in the locker room. Play for the teammate next to you.
Listen to all of Ahmmon's responses on our latest show:
Q: What's your biggest concern going forward, and what's been an unexpected bright spot through three games?
Ahmmon: The concern is the O-line, specifically the interior. I want that solidified before Notre Dame, and even before Clemson, because Clemson loves to blitz and send pressure. So it's the guard position. Either the current guys elevate their game and get more consistent, or you bring in Cantwell, Congdon, any of those guys, and they jump in and get it rolling. We need a lineup that can start gelling now.
The bright spot is going to sound crazy: cornerback.
When you lose OJ Frederique and Xavier Lucas, my first thought was that teams are going to throw on us. Bryce Fitzgerald moving to corner, I know he's an athlete, but can he just do it in one week? And Ethan O'Connor, I know he's a dog, but can he elevate his play enough?
Now O'Connor has the highest PFF coverage grade for a corner in college football. Didn't have that on my bingo card. And Fitzgerald comes up, tackles, plays the ball in the air. I'm not going to say he's a better corner than safety, but I ain't gonna lie. I'm not seeing a drop-off. We have two guys who were considered backups and replacements playing at a high level. I didn't see that coming.
Q: Life on the line, what's your o-line unit, left to right?
Ahmmon: Samson Okunlola at left tackle. Jackson Cantwell at left guard. Ryan Rodriguez at center. Max Buchanan at right guard. Matthew McCoy at right tackle.
SJ Alofaituli has put some really good stuff on film. It's the inconsistency. So I'm going with the bigger guy and throwing Cantwell in there. I don't know what happened with Ben Congdon. He may be banged up. I really don't know.
Q: How does Miami stack up against the rest of the top 10?
Ahmmon: This year truly feels like there's no superior team. Everyone has deficiencies, whether it's the O-line, the D-line, quarterback play, whatever. It's the best team that shows up on that Saturday.
If Ohio State and Texas played again, does Ohio State dog-walk them this time and not let them come back 20 points in a quarter? Florida plays Ole Miss. Which Ole Miss shows up? The one that couldn't get a stop against Louisville, or the one that was ready to play against LSU? Anybody telling you a team is a guaranteed champion right now is guessing.
But having watched all these teams, we're one of the better teams in the nation for sure. Our quarterback is completing something like 89 percent of his passes. The most points our defense has allowed is 20. A lot of teams can't say that.
We could stack up against any team in the nation, whether it's Indiana, Ohio State, Texas. I said it last year and I'll say it again. And we're nowhere near our peak. That's what's crazy about it.
Q: What are your observations on Justin Scott so far? A lot of people thought he'd be a first-round pick.
Ahmmon: This reminds me of last year with him. He started off not making a lot of noise, and then toward the end of the season, when we got into playoff football, he hit another stride.
My expectation from game one was that our two defensive tackles would be game-wreckers and get our edge rushers one-on-ones. So far that hasn't really been the case. Ahmad Moten Sr. had opportunities for sacks and missed on one last game. They've been very stout against the run, but I haven't seen them get after the quarterback and be disruptive in the pocket.
So I haven't seen first-round Justin Scott yet. To be fair, it's game three. I really believe he could be the first defensive tackle on our team drafted, ahead of Moten, because he has that type of ceiling. I know tackles aren't statistically supposed to be a high-sack group. But I want to see him take that next step on passing downs and really affect the quarterback.
Q: Shannon Dawson said Cooper Barkate has missed out on some explosive plays because of timing. How do coaches teach a receiver to time his route with the quarterback's drop, especially when he's not the first read?
Ahmmon: Dawson says he doesn't scheme up a play for a specific player. He doesn't scheme to get Malachi Toney open or Barkate open. He calls a play and the defense dictates where the ball goes. So Barkate has to get to certain spots on the field at a certain time.
Say you've got an outside receiver running a deep post, somebody on an over, and a third receiver running a dig on the backside. If that dig is 14 yards, they want you at exactly 14. Not 13 and break in. Not 15. Everything is on a timer. One yard short or one yard long is the difference between the quarterback seeing you in the window or not. Come out of your break too slow, and the quarterback is already on his third read or the check-down. Round off your route instead of breaking down at the top, and now you're not in the read at all. That's how I read what Dawson said.
And I want to see more of him. Teams are starting to give Barkate more one-on-ones, especially with Malachi heating up. Take the shots down the field. I believe he had one of the highest PFF grades on contested catches over the middle at Duke last year. Great hands, great ball tracking. Give him the opportunities and he'll take care of the rest.
Q: What are your thoughts on Vandrevius "Dre" Jacobs' route running? We know he can go deep.
Ahmmon: Creating separation is the thing he can get better at. He has the speed, but he has to win more at the line of scrimmage. If he does, he'll cause problems. Against FAMU he had a really good release, held his line as long as he could, late hands, touchdown. That's what it looks like.
With Joshua Moore hurt, he's naturally going to get more opportunities. For a receiver, it just takes one play down the field to get you going. It's like what I said about Elija Lofton: get him a catch early and you see him get more engaged in the offense. Same with Dre. He'll come down with one of those deep balls, and you'll see it snowball through the year.
Q: Besides the corners, which position group has surprised you most?
Ahmmon: The tight end room. Lofton has done a really good job blocking this year. You watch him in the run game and he's putting hats on people and driving them into the ground. He had the touchdown, too, and he's getting more involved in the offense. And Owen Ruskavich makes plays all day in practice, but seeing him out there in the mix in running situations was a little shocking. I was waiting for Gavin Mueller and Israel Briggs to take a step, but so far, the whole unit has been better than what I saw last year.
Q: When fans and media are hammering one side of the ball, like the O-line right now, how much do you stick up for those guys?
Ahmmon: You ride for your guys. None of those players go out there wanting to get beat and you have to question yourself more than any fan does. Am I doing enough in practice to really be a starter? If I'm a receiver, why am I getting jammed? Why can't I get separation on my inside release? A lot of people try to be delusional and ignore it, and it keeps happening.
Those conversations are happening in the locker room, player to player. I can tell you Samson is probably talking to SJ and the other guards about what to improve. It's collaborative. If I'm a left tackle and my left guard plays better, I'm naturally going to play better too. We've been at practice on Greentree. It's hot, and those guys are pushing themselves. So I'd tell them: ignore the fans. It's your brothers in the locker room. Play for the teammate next to you.
Listen to all of Ahmmon's responses on our latest show:
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