Spring 1 is in the books. I summarized everything I saw and heard from practice here, and the spring game seemed to match the practice trends.
Now it's on to the next phase. The team we saw at Lockhart will not be the team we see on September 3rd. Some of that will be reinforcements from the injured list. Some of that will be Portal kids prior to the May 1st deadline. We are anticipating a post-spring exodus across the country, including here. Below is what I'm hearing about the next steps:
QB- This is a position with very little short-term drama but some long-term intrigue. Tyler Van Dyke is one, Jake Garcia is two, Jacurri Brown is three and the Portal is closed. The intrigue comes from recruiting. Nico Iamaleava's multimillion dollar NIL with Tennessee has shaken up the market. Is Miami going to play that game with blue-chippers like Jaden Rashada going forward, or are they going to shift to a Portal model? Does it depend on the kid? This is going to be developing situation during the summer QB cycle and nobody has a clear answer.
RB- Expect a major battle here. Do we settle on two bellcows like Michigan, or will this be a 3-4 back stable like Georgia and Ole Miss? That will depend on what we see over the next four months. Jaylan Knighton gave us two of the most explosive plays since the glory days and also showed toughness on the goalline (11 total TDs). But he was overworked and inefficient as a runner (3.9 ypc). Expect to see Gattis devise ways to maximize Knighton's explosiveness in space while minimizing his workload. I'd like to see him hone in on his receiving skills. Henry Parrish and Thad Franklin are the two least explosive but most consistent runners. Can Franklin drop from 238 to 230 over the next couple months? He left yards on the table in the spring game because he lacked a tick of burst. The most intriguing battle might be Don Chaney v. TreVonte' Citizen. Both guys fit a similar profile- big backs with high-end burst and athleticism. Chaney has the injuries, Citizen has the youth. Who is going to be the tougher runner and more reliable in pass protection? In recruiting, winning a battle for a kid like Cedric Baxter can get this program back to being a first-round RB factory.
WR- There will be significant action in the Portal. We will go after multiple targets, with an emphasis on speed and playmaking. You are seeing the same emphasis in recruiting with guys like Robbie Washington, Jalen Brown and some committed to other programs. Andy Jean is also likely to be in this class. Two to three new faces from the Portal would not shock me, and I'd be surprised if we didn't add at least one.
TE- The TE room is in a healthy place. I don't expect a Portal addition and recruiting is going well.
OL- Zion Nelson, Jalen Rivers and DJ Scaife seem like locks to start based on last year's performance and their physical talent. But two things need to get sorted out here. First, we need another tackle body. We saw that in the Mims pursuit. Second, we need to find out who will emerge from the battle of the short guys. There are four guys with similar body types fighting for potentially one spot- Jakai Clark, Jonathan Denis, Logan Sagapolu and Justice Oluwaseun. The addition of Denis made clear that Mirabal doesn't think we are set inside.
DE- The lack of depth was on display in the spring game with multiple walk-ons getting reps. Need one or two more guys here. Akheem Mesidor is firmly in the mix and we are keeping DJ Coleman warm. Mitchell Agude and Nyjalik Kelly looked physically impressive on the sidelines and will beef up this room.
DT- It is hard to find 310+ defensive tackles with talent. But anybody fitting that description who enters the Portal will get a look from Miami. We need size here. Antonio Moultrie looked more like a DT seeing him in person in pads, but he's a small DT and played better at DE last year. We can't go into the season with four undersized DTs (Taylor, JHH, Lichtenstein, Moultrie) as our two deep.
LB- Recruiting is going well here, but it's no secret we need bodies right now. Expect at least one and possibly two if an impact player comes available.
S- Status quo here. Al Blades, Jr. playing well at safety helps alleviate some of the depth concerns. These guys just need to stay healthy and out of trouble.
CB- I don't expect another addition here after a strong spring, unless a superstar comes available. The battle for the second corner will be highly contested, especially when you add Daryl Porter, Chris Graves and Jaden Harris to the mix.
Overall, expect a frantic two weeks with guys going into the Portal. This period will have a major impact on the team we see this season.
Now it's on to the next phase. The team we saw at Lockhart will not be the team we see on September 3rd. Some of that will be reinforcements from the injured list. Some of that will be Portal kids prior to the May 1st deadline. We are anticipating a post-spring exodus across the country, including here. Below is what I'm hearing about the next steps:
QB- This is a position with very little short-term drama but some long-term intrigue. Tyler Van Dyke is one, Jake Garcia is two, Jacurri Brown is three and the Portal is closed. The intrigue comes from recruiting. Nico Iamaleava's multimillion dollar NIL with Tennessee has shaken up the market. Is Miami going to play that game with blue-chippers like Jaden Rashada going forward, or are they going to shift to a Portal model? Does it depend on the kid? This is going to be developing situation during the summer QB cycle and nobody has a clear answer.
RB- Expect a major battle here. Do we settle on two bellcows like Michigan, or will this be a 3-4 back stable like Georgia and Ole Miss? That will depend on what we see over the next four months. Jaylan Knighton gave us two of the most explosive plays since the glory days and also showed toughness on the goalline (11 total TDs). But he was overworked and inefficient as a runner (3.9 ypc). Expect to see Gattis devise ways to maximize Knighton's explosiveness in space while minimizing his workload. I'd like to see him hone in on his receiving skills. Henry Parrish and Thad Franklin are the two least explosive but most consistent runners. Can Franklin drop from 238 to 230 over the next couple months? He left yards on the table in the spring game because he lacked a tick of burst. The most intriguing battle might be Don Chaney v. TreVonte' Citizen. Both guys fit a similar profile- big backs with high-end burst and athleticism. Chaney has the injuries, Citizen has the youth. Who is going to be the tougher runner and more reliable in pass protection? In recruiting, winning a battle for a kid like Cedric Baxter can get this program back to being a first-round RB factory.
WR- There will be significant action in the Portal. We will go after multiple targets, with an emphasis on speed and playmaking. You are seeing the same emphasis in recruiting with guys like Robbie Washington, Jalen Brown and some committed to other programs. Andy Jean is also likely to be in this class. Two to three new faces from the Portal would not shock me, and I'd be surprised if we didn't add at least one.
TE- The TE room is in a healthy place. I don't expect a Portal addition and recruiting is going well.
OL- Zion Nelson, Jalen Rivers and DJ Scaife seem like locks to start based on last year's performance and their physical talent. But two things need to get sorted out here. First, we need another tackle body. We saw that in the Mims pursuit. Second, we need to find out who will emerge from the battle of the short guys. There are four guys with similar body types fighting for potentially one spot- Jakai Clark, Jonathan Denis, Logan Sagapolu and Justice Oluwaseun. The addition of Denis made clear that Mirabal doesn't think we are set inside.
DE- The lack of depth was on display in the spring game with multiple walk-ons getting reps. Need one or two more guys here. Akheem Mesidor is firmly in the mix and we are keeping DJ Coleman warm. Mitchell Agude and Nyjalik Kelly looked physically impressive on the sidelines and will beef up this room.
DT- It is hard to find 310+ defensive tackles with talent. But anybody fitting that description who enters the Portal will get a look from Miami. We need size here. Antonio Moultrie looked more like a DT seeing him in person in pads, but he's a small DT and played better at DE last year. We can't go into the season with four undersized DTs (Taylor, JHH, Lichtenstein, Moultrie) as our two deep.
LB- Recruiting is going well here, but it's no secret we need bodies right now. Expect at least one and possibly two if an impact player comes available.
S- Status quo here. Al Blades, Jr. playing well at safety helps alleviate some of the depth concerns. These guys just need to stay healthy and out of trouble.
CB- I don't expect another addition here after a strong spring, unless a superstar comes available. The battle for the second corner will be highly contested, especially when you add Daryl Porter, Chris Graves and Jaden Harris to the mix.
Overall, expect a frantic two weeks with guys going into the Portal. This period will have a major impact on the team we see this season.
