The Miami Hurricanes defense returns a strong front seven for the 2017 season -- a group that helped catapult the Canes last season into a respected defense once again. Where the change comes for the defense is mainly in the secondary, highlighted by two experienced newcomers at the cornerback position.
With Corn Elder and Adrian Colbert on to the next level, Miami coaches went out and got junior college CB Jhavonte Dean and grad transfer Dee Delaney from The Citadel. Sophomore Malek Young proved his worth near the end of last season, starting multiple games for the Canes, and impressing in the early part of fall camp as well -- he is in the mix for a starting spot. Add freshman Trajan Bandy and junior Mike Jackson to the mix and that is the expected rotation at corner.
The biggest question regarding Delaney was if there would be any sort of adjustment period to the speed of the game at Miami in comparison to his time at the FCS program. According to himself and cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph, his transition has been more than smooth.
"A pleasant surprise -- just very strong and physical and athletic, but most of all he's almost taken control of the room already. He's a guy who's disciplined because he's coming from The Citadel, he's a little older, and he's urgent. He's similar to Adrian Colbert last year," Rumph said of the 200-pound corner.
"He looked the part, but I didn't know he was as intuitive as he is. He asks a lot of questions, good questions, and it's really pertaining to the rookies and what they need to know. So he's kinda showing the room how to ask questions even though he already knows the answer to them," he added.
If you're looking for a potential surprise player at the position, look no further than Mike Jackson, who has played sparingly over his first two seasons, but has been steadily improving according to Rumph.
"Michael's been pushing, man. He's done it in the spring and he started where he left off in the spring. Him and Dee Delaney have a good chemistry working together. He's urgent and physical -- Mike understands triple times what we want him to do," Rumph said.
Trajan Bandy has people inside the program excited as he's already showcasing his football instincts that shined through in high school. Don't let his 5'9" height fool you either, as Coach Rumph explained he is not stepping down from any challenge.
"Physical. He probably gets his hands on the receivers very single time when we're playing press, which is amazing. He has a knack for making a play on the deep ball as well," Rumph said on Bandy.
With Corn Elder and Adrian Colbert on to the next level, Miami coaches went out and got junior college CB Jhavonte Dean and grad transfer Dee Delaney from The Citadel. Sophomore Malek Young proved his worth near the end of last season, starting multiple games for the Canes, and impressing in the early part of fall camp as well -- he is in the mix for a starting spot. Add freshman Trajan Bandy and junior Mike Jackson to the mix and that is the expected rotation at corner.
The biggest question regarding Delaney was if there would be any sort of adjustment period to the speed of the game at Miami in comparison to his time at the FCS program. According to himself and cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph, his transition has been more than smooth.
"A pleasant surprise -- just very strong and physical and athletic, but most of all he's almost taken control of the room already. He's a guy who's disciplined because he's coming from The Citadel, he's a little older, and he's urgent. He's similar to Adrian Colbert last year," Rumph said of the 200-pound corner.
"He looked the part, but I didn't know he was as intuitive as he is. He asks a lot of questions, good questions, and it's really pertaining to the rookies and what they need to know. So he's kinda showing the room how to ask questions even though he already knows the answer to them," he added.
If you're looking for a potential surprise player at the position, look no further than Mike Jackson, who has played sparingly over his first two seasons, but has been steadily improving according to Rumph.
"Michael's been pushing, man. He's done it in the spring and he started where he left off in the spring. Him and Dee Delaney have a good chemistry working together. He's urgent and physical -- Mike understands triple times what we want him to do," Rumph said.
Trajan Bandy has people inside the program excited as he's already showcasing his football instincts that shined through in high school. Don't let his 5'9" height fool you either, as Coach Rumph explained he is not stepping down from any challenge.
"Physical. He probably gets his hands on the receivers very single time when we're playing press, which is amazing. He has a knack for making a play on the deep ball as well," Rumph said on Bandy.
