When Chargers great and Alabama high school coach Philip Rivers called Miami staffer Todd Stroud, he wasn’t just catching up on old times. He wanted to put him on to an underrated player that dominated Rivers’s team: Spanish Fort DE Cole McConathy.
“In that game, we were doubling him like crazy and he still got back to (quarterback) Gunner (Rivers) a few times,” Rivers told AL.com. “Then he blocked a field goal. I was like, ‘Man, this guy is impressive.’”
Miami prioritized McConathy, flipped his commitment from Louisville, and welcomed him to campus as an early enrollee. McConathy met with reporters to discuss his progress this spring:
On his transition: It’s definitely been a culture shock coming from Mobile, Alabama to Miami, but in a good way.
On his motor: I have to give that credit to the coaches I had growing up. My dad helped me from a young age playing the same position. My coach Brian Turner and a guy named Wallace Gilberry all poured into me. I had a bunch of good people in my corner.
On Mobile native and Miami teammate Bobbie Pruitt: Great player. Very physical. In [Mobile], every week you don't know if you're going to win or lose. There's no real gimme game.
On getting recruited by Jason Taylor: The first phone call was pretty crazy. He's human and he's just as much a Hall of Fame football coach, in my opinion, as he was a player. By far one of the best coaches I've ever had. He didn’t have to do this.
You could tell from the first time being on the phone with him. It was a late night call after he's had a long day and I've had a long day. He was willing to stay on the phone with me for over an hour just talking pass rush. That meant a lot to me and showed me how much passion he had for coaching. He's out there running with us and everything, breaking stuff down to the smallest detail, things not many people would even think about.
On his recruiting process: I was committed during the season and stuff popped in later for me. On my first visit to Miami, I had to catch a flight at 5 a.m. after a game. I really enjoyed it because that was the game they played Virginia and went into overtime.
Me and Markel Bell were on that visit. And just having Coach Cristobal and Coach Mirabal both stay after an overtime game recruiting us, that meant a lot to me, too. Markel's a great, great dude and great player. So yeah, it opened my eyes.
“In that game, we were doubling him like crazy and he still got back to (quarterback) Gunner (Rivers) a few times,” Rivers told AL.com. “Then he blocked a field goal. I was like, ‘Man, this guy is impressive.’”
Miami prioritized McConathy, flipped his commitment from Louisville, and welcomed him to campus as an early enrollee. McConathy met with reporters to discuss his progress this spring:
On his transition: It’s definitely been a culture shock coming from Mobile, Alabama to Miami, but in a good way.
On his motor: I have to give that credit to the coaches I had growing up. My dad helped me from a young age playing the same position. My coach Brian Turner and a guy named Wallace Gilberry all poured into me. I had a bunch of good people in my corner.
On Mobile native and Miami teammate Bobbie Pruitt: Great player. Very physical. In [Mobile], every week you don't know if you're going to win or lose. There's no real gimme game.
On getting recruited by Jason Taylor: The first phone call was pretty crazy. He's human and he's just as much a Hall of Fame football coach, in my opinion, as he was a player. By far one of the best coaches I've ever had. He didn’t have to do this.
You could tell from the first time being on the phone with him. It was a late night call after he's had a long day and I've had a long day. He was willing to stay on the phone with me for over an hour just talking pass rush. That meant a lot to me and showed me how much passion he had for coaching. He's out there running with us and everything, breaking stuff down to the smallest detail, things not many people would even think about.
On his recruiting process: I was committed during the season and stuff popped in later for me. On my first visit to Miami, I had to catch a flight at 5 a.m. after a game. I really enjoyed it because that was the game they played Virginia and went into overtime.
Me and Markel Bell were on that visit. And just having Coach Cristobal and Coach Mirabal both stay after an overtime game recruiting us, that meant a lot to me, too. Markel's a great, great dude and great player. So yeah, it opened my eyes.
