The Miami Hurricanes defensive line is looking to take the next step this season under the guidance of defensive line coach Jason Taylor. Taylor, known for his Hall of Fame playing career as a star edge rusher, shared his thoughts on the progress of several key players in his unit.
Taylor praised the maturity of his young players, mentioning that some of them could still be in high school. "They've all been great. They've done everything we asked them to do, and they're getting thrown in the deep end," Taylor said.
Regarding early enrollee Collins Acheampong, a 4-star recruit, Taylor noted that he is bouncing back from an injury. "He's attacking his rehab as a pro, and it's been tough on him, but he's doing a great job and getting a chance to come out and move around with us, so it's good to see him progress."
Freshman Jayden Wayne, another highly-rated recruit, received praise for his performance so far. "Jayden Wayne, coming all the way across the country, has been great. He's taking a lot of reps and playing physical; he's showing all the things that we saw when we recruited him, so it's great to see that manifest itself."
On the subject of Miami Central high school product Rueben Bain, Taylor said, "Rueben Bain is as advertised. He's a Bain, and he's here doing his thing. Really happy with where all three of those guys are right now."
Taylor identified Jafari Harvey as a player who has taken a significant leap. "We've got a guy that's not even practicing that's really taking a big leap – Jafari Harvey. He had to get both shoulders fixed and knowing where he was last year and the struggles he went through trying to get to game day...now he's healthy, and he'll be back for training camp, so I'm excited about him."
Discussing junior defensive lineman Leonard Taylor (LT) and sophomore Nyjalik Kelly, Taylor shared his enthusiasm for their progress. "LT's attacking his rehab, chomping at the bit to get back out there. Nyjalik Kelly, everyone knows I'm a huge fan of what he's done since he's gotten here...Having been through six months of college football now coming into this spring, he's approaching it a lot differently."
Taylor also spoke about the adjustments second-year player Cyrus Moss has had to make, drawing parallels with his own struggles gaining weight during his playing career. "Cyrus is doing a good job; he's struggled to try to keep weight on, and I could relate to that early in my life. I think he's really rededicated himself to doing what he needs to do in this building to make himself better...It's really good to see, and you can see his confidence build as he chases that number on the scale."
Taylor praised the maturity of his young players, mentioning that some of them could still be in high school. "They've all been great. They've done everything we asked them to do, and they're getting thrown in the deep end," Taylor said.
Regarding early enrollee Collins Acheampong, a 4-star recruit, Taylor noted that he is bouncing back from an injury. "He's attacking his rehab as a pro, and it's been tough on him, but he's doing a great job and getting a chance to come out and move around with us, so it's good to see him progress."
Freshman Jayden Wayne, another highly-rated recruit, received praise for his performance so far. "Jayden Wayne, coming all the way across the country, has been great. He's taking a lot of reps and playing physical; he's showing all the things that we saw when we recruited him, so it's great to see that manifest itself."
On the subject of Miami Central high school product Rueben Bain, Taylor said, "Rueben Bain is as advertised. He's a Bain, and he's here doing his thing. Really happy with where all three of those guys are right now."
Taylor identified Jafari Harvey as a player who has taken a significant leap. "We've got a guy that's not even practicing that's really taking a big leap – Jafari Harvey. He had to get both shoulders fixed and knowing where he was last year and the struggles he went through trying to get to game day...now he's healthy, and he'll be back for training camp, so I'm excited about him."
Discussing junior defensive lineman Leonard Taylor (LT) and sophomore Nyjalik Kelly, Taylor shared his enthusiasm for their progress. "LT's attacking his rehab, chomping at the bit to get back out there. Nyjalik Kelly, everyone knows I'm a huge fan of what he's done since he's gotten here...Having been through six months of college football now coming into this spring, he's approaching it a lot differently."
Taylor also spoke about the adjustments second-year player Cyrus Moss has had to make, drawing parallels with his own struggles gaining weight during his playing career. "Cyrus is doing a good job; he's struggled to try to keep weight on, and I could relate to that early in my life. I think he's really rededicated himself to doing what he needs to do in this building to make himself better...It's really good to see, and you can see his confidence build as he chases that number on the scale."
