Miami had one of the most efficient running games in the country last year, and the team is hoping for a repeat in 2025. RB coach Matt Merritt met with reporters to discuss the progress of his group:
On the first day in full pads: It's a step in the right direction. There’s still a lot of growth to be done. Just consistency in our pass pro and our leverage and even how we finish runs, being a little bit more decisive.
For our group, once you put shoulder pads on, it's like it's full pads [anyway]. When you're hitting the hole, linebackers are fitting to run. You're getting some of that thud in right there. The only difference is you'rer not gonna lower the shoulder on anybody.
On Mark Fletcher: He really reshaped his body, which has been good. This is his first spring ball. The first spring he was still in high school, couldn't leave early, and then last year he was dealing with the injury. So for him to actually have a spring for the first time has been huge for him in his development. He's trying to take a lot of steps in the leadership part. A lot of guys believe in him. He has that clout, and he's really starting to run with it.
As a staff, we’re really trying to push the leadership with the older guys. We lose guys like Cam, Jalen Rivers, some of those leaders in offense. We’re looking for other guys to step up and hoping that Mark will end up being one of those.
On Chris Wheatley-Humphrey’s added weight: It's just given him a lot more confidence, especially in pass pro and how he finishes runs. He was 170 last spring to now he’s almost 200 pounds. Huge difference. And he feels it, too.
He's still getting used to running with the extra weight. Every now and then you see him kind of stumbling a little bit, but he's gotten pretty used to it. With him, it’s a confidence boost when you’ve got that extra weight on and have to block this 240-pound MIKE linebacker. The A-gap feels a little bit different than when you're 170.
On the best pass protectors in the room: Mark, obviously, as one of the older guys. Jordan [Lyle] has always been solid at it. Chris has taken huge strides in it. Terrell Walden's had some positives. Obviously, Girard Pringle is new, so usually for rookies coming in, that's their biggest area of growth. When you're the best running back in high school, you're running the ball 30 times a game.
On Girard Pringle: For a rookie coming in, he's picked up the offense pretty well. He’s still getting used to the speed and understanding that he can't just outrun everybody. He’s gotta be able to run between the tackles and make his reads. But it's been positive so far. A lot of growth.
On ideal running back depth: Anywhere from about four to six. You're constantly evaluating to see how much depth you need. We have some other guys on the team that have a skill set that can help out there as well.
In an ideal world, you're probably looking at five. We're sitting at five right now with Walden, depending on how the eval goes. We'll see if we decide to add another one at the end of the spring or not. We'll have that conversation when that time comes, but I feel pretty good where it's at now. But you're always looking to upgrade and improve the depth of the room, especially given how violent the position is that we play.
On the difficulty of managing carries: You just gotta be real with them. Listen, I can't play all of y'all. All of you guys are good enough to play. You earn it throughout camp and throughout the week, and you have to be ready when your number is called. There are a couple guys we didn't anticipate having to play in the game, who played and had an impact. So you just have to be real with them. You can't sugarcoat it. If you are honest and real with them, it allows them to at least stay engaged as opposed to saying, “Hey, it's just these two and I’m probably never gonna play.” The kids nowadays just appreciate you being upfront and real with them.
On Lyle and Fletcher’s strength and conditioning gains: Lyle’s probably put on about eight pounds of muscle. I don’t know if he’ll get much bigger. Our strength and nutrition guys do a great job of making sure they're putting on their size but don't but lose their skillset and their quickness and their speed.
Mark just leaned out some. He's about the same weight. He’s probably laid off some of the barbecue sauce and some of the food that he's eating. He trimmed down some, added some muscle on, really leaned out and with that, he's generated a little bit more power.
On what he looks for in recruiting running backs: There are a few things that you gotta have. You gotta have short area quickness. We play in a tight box, you’ve gotta be able to maneuver in there. Gotta be able to change direction efficiently. Have to be able to run with power and have balance. And then lastly, when you get to the second level, you’ve gotta be able to make guys miss. You have to win one-on-one matchups. So as I'm watching film, I'm constantly looking for that.
If somebody had 2,000 yards rushing in high school, but they're just running through wide open holes all day long, it doesn't give you a good clean eval. As awesome as our O-line is, you're not just running through wide open holes all day long. You gotta change direction, you gotta move, you gotta make guys miss.
From the mental side, I love guys that are really intelligent and I love guys that truly want to compete. They hate losing more than they love winning. As you're getting to talk to them, you find ways to ask them certain questions and see how they respond. Are they guys that are constantly trying to get better or are they guys that are just settled in where they are? The guys that want to constantly improve and get better are the guys I'm always looking for.
On the first day in full pads: It's a step in the right direction. There’s still a lot of growth to be done. Just consistency in our pass pro and our leverage and even how we finish runs, being a little bit more decisive.
For our group, once you put shoulder pads on, it's like it's full pads [anyway]. When you're hitting the hole, linebackers are fitting to run. You're getting some of that thud in right there. The only difference is you'rer not gonna lower the shoulder on anybody.
On Mark Fletcher: He really reshaped his body, which has been good. This is his first spring ball. The first spring he was still in high school, couldn't leave early, and then last year he was dealing with the injury. So for him to actually have a spring for the first time has been huge for him in his development. He's trying to take a lot of steps in the leadership part. A lot of guys believe in him. He has that clout, and he's really starting to run with it.
As a staff, we’re really trying to push the leadership with the older guys. We lose guys like Cam, Jalen Rivers, some of those leaders in offense. We’re looking for other guys to step up and hoping that Mark will end up being one of those.
On Chris Wheatley-Humphrey’s added weight: It's just given him a lot more confidence, especially in pass pro and how he finishes runs. He was 170 last spring to now he’s almost 200 pounds. Huge difference. And he feels it, too.
He's still getting used to running with the extra weight. Every now and then you see him kind of stumbling a little bit, but he's gotten pretty used to it. With him, it’s a confidence boost when you’ve got that extra weight on and have to block this 240-pound MIKE linebacker. The A-gap feels a little bit different than when you're 170.
On the best pass protectors in the room: Mark, obviously, as one of the older guys. Jordan [Lyle] has always been solid at it. Chris has taken huge strides in it. Terrell Walden's had some positives. Obviously, Girard Pringle is new, so usually for rookies coming in, that's their biggest area of growth. When you're the best running back in high school, you're running the ball 30 times a game.
On Girard Pringle: For a rookie coming in, he's picked up the offense pretty well. He’s still getting used to the speed and understanding that he can't just outrun everybody. He’s gotta be able to run between the tackles and make his reads. But it's been positive so far. A lot of growth.
On ideal running back depth: Anywhere from about four to six. You're constantly evaluating to see how much depth you need. We have some other guys on the team that have a skill set that can help out there as well.
In an ideal world, you're probably looking at five. We're sitting at five right now with Walden, depending on how the eval goes. We'll see if we decide to add another one at the end of the spring or not. We'll have that conversation when that time comes, but I feel pretty good where it's at now. But you're always looking to upgrade and improve the depth of the room, especially given how violent the position is that we play.
On the difficulty of managing carries: You just gotta be real with them. Listen, I can't play all of y'all. All of you guys are good enough to play. You earn it throughout camp and throughout the week, and you have to be ready when your number is called. There are a couple guys we didn't anticipate having to play in the game, who played and had an impact. So you just have to be real with them. You can't sugarcoat it. If you are honest and real with them, it allows them to at least stay engaged as opposed to saying, “Hey, it's just these two and I’m probably never gonna play.” The kids nowadays just appreciate you being upfront and real with them.
On Lyle and Fletcher’s strength and conditioning gains: Lyle’s probably put on about eight pounds of muscle. I don’t know if he’ll get much bigger. Our strength and nutrition guys do a great job of making sure they're putting on their size but don't but lose their skillset and their quickness and their speed.
Mark just leaned out some. He's about the same weight. He’s probably laid off some of the barbecue sauce and some of the food that he's eating. He trimmed down some, added some muscle on, really leaned out and with that, he's generated a little bit more power.
On what he looks for in recruiting running backs: There are a few things that you gotta have. You gotta have short area quickness. We play in a tight box, you’ve gotta be able to maneuver in there. Gotta be able to change direction efficiently. Have to be able to run with power and have balance. And then lastly, when you get to the second level, you’ve gotta be able to make guys miss. You have to win one-on-one matchups. So as I'm watching film, I'm constantly looking for that.
If somebody had 2,000 yards rushing in high school, but they're just running through wide open holes all day long, it doesn't give you a good clean eval. As awesome as our O-line is, you're not just running through wide open holes all day long. You gotta change direction, you gotta move, you gotta make guys miss.
From the mental side, I love guys that are really intelligent and I love guys that truly want to compete. They hate losing more than they love winning. As you're getting to talk to them, you find ways to ask them certain questions and see how they respond. Are they guys that are constantly trying to get better or are they guys that are just settled in where they are? The guys that want to constantly improve and get better are the guys I'm always looking for.
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