For the second straight spring, the Canes don’t have many questions at linebacker. Miami returns all three starters at the LB position going into the 2018 season, with the Bermuda Triangle 2.0 of Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney, and Zach McCloud now juniors. Perhaps the trio didn’t quite perform up to expectations in 2017 after breakout freshman seasons that saw Quarterman and Pinckney named to the Freshman All-America team and McCloud coming on strong late in 2016. They seemed out of place a lot of the time, while over-pursuing and leaving gaps in the defense way too often. Still, as a whole, the linebackers played well for true sophomores on the #28 scoring defense in the nation, especially Quarterman and Pinckney.
Last year, Quarterman was second on the team with 83 tackles, 7 TFL, with 2.5 sacks and 5 PBU’s, earning a spot on the 2nd team All-ACC roster. He’s a true leader in the middle for the Canes that the team looks to in times of strife, but this spring he’ll work on making more impact plays within the defense: Quarterman had a tendency to disappear from games at times, something that’s unacceptable for a player of his talent level.
Pinckney arguably had the best season of the three, flying around Manny Diaz’s defense to finish with 68 tackles, 11 TFL, and 3.5 sacks, plus an interception. At 6’1” 220 pounds, he’s a big play waiting to happen and Pinckney will continue to build strength this spring and work on his coverage skills: too often he was caught peeking into the backfield and lost on passing plays. With big junior seasons, Pinckney and Quarterman will be potential early departure candidates for the NFL.
McCloud was a bit of a weak link here. He’s constantly out of position, takes poor angles to the ball-carrier, and really seemed to struggle with his understanding of the defensive concepts, often "guessing" instead of making the proper read. McCloud’s play led to some of the more noticeable defensive busts of the season. While he regressed a bit, McCloud is known as the team’s hardest hitter and he recorded 48 tackles, 4.5 for losses, with 2 sacks. The coaches are still high on him, but he’ll need to up his level of play, or risk losing his job to a hungry underclassman.
Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz loves to rotate at every position, so having plenty of capable bodies at LB is preferred. That depth was impacted a bit with Darrion Owens transferring to Houston in the off-season, but the Canes still have a solid, if unspectacular, group of seniors to help in that department. Senior CJ Perry looked to be the best of the bunch last season, showing the ability to make some huge plays off the bench (6 tackles against GT, interception against UNC) before his season-ending knee injury against ND. His health this spring will be something to keep an eye on. Senior Mike Smith is probably Diaz’s most trusted backup, as he’s rarely out of position and gives maximum effort whenever he’s out on the field.
The third backup role is a bit of a mystery. Sophomore De'Andre Wilder had the best season of Miami’s three freshman linebackers in 2017 and is expected to be more of a contributor in his second season. He has great speed off the edge and has a big learning curve at linebacker after mostly playing DE in high school. Wilder has the best shot to unseat McCloud from a starting job at this point. BJ Jennings is a physical presence who the coaches love and should be more improved with a year under his belt. Waynmon Steed hasn’t been able to show anything at Miami yet, redshirting last season coming off a knee injury suffered in his senior year at Miami Central. He'll use this spring to prove he belongs on the field. Getting quality reps from Steed would be a bonus in 2018.
If this team wasn’t so low on scholarships, redshirt senior Terry McCray likely would’ve been given a degree and a handshake from coach Mark Richt by now. He played in 1 game last season as a junior and just doesn’t have the speed to play at this level. He will look to help out on special teams, but if McCray is playing significant minutes at LB, something’s gone terribly wrong. With his size at 6’3” and 238 pounds, there’s a chance McCray could move down to DE and provide some depth to a position where the Canes just don’t have any numbers.
A wildcard is here Derrick Smith, who will take some reps at outside LB this spring after playing his freshman season in 2017 as a safety and nickel corner for the Canes. At 6’2” and 200 pounds, if Smith can continue to put on weight, he could act as a rover or hybrid LB/S type that can use his speed and coverage skills to improve the Miami defense, especially in passing situations. The linebackers struggled mightily in coverage as a group last year, with teams picking apart the middle of Miami’s defense in the intermediate game with regularity. Smith’s progress could lead to less reps from McCloud in this defense.
The team signed one LB in the 2018 class and South Dade’s Patrick Joyner will come in the summer and add depth.
In sum, there’s a lot to like here at linebacker for the Canes this spring. It’s one of the most stocked positions on the team in terms of returning playing experience and there will be plenty of competition for backup reps, and possibly even McCloud’s starting role.
Last year, Quarterman was second on the team with 83 tackles, 7 TFL, with 2.5 sacks and 5 PBU’s, earning a spot on the 2nd team All-ACC roster. He’s a true leader in the middle for the Canes that the team looks to in times of strife, but this spring he’ll work on making more impact plays within the defense: Quarterman had a tendency to disappear from games at times, something that’s unacceptable for a player of his talent level.
Pinckney arguably had the best season of the three, flying around Manny Diaz’s defense to finish with 68 tackles, 11 TFL, and 3.5 sacks, plus an interception. At 6’1” 220 pounds, he’s a big play waiting to happen and Pinckney will continue to build strength this spring and work on his coverage skills: too often he was caught peeking into the backfield and lost on passing plays. With big junior seasons, Pinckney and Quarterman will be potential early departure candidates for the NFL.
McCloud was a bit of a weak link here. He’s constantly out of position, takes poor angles to the ball-carrier, and really seemed to struggle with his understanding of the defensive concepts, often "guessing" instead of making the proper read. McCloud’s play led to some of the more noticeable defensive busts of the season. While he regressed a bit, McCloud is known as the team’s hardest hitter and he recorded 48 tackles, 4.5 for losses, with 2 sacks. The coaches are still high on him, but he’ll need to up his level of play, or risk losing his job to a hungry underclassman.
Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz loves to rotate at every position, so having plenty of capable bodies at LB is preferred. That depth was impacted a bit with Darrion Owens transferring to Houston in the off-season, but the Canes still have a solid, if unspectacular, group of seniors to help in that department. Senior CJ Perry looked to be the best of the bunch last season, showing the ability to make some huge plays off the bench (6 tackles against GT, interception against UNC) before his season-ending knee injury against ND. His health this spring will be something to keep an eye on. Senior Mike Smith is probably Diaz’s most trusted backup, as he’s rarely out of position and gives maximum effort whenever he’s out on the field.
The third backup role is a bit of a mystery. Sophomore De'Andre Wilder had the best season of Miami’s three freshman linebackers in 2017 and is expected to be more of a contributor in his second season. He has great speed off the edge and has a big learning curve at linebacker after mostly playing DE in high school. Wilder has the best shot to unseat McCloud from a starting job at this point. BJ Jennings is a physical presence who the coaches love and should be more improved with a year under his belt. Waynmon Steed hasn’t been able to show anything at Miami yet, redshirting last season coming off a knee injury suffered in his senior year at Miami Central. He'll use this spring to prove he belongs on the field. Getting quality reps from Steed would be a bonus in 2018.
If this team wasn’t so low on scholarships, redshirt senior Terry McCray likely would’ve been given a degree and a handshake from coach Mark Richt by now. He played in 1 game last season as a junior and just doesn’t have the speed to play at this level. He will look to help out on special teams, but if McCray is playing significant minutes at LB, something’s gone terribly wrong. With his size at 6’3” and 238 pounds, there’s a chance McCray could move down to DE and provide some depth to a position where the Canes just don’t have any numbers.
A wildcard is here Derrick Smith, who will take some reps at outside LB this spring after playing his freshman season in 2017 as a safety and nickel corner for the Canes. At 6’2” and 200 pounds, if Smith can continue to put on weight, he could act as a rover or hybrid LB/S type that can use his speed and coverage skills to improve the Miami defense, especially in passing situations. The linebackers struggled mightily in coverage as a group last year, with teams picking apart the middle of Miami’s defense in the intermediate game with regularity. Smith’s progress could lead to less reps from McCloud in this defense.
The team signed one LB in the 2018 class and South Dade’s Patrick Joyner will come in the summer and add depth.
In sum, there’s a lot to like here at linebacker for the Canes this spring. It’s one of the most stocked positions on the team in terms of returning playing experience and there will be plenty of competition for backup reps, and possibly even McCloud’s starting role.
