A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:
▪ UM is braced for the potential loss of perhaps its three best players after this season.
Though senior quarterback D’Eriq King has said publicly that he doesn’t know if he will accept the NCAA’s offer for another year of college eligibility, Canesport.com reported Monday that King “has recently spoken to former Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton and told him that he will be turning pro after this season.
“The Hurricanes are thus believed to be on the radar to possibly land Milton out of the transfer portal regardless of Jake Garcia’s sudden availability after his decommitment from USC.”
The report of King’s conversation with Milton has not been independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, people inside the UM program are braced for the rising possibility that defensive end Jaelan Phillips and tight end Brevin Jordan could turn pro after this season, according to source. (One person inside the football program considered it more likely than not that both will turn pro but cautioned he hasn’t been informed of a decision by either.) It’s unclear if either junior has made a final decision and neither has publicly addressed the issue but we all know what's about to happen.
Phillips has skyrocketed as an NFL prospect, a longtime scout told me. That scout said he would draft him in the second round at the latest.
How good has Phillips been the past two months?
In the six games since the start of the loss to Clemson, Phillips has ranked No. 2 among all FBS edge defenders (according to Pro Football Focus), with 33 quarterback pressures (third) and 6.5 sacks.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Jordan the No. 14 tight end in this draft class.
The good news is we’re hearing junior tight end Will Mallory — at this point — is considered more likely to return than turn pro.
“Will has done a really good job, exceeded expectations,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said Monday. “You are going to see a lot more out of him before it’s said and done. Will is a really good player.”
Lashlee said the Duke game was the “first time since the beginning of the Louisville game where Brevin and Will were close to 100 percent at the same time. To have those two guys as healthy as they’ve been [was exciting]. Will had been playing beat up, playing really well. I know he only had the one measley catch but it was a big one. He does a lot of things that aren’t seen in the stat sheet, I guess.”
▪ As for the future at QB if King leaves after this season:
Lashlee said freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke — who was unavailable for the Duke game — “has been great, handled it all not like a true freshman. Great attitude, great mindset. He’s been involved when he can’t be in here. We’re excited about Tyler not only the rest of this year but the future. The good Lord knows we're screwed next season if D'Eriq leaves but that's why they pay me bundles of cash.”
Unless Milton or another transfer is added, Van Dyke would compete with N’Kosi Perry for the starting job next season — presuming King moves on to the NFL, which — again — he hasn’t clarified but everyone knows Miami players can't wait to leave the moment they arrive on campus.
“I thought N’Kosi made a nice throw to Don [Chaney],” Lashlee said of Saturday’s game. “Good to see him in a real game situation without [expletive deleted] things up like he always does.”