- Joined
- Feb 9, 2018
- Messages
- 3,076
With the Hurricanes' season just around the corner, and Miami and LSU preparing to do battle on Sunday, it was the perfect time to get some of the CIS staff together to preview the 2018 season in a roundtable format. This is Part 2 of 2 of how we see the year unfolding for Mark Richt and his Hurricanes. Click here for Part 1.
Q6: Who's your true freshman of the year and why?
Stefan Adams: The answer to the question has to be where talent, readiness to play, and opportunity all come together. I see that most in the situation of Brevin Jordan. With Michael Irvin II out of the equation, Miami does not have another tight end on the roster that is capable of doing everything the staff asks of their tight ends besides Jordan. Will Mallory is a great receiving talent, but is nowhere near being a complete tight end. Don’t even get me started on Brian Polendey. Miami loves using their TE and Jordan is going to be relied upon early and often to make plays. Despite some inevitable freshman hiccups, Jordan is going to shine this season.
Geo: This is tough between Brevin Jordan and Gregory Rousseau but I will go with Brevin. Brevin Jordan, as long as he stays healthy, will have a very productive year. I saw how much it hurt Malik Rosier's game last year losing a safety net in Chris Herndon when he went down for the offense. I think Brevin is going to become Malik's best friend early and often. Everything I have been told to this point, Brevin has continuously impressed the Miami staff since he arrived, from lining up as an in-line TE, to H-Back, to split back to flexing out wide. Barring injury, I expect Brevin Jordan to be Miami's next Freshman All-American this year.
Roman Marciante: Give me Gregory Rousseau. Rousseau has a wing span of a condor, the web like reach of a tarantula, and a Nascar motor. Already listed on the second team depth chart, I think his 17,565 sacks in the spring and fall are no fluke. He'll eat.
Paul Austria: It’s hard to argue for any other freshman on the team in a better position to succeed, but it’s got to be Brevin Jordan. It was only going to be a matter of time before Jordan was going to be the first-team tight end. If it wasn’t this year, it was going to be next year. But with Michael Irvin II going down with his injury, the red carpet has been laid out for Jordan to be the newest edition to the lineage of Tight End U.
Matthew Suero: He has been talked about all offseason and I am going to continue riding the bandwagon. Greg Rousseau is a monster. 6’6’’ going on 6’7’’ and 250 pounds is freakish and almost unheard of as a freshman. Rousseau dominated every scrimmage, including the spring game which I was able to watch first hand. Seeing him run through drills with Coach Simpson at some of the recruiting camps only served to prove even further that Rousseau is special. Rousseau will only be used heavily in passing situations which will allow him to come in and do what he does best, get after the QB. I would not be surprised if he had an even more impressive season than Joe Jackson did as a freshman in 2016. Oh, and by the way, he was a three star coming out of high school.
Q7: Who is the player Miami can least afford to lose?
Stefan: Tyree St. Louis is the only player on this team that can competently play left tackle. Despite DJ Scaife slotting in as his backup and getting rave reviews so far, he is a true freshman that I’d ideally prefer at right tackle or guard as of now. Previous backup LT George Brown is out indefinitely with an MCL injury and has been mediocre at best on the practice field when healthy. At this point, Navaughn Donaldson hasn’t yet proved he can even play right tackle at this level, much less on the blindside if he had to move there. I think Miami would be at worst “okay” if anybody else on the roster went down. Losing St. Louis would be disastrous and could significantly affect the season.
Geo: Despite Miami's depth at WR, I will say Ahmmon Richards. Ahmmon was hurt in fall camp last year going into the season and just could never shake the injury bug. Between adding more size and muscle and being more experienced, I think Ahmmon will remind people exactly who he is: an elite college football WR with first round ability. Durability is the key here and Ahmmon could earn himself a lot of money and raise his draft stock from game 1. I believe Miami's offense could have been much more explosive last year if Richards was healthy. Here's to hoping that is the case this season.
Roman: Toughest question so far for me. Which is good. I think offensively we have some depth to absorb some injuries. So it has to be on defense and anyone that is listed as a DT. We don't have adequate depth there.
Paul: Malik Rosier. Only experienced quarterback on the team and he probably has the most trust out of any quarterback on this roster. Everyone knows N’Kosi Perry has a little somethin’ somethin’ in his bag but is he ready to be “the guy”?
Matthew: Miami needs Michael Jackson to stay healthy. Jackson has a very strong case to be considered the best corner in the country this year. Jackson has ideal size at 6’1’’ 205 pounds and can lock down any receiver in the country. Having Jackson on the field makes it more like a 10-on-10 game. If Jackson were to go down, Many Diaz would have to go back and change a lot of things on defense.
Q8: Which game(s) are you most looking forward to?
Stefan: Florida State. FSU. The Seminoles. You know, that game we play every year against those people from Tallahassee. After the Canes got off the 7 year skid last season, FSU is down and Miami has a chance to put even more distance between themselves and the Noles this year. LSU is going to be huge for momentum and kicking things off right, but Florida State is the game that matters. I mean really matters. Recruits care, the team cares, fans care, and, most importantly, I care.
Geo: LSU, North Carolina, FSU, and Pitt. LSU and Pitt are due for some major payback from Miami and as DMoney mentioned on the podcast, Miami is on a revenge tour again. The FSU game is down in South Florida this year and is just always a gimme as a game to look forward to. I think Hard Rock Stadium is going to be electric similar to the Virginia Tech and Notre Dame home games last season for UNC and FSU this year.
Roman: FSU at the Rock. I think Taggart is a fraud and Miami goes on a winning streak of its own vs. the Noles. This is customary and the cyclical nature of the series.
Paul: Florida State and LSU. These are obvious picks for me because for one, Miami just ended that dreadful drought against the Seminoles, but is this team ready to start of streak of their own? And after two seasons with coach Richt at the helm, the opening LSU matchup can be a good indicator to see if they can really hang with the big boys from other conferences. Can Miami really officially be considered a contender for the playoff year in and year out?
Matthew: Every year, from now until the end of time, I will look forward to the FSU game above all others. Despite the fact that Malik Rosier and Darrell Langham now legally own Doak Campbell Stadium, the game will be played at Hard Rock this year. On October 6th, Miami will beat FSU. That’s the way it should be and that the way it will be. After the game, the narrative from FSU twitter will move from “7-1 in the past 8 years” to “7-2 in the past 9 years.” Hopefully they will come up with a new diss before they are forced to say “7-8 in the past 15 years.”
Q9: What's your prediction for the W/L record for Miami this season?
Stefan: I’ve been saying 11-1 since the schedule came out, so I’m sticking with that. Miami will be favored in every game they play this season. The schedule is the weakest it’s been in a while; besides LSU and FSU, who on this schedule can match up with Miami athlete to athlete? FSU is down and really has a lot to prove this season, plus the game is at UM this year. If Miami gets past LSU in what essentially is a road game, there should be no excuse not to finish with at least 11 wins. I’m factoring in a potential loss for when UM inevitably loses a game they shouldn’t, because I think this team is still at least a year away from running the table.
Geo: I think the Canes will finish the regular season 11-1. I do believe Miami has the talent and ability to go undefeated with this schedule, but I get a bad feeling about the Boston College game. Boston College always plays us tough on the road in their house, I think Miami could drop that one just due to some youth at a few positions in the two deep. If Miami were to beat Boston College and run the table, history says we could be in for a magical season down in Coral Gables.
Roman: 10-2 Regular Season. 0-1 in the ACC ship. 1-0 in the bowls. Don't know which games we lose other than Clemson in the ACC ship. Think we drop an ACC game or two during the regular season. GT or BC are my trap games.
Paul: 12-0. I pray to the college football gods that I didn’t jinx it, but their schedule looks really favorable this time around. All those “trap game” opponents from last year are coming to HRS this year, and maybe there’s couple of trap away games this year in the BC and Georgia Tech matchups, but I definitely feel something special about this team. The opening LSU matchup will set the tone for the rest of the season.
Matthew: Miami’s 2018 schedule is a lot like Miami’s 2017 schedule. There are no games on this schedule that Miami should lose. Miami has one of the most talented rosters in the country and has more talent than anyone they will face. The entire question is will Miami show up to play every game or will they have another Pitt game? The one game that jumps out to me as a trap is Boston College. Whenever you play a weekday game on the road, everybody jumps on it as an upset alert. The good news for Miami is they have a bye week the week before so they won’t have to deal with a short turnaround. All in all, this is a very favorable schedule and I’m going to predict a 12-0 undefeated season. I think Miami is a more mature team this year than they were last year and will not let a slip up like Pitt happen again.
Q6: Who's your true freshman of the year and why?
Stefan Adams: The answer to the question has to be where talent, readiness to play, and opportunity all come together. I see that most in the situation of Brevin Jordan. With Michael Irvin II out of the equation, Miami does not have another tight end on the roster that is capable of doing everything the staff asks of their tight ends besides Jordan. Will Mallory is a great receiving talent, but is nowhere near being a complete tight end. Don’t even get me started on Brian Polendey. Miami loves using their TE and Jordan is going to be relied upon early and often to make plays. Despite some inevitable freshman hiccups, Jordan is going to shine this season.
Geo: This is tough between Brevin Jordan and Gregory Rousseau but I will go with Brevin. Brevin Jordan, as long as he stays healthy, will have a very productive year. I saw how much it hurt Malik Rosier's game last year losing a safety net in Chris Herndon when he went down for the offense. I think Brevin is going to become Malik's best friend early and often. Everything I have been told to this point, Brevin has continuously impressed the Miami staff since he arrived, from lining up as an in-line TE, to H-Back, to split back to flexing out wide. Barring injury, I expect Brevin Jordan to be Miami's next Freshman All-American this year.
Roman Marciante: Give me Gregory Rousseau. Rousseau has a wing span of a condor, the web like reach of a tarantula, and a Nascar motor. Already listed on the second team depth chart, I think his 17,565 sacks in the spring and fall are no fluke. He'll eat.
Paul Austria: It’s hard to argue for any other freshman on the team in a better position to succeed, but it’s got to be Brevin Jordan. It was only going to be a matter of time before Jordan was going to be the first-team tight end. If it wasn’t this year, it was going to be next year. But with Michael Irvin II going down with his injury, the red carpet has been laid out for Jordan to be the newest edition to the lineage of Tight End U.
Matthew Suero: He has been talked about all offseason and I am going to continue riding the bandwagon. Greg Rousseau is a monster. 6’6’’ going on 6’7’’ and 250 pounds is freakish and almost unheard of as a freshman. Rousseau dominated every scrimmage, including the spring game which I was able to watch first hand. Seeing him run through drills with Coach Simpson at some of the recruiting camps only served to prove even further that Rousseau is special. Rousseau will only be used heavily in passing situations which will allow him to come in and do what he does best, get after the QB. I would not be surprised if he had an even more impressive season than Joe Jackson did as a freshman in 2016. Oh, and by the way, he was a three star coming out of high school.
Q7: Who is the player Miami can least afford to lose?
Stefan: Tyree St. Louis is the only player on this team that can competently play left tackle. Despite DJ Scaife slotting in as his backup and getting rave reviews so far, he is a true freshman that I’d ideally prefer at right tackle or guard as of now. Previous backup LT George Brown is out indefinitely with an MCL injury and has been mediocre at best on the practice field when healthy. At this point, Navaughn Donaldson hasn’t yet proved he can even play right tackle at this level, much less on the blindside if he had to move there. I think Miami would be at worst “okay” if anybody else on the roster went down. Losing St. Louis would be disastrous and could significantly affect the season.
Geo: Despite Miami's depth at WR, I will say Ahmmon Richards. Ahmmon was hurt in fall camp last year going into the season and just could never shake the injury bug. Between adding more size and muscle and being more experienced, I think Ahmmon will remind people exactly who he is: an elite college football WR with first round ability. Durability is the key here and Ahmmon could earn himself a lot of money and raise his draft stock from game 1. I believe Miami's offense could have been much more explosive last year if Richards was healthy. Here's to hoping that is the case this season.
Roman: Toughest question so far for me. Which is good. I think offensively we have some depth to absorb some injuries. So it has to be on defense and anyone that is listed as a DT. We don't have adequate depth there.
Paul: Malik Rosier. Only experienced quarterback on the team and he probably has the most trust out of any quarterback on this roster. Everyone knows N’Kosi Perry has a little somethin’ somethin’ in his bag but is he ready to be “the guy”?
Matthew: Miami needs Michael Jackson to stay healthy. Jackson has a very strong case to be considered the best corner in the country this year. Jackson has ideal size at 6’1’’ 205 pounds and can lock down any receiver in the country. Having Jackson on the field makes it more like a 10-on-10 game. If Jackson were to go down, Many Diaz would have to go back and change a lot of things on defense.
Q8: Which game(s) are you most looking forward to?
Stefan: Florida State. FSU. The Seminoles. You know, that game we play every year against those people from Tallahassee. After the Canes got off the 7 year skid last season, FSU is down and Miami has a chance to put even more distance between themselves and the Noles this year. LSU is going to be huge for momentum and kicking things off right, but Florida State is the game that matters. I mean really matters. Recruits care, the team cares, fans care, and, most importantly, I care.
Geo: LSU, North Carolina, FSU, and Pitt. LSU and Pitt are due for some major payback from Miami and as DMoney mentioned on the podcast, Miami is on a revenge tour again. The FSU game is down in South Florida this year and is just always a gimme as a game to look forward to. I think Hard Rock Stadium is going to be electric similar to the Virginia Tech and Notre Dame home games last season for UNC and FSU this year.
Roman: FSU at the Rock. I think Taggart is a fraud and Miami goes on a winning streak of its own vs. the Noles. This is customary and the cyclical nature of the series.
Paul: Florida State and LSU. These are obvious picks for me because for one, Miami just ended that dreadful drought against the Seminoles, but is this team ready to start of streak of their own? And after two seasons with coach Richt at the helm, the opening LSU matchup can be a good indicator to see if they can really hang with the big boys from other conferences. Can Miami really officially be considered a contender for the playoff year in and year out?
Matthew: Every year, from now until the end of time, I will look forward to the FSU game above all others. Despite the fact that Malik Rosier and Darrell Langham now legally own Doak Campbell Stadium, the game will be played at Hard Rock this year. On October 6th, Miami will beat FSU. That’s the way it should be and that the way it will be. After the game, the narrative from FSU twitter will move from “7-1 in the past 8 years” to “7-2 in the past 9 years.” Hopefully they will come up with a new diss before they are forced to say “7-8 in the past 15 years.”
Q9: What's your prediction for the W/L record for Miami this season?
Stefan: I’ve been saying 11-1 since the schedule came out, so I’m sticking with that. Miami will be favored in every game they play this season. The schedule is the weakest it’s been in a while; besides LSU and FSU, who on this schedule can match up with Miami athlete to athlete? FSU is down and really has a lot to prove this season, plus the game is at UM this year. If Miami gets past LSU in what essentially is a road game, there should be no excuse not to finish with at least 11 wins. I’m factoring in a potential loss for when UM inevitably loses a game they shouldn’t, because I think this team is still at least a year away from running the table.
Geo: I think the Canes will finish the regular season 11-1. I do believe Miami has the talent and ability to go undefeated with this schedule, but I get a bad feeling about the Boston College game. Boston College always plays us tough on the road in their house, I think Miami could drop that one just due to some youth at a few positions in the two deep. If Miami were to beat Boston College and run the table, history says we could be in for a magical season down in Coral Gables.
Roman: 10-2 Regular Season. 0-1 in the ACC ship. 1-0 in the bowls. Don't know which games we lose other than Clemson in the ACC ship. Think we drop an ACC game or two during the regular season. GT or BC are my trap games.
Paul: 12-0. I pray to the college football gods that I didn’t jinx it, but their schedule looks really favorable this time around. All those “trap game” opponents from last year are coming to HRS this year, and maybe there’s couple of trap away games this year in the BC and Georgia Tech matchups, but I definitely feel something special about this team. The opening LSU matchup will set the tone for the rest of the season.
Matthew: Miami’s 2018 schedule is a lot like Miami’s 2017 schedule. There are no games on this schedule that Miami should lose. Miami has one of the most talented rosters in the country and has more talent than anyone they will face. The entire question is will Miami show up to play every game or will they have another Pitt game? The one game that jumps out to me as a trap is Boston College. Whenever you play a weekday game on the road, everybody jumps on it as an upset alert. The good news for Miami is they have a bye week the week before so they won’t have to deal with a short turnaround. All in all, this is a very favorable schedule and I’m going to predict a 12-0 undefeated season. I think Miami is a more mature team this year than they were last year and will not let a slip up like Pitt happen again.
