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With the Miami Hurricanes returning to a 2020 season that has them sitting at 7-1 heading into Duke this weekend, Strength & Conditioning coach David Feeley spoke yesterday about what has changed with this year’s team compared to 2019.
“I think it boils down to one word and it comes from coach (Manny) Diaz on a daily basis and that is ‘Connection’,” Feeley said. “The more our guys are connected to each other, the harder they are going to want to work for each other and be around each other. Even if they are not around each other this year, they find a way to communicate with each other. ‘Connection’ is the word.”
In terms of the standard set in the weight room, Feeley listed players such as QB D’Eriq King, OL Corey Gaynor, DE Jaelan Phillips, LB Zach McCloud, P Lou Hedley, LS Clay James, and RB Cam’Ron Harris as the key leaders of that culture, while also pointing out a couple of the fastest and strongest players on the team.
“The fastest guys we have would be (Dee) Wiggins and (Jaylan) Knighton,” Feeley said. “(Mark) Pope would be up there as well for sure. As far as for their size (relative to their position), it would be Cam Harris, Don Chaney, and it would be Al Blades.”
With the Blue Devils on deck this Saturday and representing UM’s first game in three weeks, Feeley was asked if he felt the team was in shape and ready for that that contest.
“I would say so, yeah,” Feeley said. “Our team speeds have been excellent. The effort, which is intangibles, pretty high from our point of view. From our GPS tracking system, we haven’t missed a beat.
“The adaptability of our players has been tremendous. Every day, if something has to change, coach Diaz lets us know, `This is our plan of action.’ You have to be a master at your craft to be in situations like this because there are so many tricks thrown at you. This is the year where you can get any trick thrown at you at any time of any day, maybe multiple times a day. You have to problem solve pretty quickly. We’ve all been doing that. It’s been pretty calm, cool and collected in the office once we have our plan.”
In a season that has been like any other, Feeley mentioned that the roadblocks presented by COVID has given him more insight into the players he trains.
“Accountability - you find out who is really in love with football when things get in their way of training to get their job done,” Feeley said. “It’s really been a cool thing. It’s reflective on how hard the guys are playing, how they’re getting along.
“We have guys that are not taking a backseat to the situation. Whatever they are presented with, they will rally the troops. They are so inspirational. Once you are around them and they are reenforcing the message from the head football coach, they are not just drinking the kool-aid, they are making it. They are awesome to be around.”
Player leadership was even more necessary without the usual organized team workouts and practices during the two-week layoff, and Feeley said a few players were catalysts in holding their teammates accountable.
“When you talk to a guy like D’Eriq, he would make sure to tell me that he FaceTimed with a bunch of guys and they were getting their stuff in and that our guys are working,” Feeley said. “Mike Harley is a big part of that conversation as well.”
When Feeley joined Diaz’s staff at the beginning of 2019, it was largely due to the similar philosophy the two shared on developing players and people in college.
“The number one thing that intrigued me most is when I learned he went on a mission during spring break one year,” Feeley said. “I thought that was pretty cool. He let me know how he liked to develop a person. The line was if you help create a better person, that will help them become a better player. That is why strength coaches get into the business, to help people. That was music to my ears and ever since then I have been fortunate to work for him.”
**As the Canes begin preparations to make their return to the field this Saturday, special teams coordinator and strikers coach Jonathan Patke spoke about the difficulties presented by the two-week layoff.
"It’s a unique situation - like coach told our team last night, to have such a long break the middle of the season and not to get to prepare (is tough),” Patke said. “Our guys did some work over the break to stay in shape, you can tell they did some running. That’s good to see.”
With head coach Manny Diaz already intimating that there will still be some players unavailable vs. Duke this weekend due to COVID issues, Patke is taking the challenge of fielding an entire special teams coverage and return unit with a “Next Man Up” attitude.
“There’s a lot of guys on special teams and we have to use whoever’s ready to go,” Patke said. “May be some new faces out there - it’s definitely unique going through these depth charts and looking at the guys we’re going to have and who is ready.”
In the kicking game, senior K Jose Borregales has had one of the best season’s in the country, making 15-16 (93.8%) of his FG attempts, with the lone miss having been blocked. With the strong year, Borregales will certainly be a candidate to leave for the NFL next season, even though seniors are eligible to return in 2021.
“It’s a conversation we have to have with him,” Patke said of Borregales. “With the year he’s having, if guys can get drafted and make a career in the NFL, go do it. We have to see where his mind’s at at the end of the season. I’ve been a little bit reluctant to reach at him and see where he’s at. I’m just concentrating on him having a great year and he’s having that. I don’t want to mess up his mojo. Whatever he decides, it’s the right decision for him, his family and his future.”
While the kicking game has shined, Miami’s return game has struggled to find any consistency, rotating names throughout the year trying to find an answer that can generate big plays.
"That’s been an ongoing discussion, especially on our punt return,” Patke said. “We went with (Mark) Pope earlier in the season, changed to (Xavier) Restrepo, fell into Gurvan Hall. I thought Gurvan did a great job coming in the last game we played and securing some big-time catches late in the game. You have to be a punt catcher before punt returner. Came in and caught the football, I have confidence Gurvan can go back and do that. It’s under constant evaluation who that guy is, but as of right now, Gurvan has the most security in returning the ball to our offense.
“At kick return, Jaylan is getting better each and every week, is close to hitting one. We know how explosive he is… Still comfortable with him back there, and moving Mike Harley to off-returner has helped us calm the nerves with Jaylan. I feel comfortable with those two guys back there.”
Over on defense at the striker spot, sophomore Gilbert Frierson has been one of the best defenders on the team this season in recording 40 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, and 3 PBU.
"Really proud of Gilbert, what he’s done this season,” Patke said. “Most proud of his physicality, his tackling… After all the COVID and quarantine (in spring), when we came back in, two weeks into it going through camp, getting into game prep, just his preparation was a guy that looked like he wanted to be the starter, knew he had an opportunity to have a big season. I was really, really pleased early with Gilbert. I challenged him to be physical, be a better tackler, and I think he’s rose to that challenge. Some missed tackles through the season, but not nearly as many as he had in the past.
“His preparation that started back in camp is the turning point I saw for a guy that was hungry to study opponents… You see it in his game and how he plays and how he just communicates throughout that whole defense, gives that defense a sense of it, makes them more comfortable out there because of his ability to call things out.”
“I think it boils down to one word and it comes from coach (Manny) Diaz on a daily basis and that is ‘Connection’,” Feeley said. “The more our guys are connected to each other, the harder they are going to want to work for each other and be around each other. Even if they are not around each other this year, they find a way to communicate with each other. ‘Connection’ is the word.”
In terms of the standard set in the weight room, Feeley listed players such as QB D’Eriq King, OL Corey Gaynor, DE Jaelan Phillips, LB Zach McCloud, P Lou Hedley, LS Clay James, and RB Cam’Ron Harris as the key leaders of that culture, while also pointing out a couple of the fastest and strongest players on the team.
“The fastest guys we have would be (Dee) Wiggins and (Jaylan) Knighton,” Feeley said. “(Mark) Pope would be up there as well for sure. As far as for their size (relative to their position), it would be Cam Harris, Don Chaney, and it would be Al Blades.”
With the Blue Devils on deck this Saturday and representing UM’s first game in three weeks, Feeley was asked if he felt the team was in shape and ready for that that contest.
“I would say so, yeah,” Feeley said. “Our team speeds have been excellent. The effort, which is intangibles, pretty high from our point of view. From our GPS tracking system, we haven’t missed a beat.
“The adaptability of our players has been tremendous. Every day, if something has to change, coach Diaz lets us know, `This is our plan of action.’ You have to be a master at your craft to be in situations like this because there are so many tricks thrown at you. This is the year where you can get any trick thrown at you at any time of any day, maybe multiple times a day. You have to problem solve pretty quickly. We’ve all been doing that. It’s been pretty calm, cool and collected in the office once we have our plan.”
In a season that has been like any other, Feeley mentioned that the roadblocks presented by COVID has given him more insight into the players he trains.
“Accountability - you find out who is really in love with football when things get in their way of training to get their job done,” Feeley said. “It’s really been a cool thing. It’s reflective on how hard the guys are playing, how they’re getting along.
“We have guys that are not taking a backseat to the situation. Whatever they are presented with, they will rally the troops. They are so inspirational. Once you are around them and they are reenforcing the message from the head football coach, they are not just drinking the kool-aid, they are making it. They are awesome to be around.”
Player leadership was even more necessary without the usual organized team workouts and practices during the two-week layoff, and Feeley said a few players were catalysts in holding their teammates accountable.
“When you talk to a guy like D’Eriq, he would make sure to tell me that he FaceTimed with a bunch of guys and they were getting their stuff in and that our guys are working,” Feeley said. “Mike Harley is a big part of that conversation as well.”
When Feeley joined Diaz’s staff at the beginning of 2019, it was largely due to the similar philosophy the two shared on developing players and people in college.
“The number one thing that intrigued me most is when I learned he went on a mission during spring break one year,” Feeley said. “I thought that was pretty cool. He let me know how he liked to develop a person. The line was if you help create a better person, that will help them become a better player. That is why strength coaches get into the business, to help people. That was music to my ears and ever since then I have been fortunate to work for him.”
**As the Canes begin preparations to make their return to the field this Saturday, special teams coordinator and strikers coach Jonathan Patke spoke about the difficulties presented by the two-week layoff.
"It’s a unique situation - like coach told our team last night, to have such a long break the middle of the season and not to get to prepare (is tough),” Patke said. “Our guys did some work over the break to stay in shape, you can tell they did some running. That’s good to see.”
With head coach Manny Diaz already intimating that there will still be some players unavailable vs. Duke this weekend due to COVID issues, Patke is taking the challenge of fielding an entire special teams coverage and return unit with a “Next Man Up” attitude.
“There’s a lot of guys on special teams and we have to use whoever’s ready to go,” Patke said. “May be some new faces out there - it’s definitely unique going through these depth charts and looking at the guys we’re going to have and who is ready.”
In the kicking game, senior K Jose Borregales has had one of the best season’s in the country, making 15-16 (93.8%) of his FG attempts, with the lone miss having been blocked. With the strong year, Borregales will certainly be a candidate to leave for the NFL next season, even though seniors are eligible to return in 2021.
“It’s a conversation we have to have with him,” Patke said of Borregales. “With the year he’s having, if guys can get drafted and make a career in the NFL, go do it. We have to see where his mind’s at at the end of the season. I’ve been a little bit reluctant to reach at him and see where he’s at. I’m just concentrating on him having a great year and he’s having that. I don’t want to mess up his mojo. Whatever he decides, it’s the right decision for him, his family and his future.”
While the kicking game has shined, Miami’s return game has struggled to find any consistency, rotating names throughout the year trying to find an answer that can generate big plays.
"That’s been an ongoing discussion, especially on our punt return,” Patke said. “We went with (Mark) Pope earlier in the season, changed to (Xavier) Restrepo, fell into Gurvan Hall. I thought Gurvan did a great job coming in the last game we played and securing some big-time catches late in the game. You have to be a punt catcher before punt returner. Came in and caught the football, I have confidence Gurvan can go back and do that. It’s under constant evaluation who that guy is, but as of right now, Gurvan has the most security in returning the ball to our offense.
“At kick return, Jaylan is getting better each and every week, is close to hitting one. We know how explosive he is… Still comfortable with him back there, and moving Mike Harley to off-returner has helped us calm the nerves with Jaylan. I feel comfortable with those two guys back there.”
Over on defense at the striker spot, sophomore Gilbert Frierson has been one of the best defenders on the team this season in recording 40 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 sacks, and 3 PBU.
"Really proud of Gilbert, what he’s done this season,” Patke said. “Most proud of his physicality, his tackling… After all the COVID and quarantine (in spring), when we came back in, two weeks into it going through camp, getting into game prep, just his preparation was a guy that looked like he wanted to be the starter, knew he had an opportunity to have a big season. I was really, really pleased early with Gilbert. I challenged him to be physical, be a better tackler, and I think he’s rose to that challenge. Some missed tackles through the season, but not nearly as many as he had in the past.
“His preparation that started back in camp is the turning point I saw for a guy that was hungry to study opponents… You see it in his game and how he plays and how he just communicates throughout that whole defense, gives that defense a sense of it, makes them more comfortable out there because of his ability to call things out.”
