Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry had an immediate impact on Miami’s defense last year, as the unit rose from #66 to #48 nationally (+18) in scoring defense and from #80 to #36 (+44) in yards per play. He went in-depth after Friday’s practice about the unit’s continued progress:
On the defensive backs: “We've got some new additions, Meesh Powell and Savion Riley. Then we got a couple freshmen who are doing good. Zaquan Patterson and Dylan Day. So a little bit of growing pains for the young guys, but I think they're making some plays. Today, Dylan Day had a good day. Yesterday, he didn't. And Zaquan probably had a better day yesterday."
"The other guys are catching on pretty good. Meesh is probably playing the strongest out of the guys that just came in. But yeah, really pleased. Just a little thin at a couple spots.”
On Meesh Powell: “He's really, really smart. He's played a lot of ball games, including the biggest ball game in college football. So there's not a lot that he hasn't seen. It's just he's trying to adjust the terminology and a couple of different things the way we play it. But he's gonna be a really good, really impact player for us.”
On CB depth: “We’ve got a couple injuries, which is hurting us right now. I think we're down to maybe four corners. So anytime you're down to four corners, you start to get tired and we're having to use a couple of safeties to play with the three. Hopefully, we'll get [Damari] Brown back after the spring. We’ve got a couple of freshmen that aren't here yet. We'll add some depth if we need to in this offseason. I feel good, but right now it's not good. We're a little thin.”
On Chevis Jackson: “I had two cornerback coaches while I was at Marshall. First guy left, and then we had a chance to hire whoever we wanted that was available, and I kind of knew Chevis from when he played at LSU. He'd been coached by Corey Raymond, Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Bo Pelini, all those guys. He came from a good pedigree, played in the NFL, and then I saw it firsthand.”
“Our corners probably played the best at Marshall that year, my last year there, so I know what he can do. And he's already made a difference with our corners here. A really good teacher, very motivated guy, and I think he'll do a good job recruiting.”
On Jaden Harris and Savion Riley as first-teamers (with Powell at nickel): “Doing good. Harris is probably the most improved player on the defense right now. He's got a lot of confidence. He's not sitting behind two older guys. Right now, he's playing the boundary safety (James Williams’s position last year), but I'm going to move him to some field safety as well and keep swapping him and Savion and just add those young guys in there as well.”
“Savion's long, he's got good top-end speed. Right now he's trying to learn everything. He's a little tired today, kind of got on him. We're getting a little thin. But he's smart, he's rangy, and he's a really good tackler. That’s what we saw when he played at Vanderbilt.”
On whether Powell is strictly a nickel: “No, he's a field safety as well. So when we play base, where we bring the SAM backer in, he'll play the free safety. But when we go to nickel, he becomes the nickel.”
On whether any other DB can move to corner: Dylan Day's one of the guys that's been playing out there. He has a chance, but he's young. Right now, he's playing nickel, free safety and corner. He's playing a lot of reps at a lot of different positions. He's probably the only one inside that I think could do it. Maybe Markeith Williams. He's been doing well, too. Markeith's having a good first three days, so really excited about him as well.
On Jadais Richard: “He's doing good. We've been holding a little bit, so we tried to put the oven mitts on to keep him from holding. He's the most improved corner from the fall. Coach Jackson was kind of a tall corner when he played, so he kind of relates to him.”
On the continuity in the defense: “Most of the guys know the defense, which is good. You're not having to install a whole new defense. Of course, we hired a defensive back coach that already knows the system. So I didn't have to teach the defensive back coach the system. It's a lot better. It's a lot cleaner. We've had a really three good days. The quarterback [Cam Ward] is really hard to defend. He's going to be a really good football player. He extends plays. I'm really excited. I like where we're at. But we need to make a step further when we come back from spring break.”
On the LB who made the most improvement: “Probably Popo [Aguirre]. Popo's running with the ones. I also think Wesley's improved drastically. Kiko [Mauigoa] is not going right now, so they're getting a lot of reps. I think Bobby Washington will do well. And keep your eyes on Bobby [Cameron] Pruitt. That guy's going to be a really good football player. So excited about those guys. You know, each and every week one guy improves and we'll go from there.”
On EDGE transfer Elijah Alston: “Very fast kid, kind of like a big linebacker. He's going to rush the passer well. Knows the system. Another guy that's familiar with it, so he didn't have to learn a lot. I think he'll make a big impact. If you look at his highlights from at Marshall last year, probably was his best year. I had him a couple years ago. My last year there, he was kind of beat up a little bit. He had a bad ankle. The year before, he was a lot more productive. But last year, he was off the charts. So yeah, I think he'll make a big impact as well.”
On DT transfers CJ Clark and Marley Cook: “CJ had a pick six today. Marley is doing really well. Marley's a little bit shorter, compact guy, but he's a big effort guy. He was a wrestler throughout high school, really strong kid with great leverage. So excited about both of those additions.”
On where he’d like to see the most improvement from last season: “Just making fewer mistakes schematically, gap fits, coverage stuff, quarterbacks scrambling and staying on our routes. That’s what we call plastering. Our quarterback's doing a good job of extending plays, so we're having to stay in coverage longer. That is good because it's going to happen [in games]. We didn't play the run well against Rutgers. You got to stop them and just get the guys tackled and start the chains again. You always got a chance.”
On the 3-3-5 formation: “It just depends on what our numbers look like. I'm trying to get the best players on the field. We're doing a lot of the same things with four down [linemen] because a guy like Elijah Alston can do that. A guy like Marquise Lightfoot can do that. Trying to stay as multiple as we can with the same personnel, that way the offense don't know we're changing personnel and what's coming.”
On defending Cam Ward: “It's tough. He's going to be a really good football player. He's very poised. You can't rattle him. He's seen everything before. He's got something to him. You can tell he's a natural leader. He likes to compete. I think he can win a bunch of ballgames for us.”
On how Cam Ward helps the defense: “It helps us when you got a quarterback that's athletic and moves around. You got to stay in coverage longer. It changes your pass rush lanes to where you can't just free rush on a guy. It’s going to help us. Right now, we're probably not as good as we want to be because of him. Because you know that, first of all, we can't tackle him. We know that. But another thing, he's moving in and out of the pocket, and you're having to adjust your lane. He's making it tough on us, but it'll make us a better defense. I really believe that.”
On Reuben Bain: “Just stay healthy. He did a great job in the weight room. He looks good. He's gained some weight, but he's still explosive and fast. He's strong. Just trying to get him to the fall, get him to Saturday. I think that he's probably got a little bit better pass rush moves right now than he had. He's been working on them, you can tell. I'm excited to see what kind of year he can have. Get a guy back like [Akheem] Mesidor, really help him on the other side, along with Elijah, and maybe a couple more additions. It'll free up Reuben a lot more.”
On whether Bain will be a DE or DT: “He'll stay at defensive end for us. I mean, I won't move him because he brings a different dynamic there. Depends who drafts him, if he gets drafted. He goes to a 3-4 system. I can see him playing a 4. He can play outside, but I think he'll end up being inside on that level. I think he'll end up being a 3-tech. If you ask me, I'm not saying he can't play outside, but if you ask me what I think he is, truthfully, I think he's probably going to be a great 3-tech in the NFL.”
On whether Zaquan Patterson can make a similar impact as a freshman as Bain: “With a defensive lineman, it's a little bit easier. You can kind of pin your ears back and go. But on the back end, if you mess up, it's a touchdown. So Zaquan’s got a taller task. Usually safeties, it takes him probably about a year and a half, a year, getting something underneath him. But we're going to try and speed him up, see what he can do. But he definitely has the skill sets to be a difference maker, no doubt.”
