Names going under the radar during fall camp

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With week three of fall camp officially underway and a second scrimmage pending later this week, @DMoney and Ahmmon Richards broke down big-picture talking points from their EXCLUSIVE access during Miami's Fall Camp.

And while the same standout names continued to impress, the duo broke down three players who've flown under the radar and what their status looks like.

Jamal Meriweather is a name to remember on the offensive line.

Meriweather is the offensive tackle out of Brunswick, Ga. — same hometown as former Cane Deejay Dallas — who transferred in from Georgia and dealt with injuries in the spring.

He wasn't a finished product when he arrived, and that's the point. Georgia fired offensive line coach Stacy Searels during Meriweather's time there, and while Georgia is a premier program, the infrastructure wasn't there for Meriweather to develop.

"[Meriweather] is an upside portal guy," Richards said. "He wasn't coached very well at Georgia."

The comparison that came up at a different position: Adrian Colbert, a talented Texas transfer who didn't play much before arriving at Miami and went on to a real NFL career once the staff got their hands on him.

Nobody's promising that outcome for Meriweather. But the physical tools are there, and Miami's line coaches have a track record of finding it. Keep an eye on his development as a project guy.

On the same wavelength as Meriweather, fans get nervous when the name Scroggins isn't brought up.

Herbert Scroggins — "Third" Scroggins — is working his way back from injury. Not out or anything, but he was working his way back, and now you're seeing him really push for playing time to be that fourth defensive end (Wilson, Lightfoot, Blount).

I think Scroggins, when healthy, is the favorite by a wide margin there. He played in the scrimmage — Mario talked about how he played in the scrimmage; he was seen at practice today — so he's pushed past that threshold. He's part of practice, team drills, hitting, all that stuff now.

Depth wins in October and November, not August, and a healthy Scroggins who already has meaningful snaps from a national title run last season gives this room a real fourth option instead of a hope.

On the offensive side, Vance Spafford appears to be getting more comfortable as days stack.

The freshman adjustment period hit Spafford hard in the spring. Greentree in the summer heat is a different animal than high school football, and Richards has watched him fight through it rep by rep.

"The routes are there, the speed is there," Richards said. "He's been a guy that's just stacking days and it's a noticeable difference from spring to now."

He looks to have put on some good strength, giving him some ability to play through contact. And while it still isn't perfect, Spafford is starting to show the 4.3 speed that made him such a valued recruit — and demonstrating his confidence in the system.

Watch the full breakdown with even more VIP insight from fall camp below:

 

Comments (15)

We heard about meriweather and nothing about Buchanan in a while? Very interesting
 
I don’t know Meriweather very well but we talked a bit last August when Georgia was in Fall camp. Good dude. Seemed happy at the time. His biggest issue was needing to get skronger.
That's some Stacey Searels technique if I've ever heard it.
 
Still shocking that UGA actually failed a class or two of OL. DL, OL, and DBs have always been prioritized over the other positions. Just shows that once everyone can pay, let’s see just how good you really are.
 
And it’s about a half million dollars to obtain a 4 yr degree at my Alma Mayer by now- so the views ought to be million dollar ones!
That campus doesn’t resemble the late 80’s campus I attended- it’s like a resort now
Former HC Mark Richt said the same thing, once, he became HC! He hadn't been back to Miami campus since college in 1982. He saw the current campus in 2016 and he was flabagastic. The campus, the surrounding area and the rest of South Florida is a selling point to national recruits!
 
"Wasnt coached very well at Georgia" **** I love the offseason, pre-season shade thrown at poorly coached hype teams.
 
And it’s about a half million dollars to obtain a 4 yr degree at my Alma Mayer by now- so the views ought to be million dollar ones!
That campus doesn’t resemble the late 80’s campus I attended- it’s like a resort now
Should’ve been there in the early 70’s. Some parts of campus were like an abandoned military base. Dismantled radar buildings and wooden barrack like buildings. My P.E. Classes were in some of those leftovers. Still, it was a great experience, real small college feeling. But, the 70’s saw a lot of expansion and growth that would change the U forever. Starting with opening the Ratt on campus Bar and restaurant.😹
 
I guess it’s a matter of timing and perspective— progress if you will…. I have to admit it’s a beautiful campus- looks like a sprawling 5 star resort compared to what we experienced
 
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