Been doing well! How are you guys doing? I have been busy. Got a new Athletic Director job so it has been a lot of building. It is at a school that hasn't ever had sports, so building something from scratch is quite a lot of infrastructure to build. But it is fun.
When I have time I have been checking out some season previews. You guys are the only opposing board I really got involved in. I guess you all grew on me, lol. You are passionate about your team, just like I am about the Irish. With good reason. You guys look stacked. I personally think college football is better when ND and Miami are good, but I am biased. Do you guys have any question marks about your team going in, or do you think you are pretty loaded everywhere? From the outside looking in, I would guess linebacker maybe? I mean, I know you return Mo Toure (He is a stud), is your other LB back too? I can't remember. Other than that, man, don't see a ton of weaknesses? Is your kicker back? He was tough. Your secondary looks awfully good and your O looks scary. I would say your o line would be a question, but honestly, as long as Mario and Mirabel are in Miami Gardens, I don't think that is a realistic concern. Would you guys agree with that? Would love to hear all your thoughts. And if you want to give me crap, that's cool too, haha. I am on your board, after all...
I'll do my best to answer you position by position from my own personal perspective with zero inside info at all regarding what is actually happening on Greentree or in the Hecht.
QB: Mensah is a stud and has legit Heisman production potential. Back ups are likely not good enough to step in and make a title run but could handle mid level ACC competition if needed
RB: Stacked again, whole room returns
WR: Stacked Toney and Barkate are elite college WRs and we have 5 other guys behind them that could end up (not likely) better than Barkate. We have no clue who of the 5 will emerge, we expect at least 4 of the 5 to play in key moments.
TE: Lofton is ok when healthy and has some playmaker upside. Luka Gilbert is a big mid-west kid, the kind of kid you are used to seeing wearing a gold helmet. Owen Ruskavich is a big in line TE with some catch ability that may get burn to boost the run game if Lofton and/or Gilbert struggle blocking. 2 Freshmen behind them have flashed the traits to be big time players not sure what they will contribute this season.
O-line: McCoy and Okunlola are dominant run blockers with improving pass blocking abilities looking to take the next step. Rodrigues is a tenured player with injury history that will snap for us. He started at G in the 2024 season before getting injured. Depth behind him at center is a bit concerning. Jackson Cantwell is a kind of strong that cannot be described only witnessed. He close grip benched 550lbs for reps at 17 yrs old and he's 6'7''. He has held up well against our high level pass rushers in the spring and he will likely start at LT. Most expect him to have some freshman type hiccups, but he is also going to do some very bad things to guys once his hands are on them. Max Buchanon is a mean and experienced G that will likely start. We have good depth via highschool recruiting and we brought in a UGA transfer that was a depth piece on an o line coached by one of the worst O line coaches in the country. We have 8 or 9 guys that can play and aside from center and LT we are not 100% sure where anyone is actually going to play but the starting 5 is most likely Cantwell Okunlola McCoy Rodrigues and Buchanon.
DT: Stacked Moten and Scott inside with Transfers Jarquez Carter (OSU) and Keona Davis (Nebraska) behind. We expect Scott and Moten to be this year's Bain and Mesidor. Carter was a depth piece at OSU as a freshman and looks good as a big body inside. Keona Davis was forced to play 2 gap at Nebraska and played well in that role but he is more suited to the style he will play with Miami
DE: Stacked Damon Wilson 9.5 sacks for Mizzou in 2025 your traditional long lanky rush end former 5 star. Armondo Blount stout strong end (Bain-like) 5 star with experience and playoff production. Marquise Ligthfoot is a super versatile sneaky explosive LB hybrid type player who has the strength and skill to rush the passer with his hand in the dirt but also can cover the flat and play in space he's a former 5 star with experience and playoff production. Hayden Lowe former 5 star with insane measurables was slated to have a role in the rotation last season then injured his foot he is considered to be a real threat to break out this season, Herbert Scroggins III 4 star that has been productive when on the field
A number of guys have positional versatility, but Davis and Blount are the two guys that have been most commented as dudes who could play inside or outside
LB: Toure you seem to know what he brings to the table. He is now two yrs removed from an ACL tear, so he's expected to display even more athleticism and explosiveness this season. Chase Smith was a 2nd teamer last season with great straight-line speed and physicality. Injury bug and instincts have limited his impact to this pt. He's definitely flashed over his 6-year career with Miami. We shall see if he can put it all together this year and become more consistent. Kamal Bonner will push Smith, he transferred over from NC State prior to last season some buzz about his potential. The rest of the LB room is made up of highly recruited underclassmen that have yet to do anything notable but there are guys in there that have the physical ability to impact the quality and perception of this room. Most of them will presumably have their biggest impact on specials
CB: Everyone returns. When healthy they would rival any room in the country including ND. We will see if they stay healthy.
N: Bryce Fitzgerald has beefed up. He was a freshman AA ballhawk who led the country in picks as freshman and was particularly impactful when he got a chance to play nickel. If we want more violence at that position, we can roll BC transfer Omar Thornton there who is a tone setter with his physicality
S: Zech Poyser returns and will be another physical head hunter in the back. He will be paired with Thornton or Fitz situationally. We have a TF from Kansas named JJ Dunnigan with pro athlete roots that is garnering Reuben Bain Malachi Toney sort of buzz. He is very big and fast and looks like the next bigtime freshman contributor, he has the skills to play all over the field.
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GOCANES
