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The Miami defense in 2021 wasn't exactly up to par. To put it bluntly the defense was an unmitigated disaster, an abortion, a **** show and quite frankly an utter embarrassment to the program and it's proud tradition on defense. It was a gigantic relief to us the fans when head coach/defensive coordinator Manny Diaz finally got fired. His aggressive yet fundamentally unsound, undisciplined and super gimmicky defense had run it's course. Diaz's reckless yet soft defense was completely devoid of any substance whatsoever and he had been figured out by just about every OC with a pulse. Penalties galore, the worst display of tackling in program history, and a red zone defense ranked dead last out of 130 teams were but a few examples of how terrible roster management, poor recruiting, lack of accountability, overall cluelessness and plain incompetence all came together in a perfect storm to exemplify a Manny Diaz coached team. There was that turnover chain though. Now that Diaz is gone along with his cuck enabler Blake James (who somehow managed to impersonate a real P5 Athletic Director for about 7-8 years and get paid for it), having been replaced by Mario Cristobal and Dan Radakovich respectively we the fans and our once proud program can finally move on.
As bad as things were defensively, there are some very talented foundational type players that the next defensive coordinator can most certainly build on. We do lack talent at certain positions and depth almost all over the defense. It will take the new staff two more recruiting classes after 2022 plus portal additions to get this defense back to having the overall talent and depth that is necessary to have a truly elite level defense. Thanks to some elite and extremely talented players however, it shouldn't take too long for the new DC to have this unit back to competitive respectability. Let's take a look at those players. In no particular order...
1. DT Leonard Taylor. The foundation of any good defense is in the trenches specifically at the DT spots. Taylor is one of those rare talents at DT that combine great size and strength with freakish athleticism, speed, lateral quickness, short area explosion, the flexibility to bend, get low, get skinny and a devastating first step. Taylor has all the tools needed to be a star at this level. Taylor received a good amount of playing time as a true freshman and he flashed the aforementioned athletic traits quite often. Now with that freshman year under his belt and a full off-season of conditioning and getting coached Taylor should take a huge step toward becoming that dominating DT that everyone knows he can be.
2. Safety James Williams. At 6'5" 220 lbs Williams is hard to miss when he is in the game. Williams did not arrive until the Summer right before Fall camp and even then he was impossible to keep off the field. JW is a fascinating prospect in that at his size he has the type of freakish athleticism that allows him to not only have the potential to be a great safety but to be able to line up all over the defense and play a variety of different roles. Williams combines that athleticism with uncanny instincts and elite pursuit. One of the reasons that I am so excited to see who our next DC is going to be is because a player with the size, athleticism and instincts of James Williams has the potential to be used in so many different ways. With Diaz at DC that potential would have been wasted. However with an intelligent and experienced DC there are a myriad of ways to use an elite talent like JW. Williams does need to learn to be disciplined in the way he channels his aggression. I look for James Williams to have a breakout year in 2022.
3. Safety Avantae Williams. Another stud in Miami's young but super talented safety corps. Avantae Williams sat out the season in 2020 with an injury so he was a true freshman in 2021 for all practical intents and purposes. AW missed the first 6 games in 2021 due to suspension. Williams played sparingly during the last half of the season but still managed to make plays that showed why he was the No.1 Safety in the nation in the 2020 class. Williams is a classic single high type safety who plays the game at mach speed. He is very aggressive especially against the run. Williams loves to come screaming downhill from his safety position to severely punish ball carriers. Williams posseses excellent speed and range with instincts to match. His highlight reel interception vs Georgia Tech was a perfect example of the types of plays AW is capable of making. He is still very young and it is early in his development so he must overcome his habit of playing out of control. Like most elite level talents I expect Avantae to improve significantly going into his sophomore year.
4. Safety Kamren Kinchens. Another safety on this list says a lot about the type of talent we have at the position. Kinchens may not posses the type of freakish physical traits that the other 2 have but make no mistake. Kamren Kinchens can play. KK has brings a football IQ that is off the charts together with uncanny instincts and an elite work ethic. Kinchens has been described as a Jaquan Johnson type with better physical skills and athletic talent and I would certainly agree with that. I look for KK to be a leader in the secondary and in the locker room.
5. LB Chase Smith. A natural and explosive athlete with great length Chase Smith is capable of playing multiple positions but his best position is at OLB. Smith didn't get much playing time until very late in the season and as soon as he did you just knew that he should have been playing from the beginning. He is an aggressive players who literally explodes out of his stance. Very little wasted motion together with great instincts make Chase Smith a player to watch. He made a TFL vs Duke that no other LB on the roster could have made. It's very early in his career but I fully expect Smith to win one of the starting LB jobs next season. The sky is the limit.
6. DE/DT Elijah Roberts. At 6'3" 285 Roberts is a plus athlete with a great motor and short area explosion. He has a quick first step with the natural bend and flexibility that one would expect in a DE but in the body of a 3Tech DT which I believe is his most natural position. Roberts shows good strength and hand usage but needs to improve overall core strength and power especially lower body strength. ER has not played much to this point in his career but I would expect him to have a new lease on things with the new coaching staff coming in. This off-season will be huge for Roberts as he will have the opportunity to make a great 1st impression on the new staff.
7. DT Jared Harrison Hunte. A natural 3 tech, Jared Harrison Hunte has good athleticism and explosion with a strong lower body. Hunte plays with good leverage and knee bend and ability to disengage from OL to make plays. Plays lighter than his listed weight and is able to generate a good pass rush. Hunte didn't produce as much as expected this year in large part because of the drop off from last year in level of DE play. Hunte is a solid to good player who could develop into more with the right DC.
8. LB Sam Brooks. Deluxe athlete possessing great speed and elite explosiveness who has had his career derailed by nagging injuries. Played a decent amount as a true freshman in 2019 impressing with his tremendous closing burst, speed and playmaking ability. Unfortunately for Y it has been one nagging injury after another since then. Last year it was a shoulder. This year a foot injury. The good news being that neither injury should have any kind of long term effect on his ability to play. If Brooks can finally get healthy he should get every opportunity with the new staff.
There's no way around it. This defense has huge holes in it. Particularly at CB and LB but the talent level and depth on the DL is nothing special either. There are some good solid players not listed above like Keontra Smith, Gil Frierson, Chantz Williams, Jahfari Harvey, Marcus Clarke etc ... The problem is there aren't enough of them. This defense needs a serious infusion of high end talent at CB, LB, DT and DE. That much is obvious. The return of Tyrique Stevenson and Nesta Silvera would be huge.
Where do we start? We start with a new DC and a new identity on defense. We start by ending the Coral Gables Country Club that was masquerading as practice. We start by demanding accountibility, by teaching our kids rock solid fundamentals, by preaching gap integrity and discipline. We start by hitting in practice.
As bad as things were defensively, there are some very talented foundational type players that the next defensive coordinator can most certainly build on. We do lack talent at certain positions and depth almost all over the defense. It will take the new staff two more recruiting classes after 2022 plus portal additions to get this defense back to having the overall talent and depth that is necessary to have a truly elite level defense. Thanks to some elite and extremely talented players however, it shouldn't take too long for the new DC to have this unit back to competitive respectability. Let's take a look at those players. In no particular order...
1. DT Leonard Taylor. The foundation of any good defense is in the trenches specifically at the DT spots. Taylor is one of those rare talents at DT that combine great size and strength with freakish athleticism, speed, lateral quickness, short area explosion, the flexibility to bend, get low, get skinny and a devastating first step. Taylor has all the tools needed to be a star at this level. Taylor received a good amount of playing time as a true freshman and he flashed the aforementioned athletic traits quite often. Now with that freshman year under his belt and a full off-season of conditioning and getting coached Taylor should take a huge step toward becoming that dominating DT that everyone knows he can be.
2. Safety James Williams. At 6'5" 220 lbs Williams is hard to miss when he is in the game. Williams did not arrive until the Summer right before Fall camp and even then he was impossible to keep off the field. JW is a fascinating prospect in that at his size he has the type of freakish athleticism that allows him to not only have the potential to be a great safety but to be able to line up all over the defense and play a variety of different roles. Williams combines that athleticism with uncanny instincts and elite pursuit. One of the reasons that I am so excited to see who our next DC is going to be is because a player with the size, athleticism and instincts of James Williams has the potential to be used in so many different ways. With Diaz at DC that potential would have been wasted. However with an intelligent and experienced DC there are a myriad of ways to use an elite talent like JW. Williams does need to learn to be disciplined in the way he channels his aggression. I look for James Williams to have a breakout year in 2022.
3. Safety Avantae Williams. Another stud in Miami's young but super talented safety corps. Avantae Williams sat out the season in 2020 with an injury so he was a true freshman in 2021 for all practical intents and purposes. AW missed the first 6 games in 2021 due to suspension. Williams played sparingly during the last half of the season but still managed to make plays that showed why he was the No.1 Safety in the nation in the 2020 class. Williams is a classic single high type safety who plays the game at mach speed. He is very aggressive especially against the run. Williams loves to come screaming downhill from his safety position to severely punish ball carriers. Williams posseses excellent speed and range with instincts to match. His highlight reel interception vs Georgia Tech was a perfect example of the types of plays AW is capable of making. He is still very young and it is early in his development so he must overcome his habit of playing out of control. Like most elite level talents I expect Avantae to improve significantly going into his sophomore year.
4. Safety Kamren Kinchens. Another safety on this list says a lot about the type of talent we have at the position. Kinchens may not posses the type of freakish physical traits that the other 2 have but make no mistake. Kamren Kinchens can play. KK has brings a football IQ that is off the charts together with uncanny instincts and an elite work ethic. Kinchens has been described as a Jaquan Johnson type with better physical skills and athletic talent and I would certainly agree with that. I look for KK to be a leader in the secondary and in the locker room.
5. LB Chase Smith. A natural and explosive athlete with great length Chase Smith is capable of playing multiple positions but his best position is at OLB. Smith didn't get much playing time until very late in the season and as soon as he did you just knew that he should have been playing from the beginning. He is an aggressive players who literally explodes out of his stance. Very little wasted motion together with great instincts make Chase Smith a player to watch. He made a TFL vs Duke that no other LB on the roster could have made. It's very early in his career but I fully expect Smith to win one of the starting LB jobs next season. The sky is the limit.
6. DE/DT Elijah Roberts. At 6'3" 285 Roberts is a plus athlete with a great motor and short area explosion. He has a quick first step with the natural bend and flexibility that one would expect in a DE but in the body of a 3Tech DT which I believe is his most natural position. Roberts shows good strength and hand usage but needs to improve overall core strength and power especially lower body strength. ER has not played much to this point in his career but I would expect him to have a new lease on things with the new coaching staff coming in. This off-season will be huge for Roberts as he will have the opportunity to make a great 1st impression on the new staff.
7. DT Jared Harrison Hunte. A natural 3 tech, Jared Harrison Hunte has good athleticism and explosion with a strong lower body. Hunte plays with good leverage and knee bend and ability to disengage from OL to make plays. Plays lighter than his listed weight and is able to generate a good pass rush. Hunte didn't produce as much as expected this year in large part because of the drop off from last year in level of DE play. Hunte is a solid to good player who could develop into more with the right DC.
8. LB Sam Brooks. Deluxe athlete possessing great speed and elite explosiveness who has had his career derailed by nagging injuries. Played a decent amount as a true freshman in 2019 impressing with his tremendous closing burst, speed and playmaking ability. Unfortunately for Y it has been one nagging injury after another since then. Last year it was a shoulder. This year a foot injury. The good news being that neither injury should have any kind of long term effect on his ability to play. If Brooks can finally get healthy he should get every opportunity with the new staff.
There's no way around it. This defense has huge holes in it. Particularly at CB and LB but the talent level and depth on the DL is nothing special either. There are some good solid players not listed above like Keontra Smith, Gil Frierson, Chantz Williams, Jahfari Harvey, Marcus Clarke etc ... The problem is there aren't enough of them. This defense needs a serious infusion of high end talent at CB, LB, DT and DE. That much is obvious. The return of Tyrique Stevenson and Nesta Silvera would be huge.
Where do we start? We start with a new DC and a new identity on defense. We start by ending the Coral Gables Country Club that was masquerading as practice. We start by demanding accountibility, by teaching our kids rock solid fundamentals, by preaching gap integrity and discipline. We start by hitting in practice.
