Spoke to sources about everything around the team and recruiting. Some quick notes:

- The mood around the team is angry. No excuse-making or rationalization, even though they have a lot of respect for Wake Forest. Everybody knows the second half sucked and they need to get a lot better.

- The best way to describe the OL situation is "fluid." They need to find the best 5, and what we've seen so far isn't it. Based on what Mario said on WQAM, and what I've heard independently, the focus seems to be more on the guards than center or tackle. I would expect to see some different combinations this weekend. I've talked a lot about Ben Congdon and Jackson Cantwell, because they split the first-team RG reps all camp. But one young name to watch is Rhys Woodrow. He already has a ton of responsibility in punt protection and has C/G versatility. Canon Pickett is another guy who can get in the mix with the other three.

The concern with most freshmen (especially the big guys) is they may dominate on two reps and whiff badly on a third. And the that whiff could change the season. With that said, we aren't getting consistency from the older players, and they're only second-year guys themselves. Bottom line- this is a work in progress and I expect to see tinkering until it's playoff caliber.

- They're being extremely tight-lipped about injuries, although I don't sense a ton of concern aside from Marty Brown and Josh Moore. Those two are heartbreakers. Two names Miami wants to see step up in their place: Jordan Lyle and Somourian Wingo.

- Ezekiel Marcelin's injury was ill-timed because we need more at LB. I don't think those two starting spots are set in stone all year.

- In terms of recruiting, Miami is very purposeful in terms of watching senior film and grading their own prospects. Some guys who have really impressed: QB Israel Abrams, RB Ty Keys, WRs Nick Lennear and Eli Woodard, ATH A'mir Sears, DE Jaiden Bryant, DL Josh Johnson, LB Noah Glover and CB Sherrod Gourdine.

- There is no secret that the staff still wants to make another big splash in 2027. Three names stand above the rest: OT Mark Matthews, DE DJ Jacobs and TE Jaxon Dollar. Miami finished second for all three and will continue to push aggressively until the final whistle.

 

I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone with what I’m reading about the oline thinking. “The concern with most freshmen (especially the big guys) is they may dominate on two reps and whiff badly on a third. And the that whiff could change the season”…SJ is whiffing CONSTANTLY. Mensah got dinged on a play SJ got blown up, Fletcher and the other backs are facing hits from unblocked linebackers, etc. and that’s the rationale?!? Bull****.

Whiffing more than Rob Deer in his prime...

 

I'm all for but let's not pretend he didn't completely fail to wrap up on the 4th down tackle short of the sticks.

I could’ve sworn that was Toure

 

If Mario and staff are smart they have an entire team of people just watching film and evaluating weekly so that when these guys jump in, we already know and can pull trigger immediately
I definitely feel like we were behind the 8 ball this year w the playoff run….hopefully Mario learned and we have a better process this year.

I assume we will as Mario has shown growth as a football coach and program operator

How?

 

If that’s grueling, that’s embarrassing and we better just accept staying in the ACC lol

It doesn’t get easier than that in October anywhere. Including most ACC teams

Praying 10 makes it out alive

 

Fletcher and the other backs are facing hits from unblocked linebackers, etc. and that’s the rationale?!? Bull****.

Wait till yall finally all figure out that that being used as the justification not to play pringle on passing downs is a joke, especially considering how great he is in the open field with the ball in his hands and how effective he is on dumpoffs.

 

Punting the ball right down the middle then horrible coverage. Alot of it caused by outkicking the coverage. Then an idiotic decision to kick a long fg with a suspect kicker who's never made a 50 yard field goal in two years. The awful ST's is even more alarming after the catastrophe in the title game. Whatever time they're spending on it isn't nearly enough. Also tackling as a whole has been bad on D and ST"s.

I didn’t know anything about this kicker history. I just thought a 50 yard field goal would’ve been a chip shot with the current kickers around football today

 

I could’ve sworn that was Toure

It was. I was wrong in my initial post.

 

Wait till yall finally all figure out that that being used as the justification not to play pringle on passing downs is a joke, especially considering how great he is in the open field with the ball in his hands and how effective he is on dumpoffs.

If he's so great in the open field why does he absolutely suck at KOR?

 

On the postive end while everyone has been kinda crapping on Lofton - especially after those incompletions targeting him deep, I think he's been signficantly improved to start this season vs how he looked to start last season. By end of last season he was slightly improved at blocking vs the start. And I think he's already been blocking better than last year. Plus I still think had he never gotten hurt and Bauman gotten in we probably don't even lose the Natty.

HOWEVER Dawson is still using too much 11 and 12. I want more 10. Also not every single ******* time we are in 12 we need Ruskavich in.... And I actually think he's been quite good as a blocker! But seriously why the **** isn't Mueller getting burn?

At least TE doesn't look like a major liability like it potentially could have been entering this year, especially after the gilbert acl injury due to depth.

 

If he's so great in the open field why does he absolutely suck at KOR?

why would that be any ways the same, and how does he suck there....lmao

 

Honest question....do you see a lot of top teams rotating 7 WR's ?

i didnt say it prior to season but our rotations of 4 guys seem really tight, when the room was reported deep and one of most talented in nation

 

why would that be any ways the same, and how does he suck there....lmao

He's been semi-injured and it's still very early but he's not exactly Jahmyr Gibbs

14 carries for 38 yds for a 2.7 avg and a long of 8 yds.

On KOR he has done nothing averaging 17.8 yds per return. That would have qualified him for 85/138 in the country last year.

 

i didnt say it prior to season but our rotations of 4 guys seem really tight, when the room was reported deep and one of most talented in nation

I dont think top teams rotate more than 5 WR's. Its not a video game. The QB has the most timing and rhythm with the the top 4 or 5 guys. It's not realistic IMO.

 

I dont think top teams rotate more than 5 WR's. Its not a video game. The QB has the most timing and rhythm with the the top 4 or 5 guys. It's not realistic IMO.

I didnt say it before camp

 

I didn’t know anything about this kicker history. I just thought a 50 yard field goal would’ve been a chip shot with the current kickers around football today

54 yards to be exact

 

Spoke to sources about everything around the team and recruiting. Some quick notes:

- The mood around the team is angry. No excuse-making or rationalization, even though they have a lot of respect for Wake Forest. Everybody knows the second half sucked and they need to get a lot better.

- The best way to describe the OL situation is "fluid." They need to find the best 5, and what we've seen so far isn't it. Based on what Mario said on WQAM, and what I've heard independently, the focus seems to be more on the guards than center or tackle. I would expect to see some different combinations this weekend. I've talked a lot about Ben Congdon and Jackson Cantwell, because they split the first-team RG reps all camp. But one young name to watch is Rhys Woodrow. He already has a ton of responsibility in punt protection and has C/G versatility. Canon Pickett is another guy who can get in the mix with the other three.

The concern with most freshmen (especially the big guys) is they may dominate on two reps and whiff badly on a third. And the that whiff could change the season. With that said, we aren't getting consistency from the older players, and they're only second-year guys themselves. Bottom line- this is a work in progress and I expect to see tinkering until it's playoff caliber.

- They're being extremely tight-lipped about injuries, although I don't sense a ton of concern aside from Marty Brown and Josh Moore. Those two are heartbreakers. Two names Miami wants to see step up in their place: Jordan Lyle and Somourian Wingo.

- Ezekiel Marcelin's injury was ill-timed because we need more at LB. I don't think those two starting spots are set in stone all year.

- In terms of recruiting, Miami is very purposeful in terms of watching senior film and grading their own prospects. Some guys who have really impressed: QB Israel Abrams, RB Ty Keys, WRs Nick Lennear and Eli Woodard, ATH A'mir Sears, DE Jaiden Bryant, DL Josh Johnson, LB Noah Glover and CB Sherrod Gourdine.

- There is no secret that the staff still wants to make another big splash in 2027. Three names stand above the rest: OT Mark Matthews, DE DJ Jacobs and TE Jaxon Dollar. Miami finished second for all three and will continue to push aggressively until the final whistle.

And SJ is not going to get Mensah hurt?

 

I didnt say it before camp

That doesn't mean we don't have a deep room with talented young players. I think you saw that in the scrimmage (FAMU)
My point is that just because during the real game we mainly play 4 to 5 WR's it doesn't mean they are not a talent young room.
Regardless I'm sure we will see one of the young WR's get more meaningful reps.

 

“Until it’s playoff caliber”

 

Forcing a <1% outlier build player to guard, both our experienced guards to Tackles, and the #1 recruit and OT in the nation into a guard

Haven't seen it put this succinctly. Yikes.

 

People were saying the same exact **** last year about the OL not being able to move people in the run game. Preaching our funeral. Season is over, blah blah blah. Then after the SMU game we had a players only meeting and everything changed.

Maybe they need another one before it gets to the point of actually blowing games.