**Center commit Rhys Woodrow is a prospect flying under-the-radar nationally, but heavily appreciated by Miami’s staff. He’s been described to me as an athletic freak who Canes coaches believe is just scratching the surface. He certainly has the genes – I haven’t seen this posted anywhere but Rhys’ father, James Woodrow, was a 5th-round pick for the San Francisco Giants in 1995 as a 6-6, 240 pound right-handed pitcher. Canes think they’ve got a potentially special one here.
**NDSU RB transfer CharMar Brown is staking his claim as maybe the “most mentioned” Canes player this offseason from people around the building. Miami’s running back room is in a great spot with Brown who is asserting himself not just as the third back behind Jordan Lyle and Mark Fletcher, but as a player who could emerge as a 100-plus carries type for the Canes this season. With certain transfers, you can sense there is an understanding a player might be a stopgap or one-year “bandaid”, but I get the feeling that Miami envisions Brown as a real building block for the offense even after this year.
**As DMoney noted throughout Spring, Marquise Lightfoot’s decision to stay at Miami could end up being the most significant retainment of the offseason. Some would say that Lightfoot was the biggest headache for the Canes offense this spring, with his twitchy pass rush ability giving a much different look for the offensive tackles to deal with.
Hayden Lowe must be mentioned here as well. From the moment he stepped on campus, nobody questioned the physical side of things. He looked the part and his practice physicality matched the optics. Often times with talented freshmen, there are questions about why XYZ player isn’t on the field yet and the answer is normally that they have not acclimated mentally, don’t have a full understanding of the scheme, etc — that is not the case with Lowe. People are extremely impressed with how the young man carries himself inside and outside of the building. I will take it even a step further…
There could be an argument made that both Lightfoot and true freshman Hayden Lowe are already amongst Miami’s best 4 defensive linemen on the roster — of course this needs to show itself once the games begin, but that was a feeling coming out of springs and projecting into the season. The front pairings will be very interesting to watch in this Corey Hetherman defense.
**A young player who has made pleasing weight room progress this summer — freshman OL Jaden Wilkerson. Similarly to Juan Minaya last year, the initial spring adjustment from HS as an early enrollee was not necessarily a smooth one, but he’s showing the traits that made him highly desirable by Alex Mirabal out of Edgewater HS in Orlando. He entered Miami in the 6-6, 330-335 range with good feet and the sheer frame associated with a blue-chip lineman recruit. Whereas Minaya’s progress came during the season with the scout team, Wilkerson’s physical progress the last couple months has caught people’s attention. Realistically we understand that this is not a player expected to see significant snaps this season, but one to watch for the future no doubt.
**Safety Devin Jackson’s communication with Miami has dwindled significantly in the last week or so. That one is done and dusted. One of the more disappointing misses of the cycle considering the lack of quality options at the position right now.
**OL Breck Kolojay is the only remaining target at the position and it continues to be a Miami-Georgia battle despite recent USC and Tennessee visits. The Tennessee visit was more of a surprise to Miami, but Georgia is still the program they’re battling hardest here. The feeling initially was that he would pull the trigger for Miami a week or two after his official visit, but the longer this stretches, the more doubt creeps in from UM’s perspective.
**There is tremendous confidence in Rutgers transfer LB Mo Toure as he returns from the knee injury that sidelined him all of last season. He looks explosive and primed to roll this season. I’ve heard from multiple sources that Rutgers certainly tried their best to keep him around, including a nice NIL package. He is ecstatic to be working with Corey Hetherman again – the main factor in his transfer to Miami.
**Although listed at 230 pounds on recruiting sites, recent Canes commit Asharri Charles is currently 240+ pounds. I mentioned on the CanesInSight Daily Podcast last week that Miami sees him as a player with a ton of positional versatility – not only as an edge rusher, but with a frame that could allow him to play an explosive 3-tech role on the interior of the line.
