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FOOTBALL TEAM
**There seems to be confusion about the redshirt policy every year. If a student-athlete plays a single snap, their eligibility clock is ticking and they can no longer redshirt for that season. The medical redshirt comes into play at the end of a player’s eligibility where a student-athlete may apply for another year if they sustained a season-ending injury during one of their seasons and played less than 30% of the snaps during that season. Having said that, let’s talk a look at the freshman class to see their progress:
--Artie Burns: The cornerback from Miami Northwestern has played in both games this season. He has seen time on special teams as well as at corner against FAU, where he made a couple nice plays late in that game. Burns has been named a co-starter for this week’s game, so expect to see more of him in the coming weeks.
--Jamal Carter: Similarly to Burns, expect to see more of Carter over the next two weeks. With Deon Bush’s status still up in the air, Miami is one injury away at the safety position from Carter needing to play meaningful snaps. We saw him play in mop-up duty against FAU in week one, but there is a good chance he sees a lot of snaps this weekend against Savannah State and possibly USF next week.
--Stacy Coley: Coley is another freshman who will be slowly worked into more playing time. After dropping a couple potential big passes against FAU in his first game, Coley was not on the field much against Florida. Coach Golden has stated that Coley will be back in the mix this week and look for James Coley to give him some easy chances in order for him to gain some confidence heading into the meat of the schedule.
--Standish Dobard: The tight end out of Louisiana saw time against FAU, but I don’t expect for him to need to play a lot of meaningful snaps this season. He enrolled in January and was able to get his feet wet, so there wasn’t too much of a need to redshirt, but there is just quality, veteran depth right now at his position between Clive Walford, Asante Cleveland, and Beau Sandland.
--Gus Edwards: Running back is one of the easier transitions from the high school to college level, so ideally Edwards can be a player who gains a larger role as the season progresses. The big back missed some practice time during the fall due to some qualification tie-up, so he is continuing to become more comfortable with the playbook. Edwards got some carries against FAU, but it might be tough for him to supplant two solid veterans in Eduardo Clements and Dallas Crawford as Duke’s back-up.
--Corn Elder: I thought Elder would be a prime candidate for a redshirt this season due to the depth at cornerback, but the two-sport athlete (basketball) had a couple tackles against FAU.
--Alex Figueroa: Most people know by now that Figueroa is already playing a big role in the linebackers unit. He has seen the field a lot in the first two games and made big hits against both FAU and UF. I expect his role to increase as the season goes on due to his versatility.
--Alex Gall: Has not seen the field yet and will most likely redshirt as most suspected before Gall even got to Miami. He has potential to become a very reliable lineman.
--Jermaine Grace: Saw time against FAU at linebacker and has played in both games on special teams. He would have benefitted physically from a redshirt year, but he is ahead of the curve with high football IQ and understanding of the game. A larger role is not out of the question, especially as a 3rd down linebacker in coverage like we’ve seen with Tyrone Cornileus.
--Hunter Knighton: A shoulder injury back during fall practice will force Knighton to miss the entire season. He was not expected to have a huge role on the line this year, but could have provided some depth considering he enrolled early.
--Ray Lewis III: Will most likely redshirt.
--Al-Quadin Muhammad: The highly-touted pass rusher has already seen extensive time as expected. His role probably won’t change much throughout the year.
--Naim Mustafaa: The freshman transfer from Oklahoma State might have had an opportunity to contribute this season if not for having to sit out per NCAA rules.
--Sunny Odogwu: Some expected him to see the field this year as quality depth, but has not thus far. Ideally, he would redshirt, but he is physically ready so there is still a chance we see him.
--Kevin Olsen: Unless something drastic happens, he will redshirt.
--Walter Tucker: Tucker is currently the backup fullback so there is a possibility he sees the field at some point, but I expect him to redshirt.
RECRUITING
**Here are some stats of Miami commits/targets as provided by the Miami Herald:
Joseph Yearby – leads Dade/Broward in rushing with 515 yards on 60 attempts, 8.6 YPC, 4 TD
Jordan Cronkrite – 36 car, 446 yards, 12.4 YPC, 3 TD
Dalvin Cook – 33 car, 363 yards, 11 YPC, 8 TD
Jordan Scarlett – 32 car, 319 yards, 10 YPC, 5 TD
Brandon Powell – Rushing: 21 car, 157 yards, 7.5 YPC 4 TD; Receiving: 3 rec, 62 yards, TD; Defensive: 2 INT for 20 yards
Calvin Ridley – Receiving: 15 rec, 419 yards, 27.9 YPC, TD; Rushing: 9 car, 263 yards, 29.2 YPC, TD
Sam Bruce – 15 rec, 221 yards, 14.7 YPC, 3 TD
Steven Claude – 16 rec, 277 yards, 17.3 YPC, 3 TD
Devonaire Clarington – 11 rec, 171 yards, 15.5 YPC, 4 TD
Da’Vante Phillips – 13 rec, 158 yards, 12.2 YPC, TD
Shawn Burgess – 5 rec, 139 yards, 27.8 YPC, TD
**Demetrius Jackson told me that he has 10 tackles and 4 sacks on the season.
**Brad Kaaya broke his own school record for passing yards in a game last week (434 yards). He had set the record the previous week.
**Tyre Brady is back on the market after de-committing from Kentucky. His talent level intrigues Miami.
**A recruit to watch out for who has legitimate interest in Miami is Georgia product Nick Glass. Glass is a physical safety and Miami is looking to add another one in this class.
**Must-see matchup this week in South Florida? The Miramar corner tandem of Jeff Hill and Tyrek Cole up against STA’s Devante Peete and Corey Holmes.
**I’ve seen some asking about Miami’s chances with Johnnie Dixon since he didn’t visit for the UF game. Don’t look too much into that. Of course, it would have been nice for him to see Miami beat Florida, but he had a visit scheduled to NC State. Remember, former Dwyer QB Jacoby Brissett is at NC State now, so that could explain his sudden interest in them. Alabama is Miami’s biggest threat at the moment.
**Nigel Bethel II told me he will most likely be taking a visit to Texas Tech this weekend. Bethel is enjoying the process and taking his trips, but he is 100% solid to Miami.
**A recruit to continue to track is Freddie Booth-Lloyd. Although Miami is in a good spot with Anthony Moten right now, if things don’t work out there then I’m told Booth-Lloyd could be next in line for an offer. He is having a strong season thus far.
**Braxton Berrios will be announcing his decision within the next few weeks. Nothing has changed here as far as Miami’s chances. He would be a great addition as a slot receiver and it’s obvious Kaaya respects his ability highly.
**This has been a weird recruiting cycle due to the fact that there were so many early commits. What are the main storylines to track as we head towards the stretch recruiting run?
1) Which current commits won’t end up in the class?
--Right now, I have a hard time seeing Trayone Gray sign with Miami, and even if he does, it’s unlikely that he qualifies. Terry McCray was recently offered by LSU, so let’s see if the staff can hold them off considering Ely has been a pipeline for LSU. There’s still a chance Rosier doesn’t end up in the class. There is also talk that Chris Herndon could open things up eventually. Travonte Valentine is reportedly on track to qualify for Miami right now, but that will be something to keep an eye on.
2) Who will the staff pull out of nowhere?
--Each year that Al Golden has been here, he has signed kids who had previously been long shots. In 2011, he got Jalen Grimble. 2012 was Tyriq McCord and last year it was Al-Quadin Muhammad. That’s not to mention under-the-radar guys Golden has snagged like Eddie Johnson, Antonio Crawford, and Alex Figueroa amongst others.
3) Will Miami get back into the mix for Dalvin Cook and Ermon Lane?
--The Dalvin Cook saga has been well documented on our site. I am of the belief the Cook is the most talented player in South Florida and Miami has continued to recruit him. It will be tough to flip him, but if Miami continues winning then anything is possible. Lane is less likely to switch than Cook, but I continue to hear that he is still weighing all of his possible options.
4) How will the defensive line class finish up?
--Nearly all Miami fans who follow recruiting will tell you that they are pleased with the current haul at defensive line, especially considering the disappoint at defensive tackle the last couple of classes. If Miami can finish with Anthony Moten and another Junior College prospect, it would be considered an incredible class.
5) How will the commits perform during their season?
--Due to all of the early commitments, Miami fans can enjoy sitting back and watching their seasons play out. One of the risks of taking commitments so early is making sure they didn’t peak early as prospects, but I don’t see much of a concern there.
