Two more Miami Hurricanes are forgoing their senior seasons, taking their talents to the NFL. Offensive lineman Brandon Washington and defensive end Olivier Vernon are the latest to bid farewell, joining fellow Cane standouts wideout Tommy Streeter, defensive tackle Marcus Forston and running back Lamar Miller.
Washington is one of nine players to start all twelve games for Miami last season and of the five early departures, is probably the most NFL-ready of the bunch. Washington played thirteen games as a freshman in 2009 and earned a start at South Florida and in the bowl game against Wisconsin.
As a sophomore in 2010 Washington started all thirteen games, earning ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors, grading out at a 95 percent in a loss to Virginia Tech. Washington graded out at a 99 percent earlier in the year in a dominating win over Pittsburgh.
Washington finished the 2011 season with an overall grade of 86 percent, with only five mental errors and three penalties. Of all the early departures to the NFL, the loss of Washington – and his leadership – will arguably hurt the most.
As for Vernon, a much different tale. Suspended six games for involvement with Nevin Shapiro – the most of any current Cane – Vernon has had an up and down career at UM. The potential was always there but seeming never reached.
Vernon played in eleven games as a freshman in 2009, earning starts against Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. As a sophomore Vernon started eleven games and played in all thirteen, placing second on the team in overall sacks and fourth in tackles for loss.
The eagerly-anticipated junior campaign is where the wheels fell off. After missing the first six games, Vernon joined his teammates at 3-3, having missed crucial games against Ohio State, Kansas State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
Upon his return Vernon earned three starts, finished with eighteen tackles and had a season-best performance at Florida State, finishing with five tackles. Vernon also recovered a fumble at Duke.
The message is the same as when Streeter, Forston and Miller left; good luck – but another year would’ve benefited both you and the team. Washington and Miller are the most game-ready, while Streeter, Vernon and especially Forston could’ve boosted their draft stock with a solid 2012 campaign.
That said, it is what it is. After taking over a 7-6 team entering this past season and a program that now sits at 41-35 since the 2005 Peach Bowl, Al Golden will embed himself in his process, recruiting away and building a team full of “his” kids.
Months back Golden mentioned a portion of this squad was reading headlines and feeling they were better than their on-the-field performance and with five early to declare and no sure first rounders, you get the feeling Coach saw something the outside fan didn’t regarding attitude, team chemistry and the true heart of many of his players.
Is Golden cleaning out his closet and pushing kid out? Doubtful. Especially not a Washington, Streeter or Miller. Still, a safe bet he sees the upside of making room for kids that can come give this program three to four years of service, as opposed to more more year in what will arguably be another rebuilding season.
Plus, should sanctions and scholarship losses hang in the balance, better to start stockpiling kids this year, building depth for the coming years. Five extra scholarships will help that.
Five new openings at ‘The U’ in 2012. Come one, come all, talented high school seniors and JUCO transfers. Immediate playing time being offered in Coral Gables. – C.B.
I’m not going to bash these guys leaving early. Both sides do what’s best for them. I wish they would have stayed as well, but I can’t dwell on it. I’m a Cane’s fan and they will always BE Canes. As you pointed out, this frees up two more spots to get some young guys in here to but in and hit the field early like they all want to do. What better place than at The U? I’m buying what Golden is selling if I’m a recruit. This will be a big class and it’s vital we get bigger, stronger and competitive bodies in here.
The dead wood is departing. Praise to the Almighty. None of them mature, dedicated or tough enough to play for Golden. Just more slots for kids that want to play. Credit to Ray Ray for understanding his need for another year. Miller! Should have used another year of development. Othe schools will have players announcing their departure and with each one the group from Northwester slides further down the list. Vernon has to be kidding. If Golden is cleaning house give him credit for doing so.
I’m not here to bash these kids. They were good players and good kids. Good luck to their NFL careers and I will continue to root for them. Having said that, the clean slate is happening quicker with them leaving. The attitude MUST change and I felt a lot of the same mistakes we’ve seen the last four years kept recurring, though at a lesser pace. The new kids will live and breathe the Golden way from a puppy stage. A lot easier to train a pup than “teach an old dog new tricks”. Turning the page on past is what I see going on here.
Good riddance to all the underachieving, egotistical Shannon recruits. Those guys were a poison to the well being of this program. It’s much better for the canes to have guys like Vernon and Forston go and fail next yr in the nfl than come back to Coral Gables and fail at the U. The faster Golden can get his guys in, the better off we’ll be.
ok so you guys say these guys needed to go for advancement in our program. i’m talkin the posters ahead of me. i think your all dead wrong. i see these early departures as a sign of a few things. Number 1 the defensive departures tell me that these guys don’t trust coach d at all and don’t want to play another year of don’t attack defense. these guys forston and vernon were trained to attack from the beginning probably of their lives and then this guy comes in and says don’t do that. i think these guys will end up on a team either being drafted or signed as free agents get retrained to attack and will be big guys in the nfl. 2 i think that it was a lack of faith in goldens process. i two share that lack of faith because of what i saw this year. i still see the shuffle of the offensive line. i see guys out perform guys in games and not get starts the next week. i think these guys felt that yeah the process works as long as your a favorite. hell streeter leads our team in receptions yards touchdowns and is always listed as an ” OR” on the depth chart? like i have said before favortism in football will always lead to disappointment record wise. 3 i think these kids just felt another bad season was on the herizon and felt it would only hurt their draft stock so they decided to leave. Uncertainty of who will be the qb, a bad defensive scheme, and fans who just don’t go to games because they are fairweather as hell. Ya i probably leave early too. hell their are tons of schools across the nation who go six and six and still sale out stadiums. i know their are tons of things to do in miami but if you are so die hard why aren’t you at every game? i don’t blame the fans completely i blame miami’s brass for letting the team play in that hell hole of a stadium that is too big for a place like miami to fill. Another orange bowl needs to be built thats just the way that it is. Until that happens mostly empty stadium is what we will be looking at every year whether the Canes are winning or not.
BWash and Vernon best of luck boys go dominate in the nfl.
As mentioned above, this is probably good-riddance and also some forced house cleaning. A more important question is what to do with the Schollys’. “Stockpiling” is a good option if you get the right “stock”. Obviously that didn’t happen under Cocker. Golden is from the NE. He knows where the heavyweights are.
UM looked like a high school team VS BC. No more easy recruiting. Go nationwide and get the big tuff kids you need – no scramble-ball lightweights who sometimes actually showboat when they drop a pass. Like – I made a good try !!!
In regards to defensive turnover because they’re “afraid of playing for Coach D”..
DO WHAT?
Olivier Vernon IS a big talent, and if he’d taken his ass to Alabama he’d PROBABLY be sitting at first round draft status as we speak, he’s not in the wrong for wanting to go elsewhere. New coaching staff ALWAYS generates attrition — look at Maryland.
Technically, Forston is a senior and he’s already graduated. No harm no foul in him wanting to bail if he feels like he’s wasting his time here, he can always get paid to be on some practice squad if he wants to — if he’s even hired. Spence = Graduated. Futch = Graduated. Ojomo = Denied that extra year. Majority of the turnover on defense is BECAUSE of the fact most of them graduated.
I certainly won’t knock a kid for wanting to flex when he feels it’s his best opportunity, ESPECIALLY not after watching a garaunteed first round pick in Broyles go down this year with a torn ACL or MCL.