It’s the type of story that brings you back to yesteryear, when the Miami Hurricanes were reeling in the best local talent and current recruits were selling soon-to-be commits.
There have been mixed opinions about the recent Nike-sponsored event, “The Opening”, in Beavertown, Oregon this past weeks. For five days some of the nation’s top recruits descended on the Pacific Northwest getting down in this new training competition.
Miami tied Texas for the most verbal commits at “The Opening” with six and two of those Canes were working overtime, getting in the ears of potential future teammates and giving their best sales pitches.
Miami Norland running back Duke Johnson and linebacker Keith Brown were talking up “The U” with Homestead linebacker James Burgess Jr. and receiver Herb Waters and by the end of the weekend, both called UM coaches and pledged their allegiance to Al Golden.
The four Miami products bonded in Oregon and according to Johnson and Brown, there may be more commits coming. Johnson said that he and Brown were also in the ears of highly-touted recruits Sean Price, Deon Bush, Ricardo Lewis, Tracy Howard and Nelson Agholor.
The Canes now have twenty-two verbal commitments for the 2012 recruiting class and many expect anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen more names added to that list. Not bad for early July.
Homestead head coach Bobby McCray praised both kids for their work on and off the field, as well as the new coaching staff.
McCray told the Miami Herald’s Manny Navarro, “That’s how Butch Davis built the program. He took care of Dade County, then added to it from elsewhere. It seems like that’s what Coach Golden is doing. His building a champion.”
Sounds like a dig on the last guy and some kudos for the new leader at “The U”.
randall shannon was the biggest joke ever!!
your the biggest moron ever for saying that. coach shannon brought in the talent. a lack of leadership and kids going through the motion cause miami to fall last year. plus his OC and DC were jokes. Whipple forgot he had running backs and Lovett was too soft to be a miami coach.
your the biggest moron ever for saying that. coach shannon brought in the talent. a lack of leadership and kids going through the motion cause miami to fall last year. plus his OC and DC were jokes. Whipple forgot he had running backs and Lovett was too soft to be a miami coach.
It's "you're the biggest moron" not "your the biggest moron".
A few questions I'd like to pose. If there was a lack of leadership and kids going through the motions, whose fault is that? Maybe the guy making almost $2M a year to find leaders, to motivate kids and to develop talent?
Also, if the offense and defensive coordinators are a joke, who takes that blame? Maybe the guy who hired them – after running off several other OCs and DC's in a five-year span?
This blog supported Randy when he was hired and backed him as long as the Canes were improving.
There was no excuse for 9-4 in 2009 to become 7-6 in 2010 or for a kid like Jacory Harris, who showed promise as a sophomore, to completely regress as a junior.
If Mark Whipple forgot he had running backs and John Lovett was too soft, then maybe their BOSS should've done something to get them on track.
Good craftsmen don't blame their tools.