Confessions Of An On-The-Mend Miami Hurricane

I’ve been channeling my inner Jules Winnfield lately; repeating the mantra over and over in my head.

“I’m trying, Ringo. I’m trying real hard.”

The potentially out-of-context Pulp Fiction reference aside, that’s what it feels like 33 days from the Miami Hurricanes kicking off the 2015 football season.

Where most of August once represented a jumping-out-of-one’s-skin type of moment—right now it’s tempered expectations. It’s a wait-and-see mentality. It’s hoping for the best, while preparing for the worst.

It’s also become a practice of focusing on the positives—whatever they may be. On-campus football upgrades. A renovated stadium. New uniforms and apparel. Recruiting hype for what the next few years could bring—#Swag16, #Squad17 and #Storm18.

All great things for the future of this program; but for a fan base ready to be relevant again today, forget all about “The U”—it’s all about some W’s. Winning cures everything.

Current nonchalant attitude aside, fact is when that ball is kicked off on Saturday September 5th, the excitement will return just as it does every Labor Day weekend. Fact remains the Canes will be 0-0, with a fair shot to make a run—the same as Florida State or Florida International.

Such is the beauty of a brand new season.

With kickoff just over a month out, some reasons to start getting excited for another year of Miami Hurricanes football and some way-too-early predictions for what could be in store:

Most obvious; we can all acknowledge that this season will either have fifth-year head coach taking a step forward, racking up some wins and securing his future—or it will be the final nail in Fear-The-Tie’s coffin.

Weeks back athletic director Blake James made some statements about expectations and the importance of winning at “The U”. While many brushed it off as standard AD chatter, fact remains James was a bit more forthright than he’s been in the past.

Fact remains that president Donna Shalala is gone and for the first time in James’ career, he has some power to call the shots and make a name for himself. Incoming president Dr. Julio Frenk has alluded to the fact that athletic-related decisions will be James to make—meaning the success or failures of Golden will fall on the plate of the up-and-coming athletic director.

Some reference a bond or friendship between James and Golden, but is Blake going to tie his personal successes Al? Doubtful.

There is good and bad to however this plays out. Golden succeeding and the program turning a corner is obviously a good thing; but so is proper change should he not get the job done. That said, bringing in a new coach could impact future recruiting classes and who’s to say that UM will hire the type of next-level guy that fans are clamoring for?

However it plays out, there’s a feeling that 2015 will be a pivotal, winds-of-change type of season in Coral Gables.

Another year of quarterback Brad Kaaya is another reason to breathe easier. The sophomore is primed for a breakout-type season and when you look at Miami’s recent run under center, this can’t be taken for granted.

It’s easy to play the Quarterback U card, but the position has been a mess since Ken Dorsey left town after the 2002 season. (Brock Berlin was serviceable for the next two seasons, but was often bailed out by a tremendous defense and special teams.)

Kyle Wright didn’t live up to expectations (mostly due to four offensive coordinators during his tenure), while Kirby Freeman wasn’t a capable back-up. Recruiting fell apart at the position under both Larry Coker and Randy Shannon, as well—quarterbacks decommitting left and right over the years.

Jacory Harris never regained his freshman form (courtesy of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple abandoning the run and forcing the kid to throw deep every other down) and Stephen Morris lacked that “it” factor, despite having a rocket arm.

Ryan Williams never got his shot to show if his smarts and experience could overcome a 2-star ranking, while the former 5-star transfer Jake Heaps came and went with a whimper, as well—both taking backseat to Kaaya as a freshman phenom-type.

Miami will need to come together quickly due to a young and depleted offensive line, but Kaaya’s baptism-by-fire last season takes a lot of pressure off the quarterback position this fall.

While the offensive line could need some time to get their chemistry together, the Canes could actually see some reloading at the skills positions in a way it hasn’t over the past few years.

It’s hard to imagine more production when losing running back Duke Johnson, underused wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and tight end Clive Walford to the NFL; but fact remains that Miami has some depth and experience at all positions.

If Joe Yearby can stay out of off-the-field trouble, his speed combined with the size and experience of bruising-back Gus Edwards can make some noise. Meanwhile true freshman Mark Walton will try to have a Johnson-like impact; with the Duke blowing up on the scene as a true freshman in 2012.

Same to be said at receiver. Rashawn Scott has all the tools to have a campaign akin to that of Leonard Hankerson or Tommy Streeter in their final years if he can stay injury-free and out of trouble.

The Canes are also looking for Stacy Coley to rebound from a sophomore slump and Herb Waters to get healthy (and consistent) while working speedy sophomore Braxton Berrios into the equation. Malcolm Lewis is also back for his r-junior campaign, while many expect true freshman Lawrence Cager to have an impact.

As for tight end, lots of viable candidates to step in for Walford; be it Standish Dobard, Chris Herndon, David Njoku or Jerome Washington.

How does it all come together? Put that on Golden and offensive coordinator James Coley. Johnson won’t be there to play that bail-out role he has in the past, while Kaaya won’t have the protection he had up front with guys like Shane McDermott, Jon Feliciano and Ereck Flowers all playing on Sundays this fall.

Knowing the pieces it has to work with, how will the Miami coaching staff assemble the offensive pieces in a manner that can breed success?

Defensively the return of Al-Quadin Muhammad to the line is a bright spot; as is some overall depth at the position.

The Canes have a long way to go regarding being a dominant front seven force again, but guys like Chad Thomas, Courtel Jenkins, Anthony Moten and Trent Harris should take steps forward this season—signifying a return to an era of better defensive line play.

Linebacker lost the experience and strong play of Denzel Perryman, but seems to have found a leader in Raphael Kirby; who has been vocal this offseason regarding an addition-by-subtraction type attitude.

Between Kirby, junior Jermaine Grace and senior Tyriq McCord, the Canes have some experience—backed up by what looks to be some decent depth and promise. Juwon Young, Terry McCray, Mike Smith and Darrion Owens have a year in the system and should play good support roles, while converted safety Marques Gayot and a couple of true freshmen—Charles Perry and James King—could find their way into the mix, as well.

Like the defensive line, the linebacking corps aren’t back up to par—but the position is definitely on the mend when you look at the mass exodus over the past few seasons.

Guys like Kevin Nelson and Travis Williams early in Golden’s tenure. The dismissals of Eddie Johnson, Gionni Paul and Gabe Terry a few years later. Alex Figueroa and JaWand Blue last season.

Impossible to absorb that type of loss without missing a beat, but this looks like the season where the Canes could take a turn for the better at the position.

The defensive back position has some depth, but most-exciting is the influx of Miami-style kids over there that are easy to root for.

One won’t soon forget top-ranked high school talent staying home years back; be it Columbus’ Deon Bush or Miramar’s Tracy Howard. A year later it was Northwestern’s Artie Burns and Homestead’s Jamal Carter.

Last year it was Northwestern’s Ryan Mayes. This year it’s Killian’s Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine as well as Edison’s Robert Knowles.

A lot of homegrown talent in the secondary right now—playing into the whole State of Miami mentality and locking down local talent. If there’s any position where Canes fans are rooting extra-hard this season; it’s these 305-bred corners and safeties.

Another offseason positive note; more camaraderie amongst teammates. Something that can easily be taken for granted, but as the horror stories leak out regarding internal rifts and guys not on the same page over the past few seasons, it certainly takes a toll.

For those who follow players on social media and live on message boards, the past few months have been filled with examples of player unity. Team building exercises. Guys hanging out.

Recently Tyre Brady posted a shot of guys together gearing up to go paint balling, while the coaching staff has been posting pics on social media and sticking together. The Miami Herald recently talked about Kaaya, Berrios and second-string quarterback Malik Rosier as roommates; touting Rosier’s tech skills—syncing phones and electronics to help the film-studying process.

While the (understandable) knee-jerk reaction to this is, “less selfies and more wins”—camaraderie is a huge component here. Unity can’t just be a slogan; it has to be part of the process. Guys seem to be getting on the same page, which in-turn breeds more trust and accountability—which all championship-caliber teams possess.

Schedule-wise it’s nice to see Miami following suit with the likes of other traditional powers with some NFL preseason-type action out the game. Miami opens at home with Bethune-Cookman on September 5th and then takes on Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton the following Friday—giving the Canes an extra day to prep for visiting Nebraska on September 19th.

From there a road trip to Cincinnati (10/1) and a Thursday night showdown before trekking north to Tallahassee to battle Florida State (10/10)—the midweek game giving the Canes a few extra days to prep for the Noles.

A far cry from the schedule Golden and the Canes faced his first year; at Maryland, Ohio State, Kansas State, Bethune-Cookman and at Virginia Tech. In 2012, at Boston College, at Kansas State, Bethune-Cookman, at Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and at Notre Dame.

Miami had a lighter load in 2013, going Florida Atlantic, Florida, Savannah State, South Florida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest; amassing a 7-0 record before trekking to Florida State and getting clobbered.

Still, the lighter load up front allowed the Canes to gain some early steam—despite it being snatched away late—and for a team looking to replace a dozen key starters, a few September patsies set the stage for an upset of Nebraska and some momentum before taking on arch-rival Florida State.

Lots more to discuss over the next few weeks, but it’s definitely time to shake off some cobwebs and to start thinking Miami football.

For a fan base that lived through a Decade of Dominance, this recent Decade of Disaster has been hard to accept. That said, even the minimal optimist can see that talent-wise things are starting to turn for the better.

How that plays out coaching-wise, time will tell—but whatever the case, the 2015 is lining up to be a memorable one; one way or another.

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