Miami Fall Practice: The Latest At “The U”

It almost seems like a month or so ago the Miami Hurricanes were unraveling against the Louisville Cardinals, but just like THAT, fall ball is underway and “The U” is preparing for a road show and rematch against their bowl foe.

Competition is cooking at Greentree Practice Fields, helmets are cracking, pads are hitting, depth charts are being released and before we know it, Monday Night Lights will be in effect with a nationally-televised season-opener underway.

Fall ball has the tendency to bring information overload, so we’ll attempt to give you the Cliff Notes version of all things Canes-related in this mini-recap here:

The quarterback battle, controversy or competition—whatever you choose to dub it—will be the focal point this August, as it should be. The Hurricanes will go as far as their quarterback takes them That was the case when Bernie Kosar rose up in 1983 en route to a title and three decades later, remains.

For all intents and purposes, it’s a two-man race—senior transfer Jake Heaps and true freshman Brad Kaaya as the two are listed as co-starters on the first depth chart of fall.

Heaps and Kaaya have taken the majority of reps thus far over the past week-plus and have earned kudos from coaches and teammates alike.

Kaaya is certainly playing well beyond his years and will be the quarterback of the future. Whether that means next season, late September or somewhere in between, it simply can’t be the season opener at Louisville.

Age, (lack of) experience, reality and logic will soon pump the brakes on all this August hype—echoed by a recent quote from head coach Al Golden.

“Heaps is an older guy so his mentality is different. His checks, his reads, everything is a lot faster and a lot quicker than Brad’s.”

And with that, Heaps will be Miami’s starter at Louisville on Labor Day, barring a huge shift in the landscape over the next few weeks, starting with Monday’s scrimmage.

Recent newbie quarterback success—Jameis Winston at Florida State and Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M—was the result of two redshirt freshmen who balled and won the last two Heisman trophies. Neither did it as a true freshman, catching on months after graduating high school.

Redshirt freshman success could’ve been the case at Miami had Kevin Olsen stepped up, but he didn’t—which prompted coaches to reel in Heaps after Ryan Williams tore an ACL in spring. As a result, security and experience will trump practice field freshman hype—for the opener, at least.

Heaps is 23 years old, has double-digit starts under his belt, has been around the college game for four years and is Miami’s best option with a season-opening game at Louisville on Labor Day, under the lights.

Quell the Kaaya hype, for now. The transfer from high school to college for quarterbacks—even the greats. Look no further than Ken Dorsey and his abysmal, deer-in-headlights performance at Blacksburg in 1999 when starter Kenny Kelly suffered an injury.

Dorsey eased in the next few weeks against subpar foes in Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple—all at home, with a loaded roster on both sides of the ball—but the folks clamoring for the true freshman saw his understandable inexperience on full display in a go-time moment on the main stage.

That said, true freshmen have shone before. Teddy Bridgewater took the reigns at Louisville a few games into his freshman campaign and never looked back—so Kaaya certainly can’t be discounted as this season rolls on. Just not a season-opening conference throwdown on the road.

Kaaya will get his shot and will most-certainly be the quarterback of the future in Coral Gables, but barring injury or catastrophe, No. 16 is the guy Labor Day night. Go with it.

Regarding the mid-August depth chart, bank on a handful of changes before kickoff in a few weeks an chalk any surprises up to standard Coaching: 101 motivation.

Clive Walford was expected to be a frontrunner at tight end, returning for his senior season, but has been erratic this far, earning Standish Dobard the depth chart-nod. At running back, Joseph Yearby and his shiftiness have him a head of Gus Edwards, who still struggles to catch passes out of the backfield, but has improved his technique as a runner since last season.

That said, the practice field versus those Monday Night Lights at Louisville—who will get the nod when everything is on the line. Over the past decade off-season “legends” have been made at Greentree, only to disappear when September rolled around.

Regardless of what’s showing on the depth chart right now, one would be hard-pressed to believe Walford and Edwards don’t reclaim their place by kickoff in two weeks.

Some are freaking out that defensive tackle Michael Wyche isn’t in the two-deep, but again, a conditioning issue and motivational tactic to get the kid hungry for the big time.

Like Jimmy Johnson before him, Golden is a psychology buff and is lighting a preseason fire under guys who have been there, while rewarding those who are working hard and haven’t.

Wyche is a JUCO transfer, previously playing for a program nowhere near the level as Miami—especially on the conditioning front. Same for Calvin Heurtelou. Difference is Heurtelou has been on campus since spring, having some extra time to get whipped into shape while Wyche just showed up a few weeks back.

Wyche will get where he needs to be in due time and folks have to remember the process and transformation that must take place with must junior college transfers.

Fans dubbed this kid the “next big thing” due to a gritty attitude shown via social media, as well as a commitment to Miami that remained when it looked like an ACC transfer rule would derail his path to Coral Gables.

Wyche will get there. It’s simply going to take some time.

Wide receiver is another interesting looking position that will flush itself out in the coming weeks. Malcolm Lewis ahead of Herb Waters. Stacy Coley also in a back-up role. True freshmen Braxton Berrios and Tyre Brady are third-stringers while Rashawn Scott battles another injury.

Chemistry will be key here, depending who is under center and who becomes a go-to option. Stephen Morris synced often with the departed Allen Hurns last year, while Coley saw serious production as a true freshman.

Phillip Dorsett is full-speed again and should play a Hurns-like role this season, while Heaps or Kaaya will have some solid options regarding where they choose to spread it around. Still, this area of the depth chart remains meaningless as the season approaches.

Regardless where this season goes—especially defensively—there will be an asterisk on some level because of the off-season at linebacker. While the dismissal of JaWand Blue certainly hurt overall depth, Alex Figueroa was expected to be a standout and big time contributor this fall.

Denzel Perryman is obviously Miami’s most complete linebacker and coupled with Figueroa, could’ve really helped that position take a giant step forward this fall.

The Canes have been waiting years for Raphael Kirby to emerge, which he hasn’t to date. Thurston Armbrister has been serviceable and folks are hoping that Jermaine Grace finds his groove early on as a sophomore.

However it plays, Miami will again be forced to rely on youth an inexperience at the position—Darrion Owens and Juwon Young. Coaches are also playing musical chairs to add some depth, experimenting with converted fullback Walter Tucker, former defensive back Nantambu Fentress and receiver David Njoku.

Miami recently lost cornerback Rayshawn Jenkins to a season-ending injury, which hurts depth but shouldn’t be a game-changer due to some depth and experience in the secondary.

Tracy Howard is primed for a breakout year, while Ladarius Gunter and Artie Burns are again healthy after getting nicked up late last season. True freshmen Marques Gayot worked his way into the two-deep, while Kiy Hester—who had a lot to say pre-Signing Day about coming to take jobs—is still getting acclimated to the speed of the college game.

Some definite enthusiasm regarding quarterback-turned-running-back-turned-safety Dallas Crawford, who is atop the depth chart and has been praised by coaches and teammates since making the offense-to-defense switch.

A hard-worker, true athlete and selfless player like Crawford is just what Miami’s defense needs this season—and the fact he’s climbing the depth chart, opposed to being given a handout—it’s a true testament to his character.

Add a healthy Deon Bush and a supremely confident Jamal Carter to the mix and the Hurricanes are on pace for a huge step forward within the secondary this fall.

Lastly, for now, with the NCAA investigation in the rearview, another solid class getting on board and playmakers like Duke Johnson healthy again, the Hurricanes need a favorable start to the season and to gain some positive traction early.

A weight has been lifted, grown has occurred and hard work was put in over the summer—with weight room numbers and overall conditioning getting a giant step forward.

The schedule has some challenges early. If the Hurricanes can overcome those, it gives this team some momentum in the latter half of the season—where it seemingly unraveled due to youth, inexperience and injury last fall.

A win at Louisville is a must if Miami wants to make a run in the ACC this fall and while a win at Nebraska would be nice on a national level, it really is all about conference standings this season and winning the Coastal Division.

Florida A&M and Arkansas State precede the trip to Lincoln, while Duke treks south late September. From there, Miami heads to Georgia Tech and takes on Cincinnati at home before a mid-season breather on October 18th.

From there, the proverbial “meat of the schedule” with a Thursday night road game at Virginia Tech, a home stand against North Carolina, another open date and then a mid-November home showdown against defending national champions Florida State.

In short, Miami has the first half of the season to work out the kinks, solve the quarterback riddle and to hope it remains healthy. If so, the Hurricanes can legitimately jell and be a greatly improved squad down the stretch.

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