I believe wholeheartedly that Miami is on the mend and will be a top the hill again. It’s not if, it’s when. I echo the sentiments of defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, Clint Hurtt in a recent Sports Illustrated article:

“In my heart of hearts I believe we’re back on the path to being what we were again.”

Amen, Clint.

Miami will reap what it soughs and the past few seasons, the Canes haven’t been soughing much worth writing home about.

Andy Staples hammers this point in this recent and rare SI gem on The U. Former coach Larry Coker went after the nation’s top talent instead of finding success in his own back yard. Simply put, Coker didn’t put the focus on the Tri-City area – Dade, Broward and Palm Beach – the way Shannon and staff are.

As Staples points out, some of the highly touted talent between 2003-2006 was big time on paper – but many kids failed to live up to the hype/their rankings due to playing against inferior competition in high school. The lack of production and lack of development during the tenure in Coral Gables, combined with a change in mentality helped produce the Canes recent decline.

You don’t need to over-recruit the rest of the nation when you’re this close to so much South Florida talent – quite possibly the hottest hot bed of high school football stars in the nation.

Any Texas or California doubters, look no further than Class 6A champs and national champions, Miami Northwestern. Same to be said for St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale – the 5A state champs – and Miami’s Booker T. Washington, who took home the 4A title.

After Northwestern showed Southlake (Texas) Carroll who was boss back in September, there’s little doubt that the rest of Florida’s best wouldn’t take it to their 5A and 4A counterparts nationwide. The Miami kids ‘outtalented’ the Texas kids the same way great Hurricanes teams have over the years. Stronger, faster and better. Men amongst boys.

Shannon and staff target local ballers because they are damn well sure what kind of talent these highly touted players face daily in practice as well as Friday night, under the lights. That’s why eleven of the aforementioned state and national champs are suiting up for The U this fall and ready to make an immediate impact.

Not only do the local high schools again have strong ties with Canes coaches – something that fell off during Coker’s tenure where he didn’t even employ a recruiting coordinator – but these local Miami-bound Bulls and Tornadoes were barely teenagers when the Canes made their last run.

“The Canes were gladiators that never could get beat,” said freshman Miami defensive tackle and former Northwestern Bulls star Marcus Forston. “They always found a way to win. When I was growing up, those were my heroes, my role models.”

How many incoming freshman across the nation had that same love and adoration for the Canes? Some, but nothing like the impact it had on the locals. When asked about the first time Forston runs through the smoke on game day as a Cane? “I might cry,” he said.

Kids like Forston are the foundation for this rebuilding project. Local kids that could’ve played anywhere, but wanted to be a part of the Canes resurgence.

All the ‘feel good’ stories aside, Miami remains a work in progress. As impressive as these newbies are, fans have to remember that underclassmen are going to make rookie mistakes.

Ed Reed and Mike Rumph were both a huge part of Miami’s title run in 2001, but peel it back a few years and you’d be hard pressed to forget both sophomores blowing their coverage in a 27-23 loss to No. 2 Penn State in 1999.

Nursing a 23-20 lead with 1:52 left to play, Chafie Fields streaked past Rumph and Reed, scoring the game winner on a 79-yard strike from Kevin Thompson. Years later, both Cane defenders would cite that as a career-defining moment and a learning experience, en route to a national championship and first round NFL Draft picks.

A similar tale regarding recent first rounder, Brandon Meriweather.

Trucked by running back Quincy Wilson on a nationally televised nailbiter against West Virginia, the sophomore safety endured the embarrassment of that highlight for the rest of 2003. A year later, a stronger, more experienced Meriweather was on the delivering end of a bigger blow when he sent a woozy Louisville tight end to the sidelines after breaking up a pass during Miami’s thrilling 41-38 comeback win.

Even Mr. 38-2 Ken Dorsey proved mortal as a true freshman. Hurled into action at No. 2 Virginia Tech when Kenny Kelly went down, a wide eyed Dorsey’s head was swimming during a 6-of-17 performance for 45 yards and an interception during that 43-10 loss.

Fans expecting Robert Marve or Jacory Harris to walk on water from day one and overcome all obstacles simply because of their high school accolades – look no further than the early history of the great Canes listed above. There will be mistakes when you’re thrown into the fire and expected to perform early. There are gonna be some growing pains.

That said, if Miami Faithful remain patient, there will be also be reason to celebrate down the road. This thing is being rebuilt carefully from the ground on up. Patience must remain a virtue a while longer.

The seeds have been planted and the nurturing is underway. Anyone that’s followed spring ball can attest to that. Shannon and staff threw the depth charts out the window a la Jimmy Johnson. No more seniority and other Coker-esque tactics are being employed. The best players will see the field.

In an effort to promote camaraderie, locker room assignments are being reshuffled every few weeks. As Staples’ article mentioned, defensive backs will get used to sitting next to receivers, quarterbacks will suit up next to defensive lineman and scholarship players will be hanging out with the walk ons.

“You can sit by a guy for four years, and that’s the only guy you’re going to talk to,” said Shannon. “Now, you mix them around the locker room, so you get to talk to four or five guys every so often. By the time your senior season is over, there are about 70 guys that you’ve had two to three months to spend every day with.”

On paper it doesn’t sound like much, but the mental aspect of the coaching game is as important as Xs and Os come Saturday. To the average fan, who cares about locker room assignments? In the coaches eyes, this promotes a “personal connection” to each teammate – making them more accountable to each other and less likely to want to let those guys down.

A far cry from the rumored issues a worn out defense felt these past few seasons regarding a lethargic and non-productive offense.

All these little moments, adjustments and fine-tuning are how you build a champion. Great teams don’t just “happen”. They’re built from the ground up and only after you’re a top the mountain can you look back and add up all these experiences, realizing the profound impact the had on a championship team.

Miami Basketball is coming off a 23-11 season, a No. 7 seeding in the NCAA tourney and a mid-season upset of No. 4 Duke. A year ago, 12-20 and no post season.

Miami Baseball goes 37-24 last season and has a streak of 13 consecutive NCAA Regional titles snapped. A year later, the Canes are No. 1 in the nation for the first time since 2004, are riding a 13-game win streak and sit pretty at 27-2 halfway through the season.

A year ago, this fan base wouldn’t have given you a nickel for either squad. Critical of coaches and players involved with both squads, only the long-sighted fan base realized it was a rebuilding process and that both teams were a few players away from getting things back where they belong.

I hope the short-sighted contingent takes the lead of the long-sighted folks. Miami Football has officially turned the corner and the resurgence is on – but the ship won’t be righted overnight. This is a process. Shannon and staff need to nurture these young, talented kids and grow some champions.