Lockhart Jr. and Williams No Longer Hurricanes

Two more players have left, or were asked to leave, the Miami Hurricanes football program – sophomore wide receiver Robert Lockhart Jr. and sophomore defensive end Ricardo Williams.

On the surface, these stories always seem to turn heads. More guys are bailing out? Something must be wrong. Is head coach Al Golden losing control? Blah. Blah. Blah.

This one really is pretty easy to decipher. Receiver-wise, the Hurricanes are set and Lockhart wanted out. Period. Look at this year’s roster. Allen Hurns, Phillip Dorsett, Malcolm Lewis, Rashawn Scott, Jontavious Carter and Herb Waters, as well as redshirt freshman D’Mauri Jones and incoming freshman, Stacy Coley.

Lockhart is out of Delray Beach and came to Miami out of Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.

There was some question as to if he’d redshirt last season, but with some injuries at the wide receiver position, he saw action mid-season against North Carolina and played against Florida State. A week later, a season-ending injury against Virginia Tech. Lockhart finished the 2012 football season without a catch.

Did that burned redshirt lead to discontent? Is the logjam at wide receiver disheartening? Whatever the case, the kid can hardly be blamed. He did his year at Fork Union, he came to Miami wanting to play, his freshman year ended reception-less and his injury could’ve caused him to get a bit lost in the shuffle. If Lockhart wants out and to start elsewhere, wish him the best and open up the scholarship.

Same for Williams, the 6-foot-5, 251-pound redshirt sophomore out of Homestead who is yet to make his mark for the Hurricanes. Williams sat out the 2011 season and last year only saw action in one game at North Carolina.

Despite the lack of depth on Miami’s defensive line the past few years, Williams is yet to make a mark and never found his way and with three years remaining, another situation where it makes sense to cut a kid loose, wish him the best and to reel in a guy who might be a better fit, whatever the position.

That really is the name of the game right now for The U; it’s all about the numbers. No one has a clue what NCAA sanctions will be and while common logic and best case scenario revolved around this ‘time served’ talk, in regards to suspensions, two self-imposed bowl bans and a purposefully-missed ACC Championship game appearance, based on that train wreck of a governing body that runs this sport, one has to believe more could be coming down the pike, if for no other reason than to save face.

Gut feeling? Miami will lose some scholarships based on this NCAA investigation. Will it be lighter than what many expected a few years back? Absolutely, but even if you’re giving up a few slots on the roster, it makes every remaining kid that much more valuable.

If you have a few sophomores who aren’t making a mark and are making noise about heading elsewhere, then you part ways, thank them for the effort and make sure those two scholarships go towards guys who can help rebuild.

For those lamenting the departure of these two, what if Lockhart’s scholarship goes to the next great defensive back or Williams’ moving on allows the Canes to reel in a JUCO transfer that can help on the defensive line immediately?

The world of recruiting, building rosters and adding depth is an exact science and thankfully for UM, Golden appears to have a very good grasp on how this whole thing works. Ties have been cut with the ‘wrong’ players – be it a personnel issue, discipline related or simply a bad fit – since early 2011 and two years later, it’s still the case.

For Miami to succeed, this program needs the right kids. Guys who want to be here, players ready to buy-in and overall difference-makers that will lead the Canes to prominence.

In the short-run, it hurts to lose a Lockhart or Williams, but in the next two years, watch where those extra scholarships go.

As always, allCanesBlog.com thanks these kids for their effort and wishes them nothing but the best in their continued journey. #UFAMILY

Comments

comments