The Beast : Fall Ball Getting Underway

Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden addressed the media today in advanced of Saturday’s first day of training camp. Here are some topics that were discussed:

>>> Seantrel Henderson will indeed have back surgery. Coach Golden would not speculate on when Henderson will be back – or if he will be back this year. This is tough news for the Canes as No. 77 has the ability to be one of the best offensive lineman in the country. Miami will find a fix, though. It looks like Brandon Washington will move outside to one tackle spot and r-freshman Malcolm Bunche will get a look at the other tackle spot. As far as the offensive line goes though, the biggest surprise of the day was when Coach Golden told us Shane McDermott was giving Tyler Horn a run for his money at center. (Maybe Horn moves to guard.) Jermaine Barton also got props from Coach.

I have a feeling that we’ll be tracking the depth chart at offensive line the entire training camp. The best five will start; that’s the only thing that is certain.

>>> We also learned that Eduardo Clements is moving back to running back (from safety) for now. At first I was perplexed by this move until coach Golden told us that athlete Kevin Grooms, who was expected to play running back, is dealing with NCAA Clearinghouse issues. Along those lines, defensive tackle Corey King and linebacker Antonio Kinard are also dealing with Clearinghouse issues and there’s no timetable on their arrival at ‘The U’.

>>> Coach Golden let us know that Memphis transfer, sophomore quarterback Ryan Williams, was petitioning the NCAA for a waiver that would allow him to play this year. I’m going to guess Golden wants more insurance than Spencer Whipple in case Jacory Harris and / or Stephen Morris get hurt.

>>> On the quarterback battle, Coach Golden again insisted that it was a head-to-head competition that would be decided in about two weeks. The key for Golden is turnovers – especially in the redzone. I still expect Harris to win the battle, as I laid out during this week’s edition allCanes Radio. If it’s at all close, it’s easier to make a move if the senior is the starter.

If it’s close and you start the sophomore, you may lose the senior and not get him back mentally should he need to replace Morris. Some would insist politics would never play in to it but I don’t think that is reality.

>>> Obviously Golden is worried about the cornerback position. When you lose your top guys to the NFL, you’re going to be worried. Coach Golden said even though the guys back there don’t have a ton of experience, they have maturity. He likes Wake Forest transfer Mike Williams, Lee Chambers and JoJo Nicholas. I also expect Brandon McGee and Thomas Finnie to factor in.

>>> At linebacker the battle will be at middle between Jordan Futch and Jimmy Gaines. I think it’s Futch’s job to lose, but he has to go out and play consistent football. Golden loves the leadership that Sean Spence has displayed this off-season and mentioned No. 31 first when he was asked who the leaders on the team were.

>>> Another leader, defensive tackle Marcus Forston is coming off of the knee injury suffered in spring. Forston will be eased into practice over the first two weeks of camp but coach Golden said he’ll be ready to go for the Labor Day match up in College Park.

>>> Fans will get jazzed up by Golden’s mention of Tommy Streeter numerous times. Streeter has worked hard in the off-season and will have a chance to make an impact. Travis Benjamin and LaRon Byrd are the leaders of that group and I expect Allen Hurns to get a lot of reps, as well.

>>> Finally, Coach Golden said the kicking job belongs to Jake Wieclaw, however, Matt Goudis is coming in with high hopes. Wieclaw will battle Dalton Botts and Cameron Dean at punter.

>>> I found it interesting that Coach Golden said that he doesn’t believe in gimmicks on returns. Obviously you want your normal return team to be able to get up field, but when you have speed like Miami does a few trick returns in the play book can give you a boost. Just my opinion.

>>> Make sure you’re following @CBSSportsMiami on Twitter for my ‘Rapid Reports’ from practice on CBSSports.com – and keep your Q&As coming for us to answer at allCanesBlog between now and Labor Day.

>>> Also, all practices are closed to the public. The media is allowed to see the first fifteen minutes of practice, which mostly includes pre-stretching light drills. All interviews are conducted before practice, therefore all information regarding the news and notes from a particular practice will be coming from UM, for better or worse.

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