Hopefully by now you’ve taken the time to listen to my interview with Randy Shannon Hey you cool kids in Hurricane Nation, sorry it’s been so long. For me, the last week or two has been about family. My parents have been down and my wife – a teacher – and my son have been off of school so it’s been nice to play son, husband, and dad for a while. But, I owe you guys my thoughts on spring.
Spending time with my family made me realize how special we have it as UM fans that we belong to another family aside from our own at home. The U Family is a strong and powerful one and if any one thing is going to get this team back to the promised land, it’s going to be that. Why?
1. Look, there is, without a doubt, a bunch of talent on this team, especially at the MONEY skill positions. However, talent alone does not win titles. Thanks to parity, there are a lot of talented teams out there. It’s a matter of chemistry and who plays best as a team and a family.
2. Pay attention to all the recruiting articles you read – one of the most reoccurring things expressed by visiting recruits is that they are impressed by Miami’s “family atmosphere”. Not only is family important regarding this current team reaching their peak, but it’s equally as important in keeping the stockpile of talent fresh and the next generation of players on board.
I know recently there have been a bunch of “experts” coming to the conclusion that Miami is close to being “back”. Do I agree? Maybe it’s the Boston cynic in me, but I’m not ready to proclaim this team ready to dominate quite yet.
Would I be incredibly surprised if this team went out there next year and reeled off win after win? 100% NO!
What I will remind you is the outlook Randy Shannon had on this program and his words when he landed that monster class in February 2008, led by Jacory Harris and a slew of Northwestern Bulls, as well as other top local talent.
Randy made it clear then that when that class reached their junior year, THAT’S when they would finally make an impact.
Guess what, they’re all juniors this fall and we’re about to see if Randy’s prediction comes true. Time to stop living off old high school glory and to become those next-level, mature college football superstars.
There’s a pretty good list of guys that need to start putting it together – starting with Jacory. I know he was hurt last year, but it’s time to become that smart quarterback we know he can be, making less mistakes and more big time plays. Whether all those deep throws were at the urging of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple last year, or not, this team needs a 12-yard reception more than it needs a 40-yard interception.
As for Harris’ go-to targets, LaRon Byrd and Aldarius Johnson have to become more consistent. As juniors, these guys need to be rock solid. The time for rookie mistakes has come and gone. It’s no longer about “potential”, it’s about “results”.
Same goes for the offensive line. Orlando Franklin and Joel Figueroa have to be leaders, not just serviceable players. Richard Gordon remains that prime example of an ‘athletic freak’ that needs to finally become a football player.
On defense, Sean Spence needs to become the boss out there, like many great Miami linebackers of yesteryear. The Canes have always had a key linebacker who was in charge. Micheal Barrow. Nate Webster. Dan Morgan. Jon Vilma. Miami needs a great linebacker to command the defense.
DeMarcus Van Dyke. Enough said. Another ‘potential’ guy that needs to make it happen this year.
The list goes on and by now you get the point. If the aforementioned guys come through and rise to the occasion, this could be a very special team. Should the maturation process now go off as it should, the advancement could be slower than most of us want.
A few more random thoughts to ponder as we go off into the off season:
1. Can UM please sign Randy to a fair, market value deal already? This is taking too long, it’s impacting recruiting and it’s time.
2. GO BUY SEASON TICKETS. If you live anywhere in South Florida, you have almost no excuse. You can get season tickets for as little as $99. As broke as I am, even I can scrounge that up. Take some pride in your school – whether you attended or adopted The U – and go to the games this year. Enough is enough.
As we progress in the offseason, let’s not let the drought of football take our minds off of our favorite game. I know I won’t. Over the next few weeks I’ll be kicking out some interviews with media members, local and national, maybe some alum and other surprise guests.
If you have questions, email me and I’ll do my best to take a stab at them and get them answered. Until then … Go Canes!!
Brian “The Beast” London is one of the foremost insiders on all things Miami Hurricanes. He was on the Canes broadcast crew for more than a decade. He hosts a daily online radio show on www.SoFloRadio.com.