The U: No class… in 2005

Last October we broke down the Miami Hurricanes’ 2004 recruiting class, player-by-player, in an effort to show the lack of development production out of last year’s senior class.

Unless you’re a stat geek with a well-worn stack of media guides, it’s easy to forget the names of every then-new recruits four years back.

A player-by-player look at last year’s class proved eye opening. 26 signees and after another year to reflect, safe to say 24 truly didn’t pan out.

2005’s story isn’t much better. Revisit the nineteen signees below.

Luqman Abdallah – Four-star Rivals prospect. Non-factor. Transferred to Hofstra.
Spencer Adkins – Top prospect, serviceable linebacker, never panned out.
Chris Barney – Serviceable offensive tackle. Scout team in ’07. Didn’t pan out.
Antonio Dixon – Talented defensive tackle. Struggled with weight. Hasn’t reached potential.
DajLeon Farr – #3 tight end. Never fit in. Transferred to Memphis, sitting out season.
Richard Gordon – Flip-flopped between DT, TE and KR. Never found a niche.
Courtney Harris – #19 DL in state. Serviceable lineman. Hasn’t reached potential.
Eric Houston – Undersized LB. #16 in nation. Only real task in four years; special teams.
Bruce Johnson – #12 CB in nation. Up and down career. Not quite uncle Kelly Jennings.
Joe Joseph – #25 prospect in state. Serviceable DT. Hasn’t reached potential.
Jerrell Mabry – FB who didn’t pan out. Transferred to Texas Southern.
Eric Marino – A 5-foot-9, 170 pound WR JUCO transfer from CA. Never saw field.
Kenny Phillips – Good career. Rode NFL U’s legacy into a late first round pick.
Randy Phillips – Early potential, struggled since. #7 safety in nation hasn’t lived up to hype.
Matt Pipho – Serviceable offensive lineman. Never solidified a spot on the OL.
Darryl Sharpton – Vilma comparisons were off, but a good senior year. Has heart.
Demetri Stewart – You can barely find this guy in a Google search.
A.J. Trump – Serviceable lineman. This decade’s Eric Schnupp. Was ranked #8 OL in land.
Reggie Youngblood -Five-star. Ranked #3 OL. Pretty good career, but not five-star.

Last week a scout from the NFL said he didn’t expect one Cane to get drafted, ending a thirty-five year streak. Seniors 2008. Coker’s fourth full recruiting class. The program progressively getting worse. Erosion continuing from within.

That’s not a knock on these kids. They bust their asses day in and day out. Everyone knows that, even if they’re too frustrated to admit it. This is simply a ‘tough love’, one-sentence retrospect of their careers, straight and to the point.

Football’s a brutal sport if you’re 12-0. It hurts even worse when you’re 0-12.

3-3 is no picnic, either. Not on the heels of 5-7 or 7-6. Not after a four-year, 46-4 run the early part of this decade.

Some put too much emphasis on recruiting. Others don’t put enough. The college game has changed. The recent hype of recruitment makes freshman a household name before taking that first snap.

The Canes’ biggest playmakers were high school seniors last fall.

A top-ranked class having an immediate impact is refreshing after years of watching Miami’s then-current youth movement buried on the depth chart.

Travis Benjamin has seen more action his first five games than Devin Hester, his first two years as a Cane.

Sean Spence. Marcus Forston. Jacory Harris. Aldrius Johnson. Thearon Collier. You’re seeing where this thing is headed, but it’s got new legs and is still a ways away.

Bring in the right players. Lock up South Florida recruiting-wise. Cherry-pick the rest of the nation’s top talent. Create competition, lay the foundation and develop these kids better than the 2005 staff did the seniors.

Any more questions regarding Miami being devoid of talent, scroll back up to the top and start again. It took a few years for this to unravel and it’ll take a few more to resurrect things to a more familiar level.

Regarding the immediate future, patience is the only option.

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