The Miami Hurricanes are looking to return to the glory days of swagger and championship football after going 19-19 over the last three seasons. The program is entering its third year under head coach Randy Shannon, who recruited the nation's top class in 2008.
Optimism abounds in Coral Gables as those players are a year older and free of a quarterback controversy that seemed to follow the team throughout last season. Sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris, a hometown kid who posted a perfect
30-0 record in high school, has been given the keys to a new Hurricanes offense that should spread out the field and highlight playmakers at both running back and wide receiver.
There's also a new defensive coordinator in John Lovett. After forcing only 15 takeaways last year, the Canes welcome back injured leaders Eric Moncur, Randy Phillips and Colin McCarthy.
Offense
Quarterbacks: Harris takes over as the face of the Hurricanes after starter Robert Marve transferred to Purdue. Harris is a local product who led the Northwestern Bulls to a mythical national championship his senior year of high school. He passed for 1,195 yards and 12 touchdowns primarily as a backup in 2008. Harris earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors three times.
Harris described his likely backup redshirt freshman Taylor Cook, "He's more athletic than people think. He's tall. He towers over a lot of people and he's got great arm strength." Cook was one of the nation's top prep school quarterbacks in 2007, but threw just one pass all season. Freshman A.J. Highsmith, the son of Miami star of the 1980s Alonzo Highsmith, was rated highly by recruiting scouts. New offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who recently worked with the Philadelphia Eagles and helped Ben Roethlisberger become a champion in Pittsburgh, and will help these young quarterbacks develop.
Running Back Graig Cooper
Running Backs: As the saying goes, the rich get richer. Miami is led by the duo
of junior Graig Cooper (841 yards, 4 TDs) and senior Javarris James (286 yards, 4 TDs). James, a cousin of NFL star Edgerrin, has seen his production go down since his freshman year. At Shannon's urging, he shed 15 pounds during the off-season. "He's faster, he's bigger, he's stronger than he's ever been," Shannon said.
The Canes also picked up promising freshmen Lamar Miller and Mike James to join sophomore Lee Chambers and junior Damien Berry.
Receivers/Tight Ends: Miami boasts one of the youngest and most talented receiving corps in the nation to serve as targets for its young quarterbacks. Of the 12 receivers on the roster, five are sophomores and three are freshmen. But it should help that three of them - redshirt freshmen Tommy Streeter and Kendal Thompkins and sophomore Aldarius Johnson (31 catches, 332 yards, 3 TD) - played high school football with Harris.
Eleven different players finished with double-digit catches last year and seven scored multiple touchdowns. At tight end, the Hurricanes have some depth with the return of senior Dedrick Epps (22 catches, 304 yards). Jimmy Graham, who played four years on the basketball team, is listed at 6-8, 260.
Offensive Line: Senior Jason Fox, a preseason All-ACC pick and candidate for both the Outland and Lombardi Trophies, anchors a line loaded with experience to pave the way for Harris and the crop of running backs. Fox graded out at 97 percent last season and has registered 36 career starts. Senior A.J. Trump transitions from guard to center. Junior Orlando Franklin returns at left guard, also a candidate for the Outland and Lombardi. Sophomore Joel Figueroa played in all 13 games at right guard with four starts. Freshmen like Jermaine Johnson (top-rated prep O-lineman in 2008) and Brandon Washington will help with depth.
Defense
Defensive Line: What proved to be a weakness on last season's team is considered a strength this year, according to Shannon. There are 17 linemen listed on the roster, including sixth-year senior Moncur (100-plus career tackles, 10 sacks, 35 QB pressures). Junior Allen Bailey led the team with five sacks and tied for the team lead with nine tackles for a loss. A pair of sopohomore Marcuses - Forston and Robinson - each stepped up to earn Freshman All-America in 2008. Junior Steven Wesley started 11 games last fall, and senior Joe Joseph has seen 14 starts over the last two seasons. The success of the D-Line will determine whether the Hurricanes improve upon last season's mark.
Linebacker Darryl Sharpton
Linebackers: Middle linebacker Darryl Sharpton, the only senior on the depth chart, was fourth on last year's team with 58 tackles. Sophomore Sean Spence earned the honor of ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and Freshman All-America after recording 62 tackles and 9.5 for loss. Expect him only to get better and more dangerous with time. Another huge boost comes with the return of junior Colin McCarthy, who received a medical hardship. He had a season-high eight tackles against Florida and has recorded 94 career tackles. But other than these three, the Hurricanes are a little thin at this spot.
Defensive Backs: As a unit, the secondary intercepted just four passes in 2008, and no player collected more than one. But senior Randy Phillips is back after missing almost all of last season. He is easily the most experienced man in the secondary with 77 career tackles, four interceptions and 15 pass breakups. Junior DeMarcus Van Dyke and sophomore Brandon Harris are likely to again star at the corner positions. Word on the street is that redshirt freshman Vaughn Telemaque could be the next Kenny Phillips. Junior Chavez Grant was one of the team captains last season, and recorded 25 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, with six pass breakups. Seniors Ryan Hill and Sam Shields, two of the fastest players on the team, moved to the secondary to add depth after spending time as receivers.
Special Teams
As with league-opponents Virginia Tech and Florida State, special teams are synonymous with the Orange and Green. Junior Matt Bosher earned All-ACC second-team honors last year, was named Team MVP and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kicker. Bosher connected on 17-of-19 field goals with a long of 52 yards, and he remained perfect on PATs. His 42.3 yards per punt led the conference. Sophomore Travis Benjamin ranked in the conference's top 10 in all-purpose yardage and was 25th nationally in punt return average.
Prediction
If Miami can survive its first four games against Top 25 opponents: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, the Hurricanes could surprise the conference. The biggest difference in this year's team is depth. "We're young and they probably fly around on the football field and have fun making plays because they don't know any better," said Shannon. "Probably the weakness is because we are young; we'll make a play here and then take a chance that may hurt us. Those are things you have to deal with. That's why as you get older and get healthier you'll be fine."
Even is this is not be the year of the Ibis, the Hurricanes appear to be laying a foundation for a title run in the near future.
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Randy Shannon begins his third year as head
coach at Miami after guiding the Hurricanes
to
a 7-6 overall record and 4-4 in the ACC
last fall which included a berth in the Emerald
Bowl, the 34th bowl appearance in the history
of
the program.
Last year, Shannon’s squad
compiled a five-game winning streak, which
was the longest of its kind since 2005. Freshman
linebacker Sean Spence was named the
ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and kicker Matt Bosher was a semifinalist
for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s best kicker.
UM’s young
talent also shined on the football team. Four freshmen - LB Sean Spence, DT
Marcus Forston, DE Marcus Robinson, PR/KR Travis Benjamin - earned
freshman All-America honors.
Miami also ranked No. 7 nationally in pass
defense and 28th overall in total defense yielding 317.56 yards per game.
UM also ranked 25th in tackles for loss. The 2008 Hurricanes were one of
the top teams in the ACC in punt returns (first), pass defense (second), scoring
offense (3rd), net punting (fourth) and tackles for loss (fourth).
Shannon
has also achieved success off the field as the UM football team achieved
an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977, the 7th-highest rate in
the country out of 119 Bowl-Subdivision football programs.
The outlook
for Shannon’s Hurricanes continues to be bright as the former UM defensive
coordinator has recorded three consecutive nationally-ranked recruiting
classes, having what many experts believed to be the best recruiting class in
the nation in 2007.
Shannon, 42, was named the 20th head football coach in
Miami history on December 8, 2006. He had served as Miami’s defensive
coordinator for six years (2001-2006) and is regarded as one of the finest
defensive coaches in college football. In his six years as coordinator, five of
Miami’s defenses were ranked nationally in the Top 10.
Shannon is a native
of Miami, a former Miami Hurricanes player and a graduate of the University.
He played for the Hurricanes from 1985 through 1988 and had been
an assistant coach at UM for 13 seasons. He either played or coached on
three of the school’s five national championship teams.
In 2001, he became
the first UM coach to be named the winner of the Frank Broyles Award,
presented annually to the nation’s top assistant coach. In his six seasons as
defensive coordinator, the Hurricanes had seven All-America players.
Shannon
has coached in 11 bowl games with the Hurricanes. In 2005, Shannon’s
aggressive 4-3 scheme led the nation most of the season in nearly every
category and finished No. 1 in pass defense efficiency and pass defense,
fourth in total and scoring defense. His defenses ranked second in the nation
in total defense in 2003, 7th in 2002 and 6th in 2001.
As a player at Miami,
he was a four-year (1984-88) letterwinner at linebacker and a starter on Miami’s
1987 National Championship team. Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in
1989, he played two years for Dallas before becoming a graduate assistant
coach at Miami in 1991.
In 1992, he became a full-time assistant at UM
and from 1993-97 he coached Miami’s linebackers. He left the Hurricanes
briefly in 1998-2000 to coach with the Miami Dolphins. He came back to
assume the defensive coordinator position one year later.
A 1989 graduate of
Miami, he attended Norland High School and is a native of the Liberty City
area of Miami. He was born Feb. 24, 1966 in Miami.
2009 Preseason Information
2008 In Review
In Randy Shannon’s second season as Head Coach at
Miami, the Hurricanes posted a 7-6 overall record, 4-4
in the ACC, good enough for a tie for 3rd place in the
Coastal Division and a berth in the Emerald Bowl despite
a lineup that relied on the contributions of as many
as 15-16 true freshmen...Freshmen QBs Robert Marve
and Jacory Harris shared signal calling duties combining
to throw for 2,488 yards and 21 TDs...Freshman LB
Sean Spence was named the ACC’s Defensive Rookie
of the Year...PK-P Matt Bosher was chosen 2nd-team
All-ACC both as a placekicker and as a punter and was a
finalist for the Lou Groza Award, making 18 of 20 FGs...
RB Graig Cooper finished 7th in the ACC in rushing
with 841 yards...WR Aldarius Johnson led the Hurricanes
in receiving with 31 receptions, a 10.7 average and
3 TDs...Four Miami freshmen were named to the first or
second-team Freshman All-America squads, including
DT Marcus Forston (1st, FWAA, Rivals), Spence (1st,
Rivals, CFN), DE Marcus Robinson (1st, CFN) and
WR Travis Benjamin (2nd, Rivals)...Miami’s defense
ranked 7th nationally in pass defense and 28th in total
defense...Miami hired highly-regarded Philadelphia
Eagle Assistant Mark Whipple on Jan. 27 as Assistant
Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator and North Carolina
Assistant and former Clemson Defensive Coordinator
John Lovett as Defensive Coordinator on Feb. 12.
Who’s Gone
The Hurricanes (along with Georgia Tech) lose the fewest
starters of any teams in the ACC, a total of six, three
each on offense and defense...Offensively, Shannon will
have to find replacements for starting T Chris Rutledge
and C Xavier Shannon as well as for QB Marve, who
decided to transfer at season’s end...Defensively, Miami
will be without its top two leading tacklers in LB Glenn
Cook (76 tackles) and S Anthony Reddick (67 tackles)
as well as DT Dwayne Hendricks.
2009 Preview
Shannon welcomes back 18 returning starters, 2nd most
in the ACC only to Coastal Division rival Georgia
Tech...Miami’s returnees are evenly balanced, 8 each
on offense and defense...Offensively, the return of QB
Jacory Harris, who completed 60.8% of his passes for
1,195 yards and 12 TDs gives the Canes virtually a ninth
returning starter...Joining him is the TB tandem of Cooper
and junior TB Javarris James, who missed most of
2008 with an injury, FB Patrick Hill and a deep wide
receiver corps which includes Johnson, WRs Travis
Benjamin (18 catches, 3 TDs), Thearon Collier (26
catches), LaRon Byrd (21 catches) and Leonard Hankerson
(11 catches)...Three starters from the offensive
line return in T Jason Fox and G’s Orlando Franklin
and A.J. Trump...Defensively, the Hurricanes should
receive a boost from the return of DE Eric Moncur, S
Randy Phillips and LB Colin McCarthy, a trio of 2007
starters who missed virtually all of last year with injuries...
Joining them will be Spence, who made 65 tackles,
including 9.5 for loss and returned one interception for
a TD, and LB Darryl Sharpton; 3 of 4 returning starters
on the D-line in DE Marcus Robinson (4 sacks),
DT Joe Joseph and DE Steven Wesley; plus three other
returning lettermen will also contend for playing time in
DTs Forston and Allen Bailey, as well as DE Adewale
Ojomo; plus 3 of 4 secondary starters in CB’s Chavez
Grant and Brandon Harris and S Jo Jo Nicolas.
Numbers and Notes
2 - In his fi rst season as a college football player,
true freshman QB Jacory Harris guided
Miami to a pair of 2nd-half comeback victories
on the road, including a 4th-quarter comefrom
behind win at Virginia. On Oct. 18, Harris
threw 4 TD passes in helping UM rebound to a
49-31 win at Duke. Two weeks later, he guided
the Hurricanes on two long late TD drives at
Virginia to claim a 24-17 overtime win over
the Cavaliers.
3 - Miami’s national rank in red zone offensive
effi ciency in 2008. Last year, Miami scored
94% of the time, or 44 times in 47 drives into
the red zone with 29 touchdowns and 15 FGs.
4 - The number of fi rst-year players at Miami
who were named Freshmen All-Americas in
2008 including LB Sean Spence, DT Marcus
Forston, DE Marcus Robinson and WR-KR
Travis Benjamin.
4.63 - The TV rating for this year’s Emerald
Bowl Game between Miami and California. It
is the highest TV rating in the history of San
Francisco’s Emerald Bowl and is ESPN’s 8thmost
viewed football game of all time.
6 - Six of Miami’s 2009 signees participated in
spring practice including OL Jermaine Johnson,
RB Mike James, OL Brandon Washington,
DL Curtis Porter, DB Brandon McGee
and DL Olivier Vernon.
11.3 - Freshman WR Travis Benjamin led the
ACC in punt returns in 2008, averaging 11.3
per return. Benjamin was also 9th in kickoff
returns, averaging 22.5 per return.
17 - The number of touchdowns scored last
year for Miami by true freshmen. This includes
scores by WR LaRon Byrd and WR Travis
Benjamin followed by WR Aldarius Johnson
(3), WR Thearon Collier (2), QB Jacory
Harris (2), WR Davon Johnson (1) and LB
Sean Spence (1).
40 - The number of wins accumulated in 2008
Miami’s first four opponents for the 2009
season. The Hurricanes open with Florida State
4) followed by Georgia Tech (9-4), Virginia
Tech (10-4) and fi nally Oklahoma (12-2), a
combined record of 40-14 (.741).
