by bigbluebazooka » February 24th, 2025, 9:38 pm
From the Miami Herald:
Five storylines to watch on Hurricanes’ offense when spring practice opens next week
BY BARRY JACKSON
Five intriguing battles on offense we’ll be monitoring when Miami Hurricanes spring practice begins next Monday:
▪ Starting receivers: UM must replace its four biggest producers at the position - Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Sam Brown (who are all moving onto potential NFL careers) and Isaiah Horton, who transferred to Alabama.
LSU transfer CJ Daniels and second-year players JoJo Trader are the front-runners to start heading into spring, but neither should be viewed as automatic starters.
Daniels is the most experienced receiver on the roster with a history of solid production in four years at Liberty and one at LSU (148 receptions, 16.5 average per catch and 21 touchdowns).
But he was fourth on the Tigers in receiving yards (480) and receptions (42) last year, so he’s not coming to UM with the pedigree of being a No. 1 receiver, as Charleston Rambo did when he transferred to UM from Oklahoma a few years ago.
“We think he’s a dynamic guy — big, strong, fast, and his contested catch rate is really, really impressive,” Mario Cristobal said of Daniels. “He does all the dirty work, too. He’s going to go in there and put his hat on the safety or block a linebacker because he’s big and strong and experienced.”
Trader might be the most gifted of the young receivers, and he had three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown in the bowl game against Iowa State after catching three passes in the previous 12 games.
“He showed in that game what he showed [in practice] while he was healthy,” Cristobal said. “JoJo did have some ups and downs and some bumps that kept him from consistent practice time, but he had been flashing. It was good to cut him loose. The next step is strength and conditioning and just being more of a pro about all of his dailies, and he’s doing that.”
In the slot, Ray Ray Joseph will try to hold off freshman Malachi Toney and perhaps an eventual portal addition.
“Malachi Toney is a little bit more mature physically” than traditional freshmen, Cristobal said. “He’s a tad bit older, and we expect them to to have a significant impact sooner than later.”
On the boundary, the main competition for Daniels and Trader could be a combination of Ny Carr, Chance Robinson, and freshmen Daylyn Upshaw and Joshua Moore and even more likely, a not-yet-identified veteran receiver who isn’t on the roster. It won’t be surprising if one or two veterans are added in the portal in April, May, June or July.
Moore has impressed UM people in informal on-field workouts in recent weeks.
▪ Left guard: Michael McCoy and Ryan Rodriguez each could end up getting snaps here, with McCoy likely the front-runner to start.
Per PFF, McCoy allowed two sacks and 10 pressures in 404 pass blocking snaps last season.
Rodriguez, who also can back up at center, missed most of the season with an injury and allowed two pressures on 23 pass blocking snaps.
As a run-blocker, PFF rated McCoy UM’s second worst heavily-used lineman, ahead of only right guard Anez Cooper, who has a high ceiling but wasn’t quite as good as expected last year. Rodriguez blocked on only 15 runs because of time missed due to injury.
UM has a new center, former TCU starter James Brockermeyer.
▪ Backup quarterback: UM still holds Emory Williams in high regard despite his disappointing performance in the bowl game (5 for 14, 26 yards, an interception).
The No. 2 job behind Carson Beck is his to lose, and Williams will get a ton of snaps this spring as Beck recovers from elbow surgery.
I found it interesting that Williams made this comment on social media about Miami signing Beck: “I don’t understand but I have to work.”
If he’s really good this spring, there’s always a chance that a non-Power 4 school could try to snag him during the second portal cycle.
That’s why it’s important that UM gives a lot of work to Judd Anderson and early enrollee Luke Nickel to see exactly what they have behind Beck.
▪ No. 3 tight end and No. 3 running back: At tight end, Jackson Carver, UAB transfer Jack Nickel and freshmen Brock Schott and Luka Gilbert will compete behind projected starter Elija Lofton and Tulane transfer Alex Bauman, a skilled receiver and the likely No. 2 tight end.
At running back, Chris Wheatley-Humphrey (one carry for seven yards as a UM freshman last season) and highly-regarded freshman Girard Pringle will compete for carries behind Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle.
A year ago, per Maxpreps, Pringle averaged 7.7 yards per carry and ran for 1683 yards and 24 touchdowns for Seffner Armwood.
Another running back likely needs to be added in the portal, and another tight end could be added if none of the four contenders for the No. 3 role seizes the job this spring.
It remains to be seen if either Carver or Nickel (who’s the brother of UM quarterback Luke) can do the dirty work and blocking that Cam McCormick handled at UM.
247 Sports ranked Nickel as the No. 1,696 transfer and 95th tight end in the 2025 portal. At 6-4 and 250 pounds, he has the size to take on experienced edge players in the running game and pass protection. But he hasn’t proven much on the college level.
He played two years (and 10 games) at Michigan State before transferring to UAB last year, where he played just 117 offensive snaps, including 71 as a run blocker.
UM lost Elijah Arroyo to the NFL, while McCormick finished out his nine years of college eligibility and Riley Williams left for Oregon State.
▪ The overall depth chart at tackle: This isn’t a question about the starting jobs -- Francis Mauogia is entrenched at right tackle, barring something unexpected, and Markel Bell is the clear favorite at left tackle. More so, it’s a question of how former five-star recruit Samson Okunlola fits in after playing just 63 offensive snaps last season and essentially being a non-factor his first two seasons at UM.
Okunlola and Tommy Kinsler essentially are competing for the No. 3 tackle job, but Okunlola could crack the starting lineup someday if his play ever reaches the level of his potential.
Bell generally played well when filling in for Jalen Rivers early last year and when Rivers played some snaps at guard in the second half of the season.
Bell’s pass blocking metrics were solid, but not exceptional: three sacks and 17 pressures in 337 pass blocking snaps. (Rivers, conversely, allowed just one sack and eight pressures in 313 quarterback drop backs.)
As a run-blocker, PFF rated Bell fourth among UM offensive linemen who blocked on at least 100 runs, behind Mauigoa and NFL-bound players Rivers and Zach Carpenter. There’s a high upside with Bell.
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