The CaneSport On3: Miami Hurricanes players under the most pressure as season approaches
Miami Hurricanes fall drills are around the corner, and coaches always make it a point of emphasis to keep as many position battles wide open as possible. Every year you will see players who had a role the year prior have their reps scaled back … or increased.
Today we are looking at seven players we believe are under the most pressure as the season approaches, with young/transfer talent looking to supplant them:
SEVEN MIAMI PLAYERS UNDER THE MOST PRESSURE WITH FALL DRILLS APPROACHING (ranked from least to most pressure)
7. QB JACURRI BROWN
No, Jacurri Brown won’t be pushing Tyler Van Dyke to start this fall. So why’s he on this list? Because if he doesn’t show that his issues with accuracy are a thing of the past then he might wind up the third-teamer behind Emory Williams. Williams, a true freshman, was on point in the spring and coaches are very high on his future potential. Brown, of course, had issues when he was thrust into action last year after Van Dyke’s midseason injury. He didn’t complete a single pass that was thrown 20+ yards in the air and 30 of his 45 passes were thrown within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. The Shannon Dawson offense cannot function like that. So yes, the pressure is on Brown this fall to show he is a capable backup and the QB in waiting when Van Dyke’s time at Miami comes to an end.
6. TE JALEEL SKINNER
When Miami beat out Alabama to land Skinner in the Class of 2022, there was jubilation in Hurricane land. But Skinner’s true freshman season saw him get limited reps as a backup who didn’t have enough size and strength to block and who struggled holding onto the ball. With starter Will Mallory gone, it would seem an ideal time for Skinner to emerge as the next guy at Tight End U. But instead he finds himself behind Elijah Arroyo and also probably behind Oregon transfer arrival Cam McCormick (whose best attribute is as a blocker). Skinner still has a way to go to be a guy that can help as a blocker, and he didn’t shine in the spring and was behind McCormick (with Arroyo coming off injury). Plus we’re hearing that true freshman TE Riley Williams is making waves in offseason work. So if Skinner struggles in fall camp with drops and blocking, he may be a guy that was once labeled as a future star but will now be seen as a big question mark.
5. OG ANEZ COOPER
Cooper emerged as a starter last season and performed fairly well considering he was a true freshman. But this year he may wind up the odd man out after starting at right guard in the spring. The reason? The team moved Jalen Rivers from right guard to left tackle in the spring, but Rivers is best suited on the interior line (and Javion Cohen is a lock to start at left guard). With 5-star Samson Okunlola pushing to start at left tackle, and LT Zion Nelson also hoping to get back on the field this fall off recurring knee issues, there’s every chance that Rivers will return to guard. And if that happens Cooper could be relegated to the bench. So he has to show that he’s ready to dominate on the interior, which would allow Miami more flexibility with Rivers and the overall OL depth situation.
4. WR COLBIE YOUNG
Young was Miami’s top producing wide receiver last year, so why is he on this list? Well, in part because that production was just 367 yards, with the bulk of that a pair of 100-yard back-to-back games. Young never fully grasped the offense under Josh Gattis, and now he has a new one to learn with Shannon Dawson. Young has to show he really grasps the ins and outs of it … and even with that will have to hold off challenges from fellow outside receivers like Alabama transfer Tyler Harrell, JUCO arrival Shemar Kirk and returners Jacolby George, Isaiah Horton, Frank Ladson, true freshman Robby Washington and Mike Redding. The competition will be fierce in fall camp, and we think Harrell is likely to start at one spot which leaves a bunch of talented guys at the other. Young will have to show out in fall camp if he’s going to again be in the starting lineup.
3. RB HENRY PARRISH
(photo by Neil Gershman)
Parrish started last year, although it was somewhat by default with TreVonte’ Citizen and Don Chaney injured, Jaylan Knighton banged up early and then suffering fumble issues, and with Thaddius Franklin passed on the depth chart by a walkon. Parrish was okay in 2022, finishing with 616 rush yards (4.7 YPC) and 120 receiving yards with six total touchdowns. It didn’t help his cause that the offensive line had issues. But while Parrish is the returning starter, he’s by no means a lock to be the guy. The team added highly touted true freshman Mark Fletcher and Nebraska transfer Ajay Allen, who both bring a power run game option that Parrish doesn’t possess. Don Chaney also hopes to have a say, although he wasn’t able to pass Parrish in the spring, and true freshman speedster Christopher Johnson will also challenge for reps given his home run element – Parrish’s longest run last year was just 24 yards. We would not be surprised if Parrish starts Game 1 … and is at some point supplanted by Fletcher or Allen. We also would not be surprised if Parrish is the main starter but doesn’t get as many carries as a year ago (130 attempts in 10 games). Or Parrish might be relegated to a backup role all year. There is intense competition that’s going to be going on this fall to win the job and earn reps for the coming season. Let’s not forget that when Parrish arrived at Miami last year as a transfer he was coming in after a year in which he was the No. 4 running back at Mississippi.
2. DE JAHFARI HARVEY
Harvey has started 13 games in his Miami career, and last year he split starts with Mitchell Agude. With Agude gone, it seems natural to think that Harvey will be the new full-time end starter opposite returning starter Akheem Mesidor. Well, not so fast. Nyjalik Kelly flashed as a true freshman last season with four sacks in limited reps (he would have had double-digit sacks based on that production if he’d gotten the same number of reps as Harvey). Harvey is a veteran but he’s never truly broken out – 2022 was his most productive season and he had 31 tackles, 7.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks. Miami needs more out of its defensive end starter, and this will be a bigtime fall battle. There’s also pressure coming from true freshman Rueben Bain, who had three sacks in the Spring Game and is virtually assured some kind of meaningful role this year given his skillset. Our guess right now is that Kelly beats out Harvey … but Harvey plans to have something to say about that in fall camp.
1. CB DARYL PORTER, JR.
It’s going to be a tall task for Porter to hold onto the No. 1 job he had in the spring opposite fellow boundary corner Davonte Brown. We think Brown has a good shot at keeping his starting role this fall. Porter? Not so much. He struggled in the spring and there’s a reason Miami went out and added three more portal players in the second transfer window – Jaden Davis, Demetrius Freeney (JUCO) and Ja’Dais Richard. Coaches know there’s a top end talent and depth issue at cornerback, and those three additions do not spell good news for Porter. Our best guess heading into fall drills is that it will be the UCF transfer Brown and Davis, who started at Oklahoma, that top the depth chart when Game 1 rolls around. If that is the case it would be a severe disappointment for Porter, who transferred in before last season after starting at West Virginia.
The post The CaneSport On3: Miami Hurricanes players under the most pressure as season approaches appeared first on On3.
