Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 48 Kaleb Spencer
No. 50 Miami DT Thomas Gore … No. 49 Malik Curtis
CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 48, Kaleb Spencer.
NO. 48 MIAMI LB KALEB SPENCER
Why he’s No. 48
At 6-1 and 215 pounds, Spencer showed up as a true freshman for spring ball and immediately impressed with his size and mobility. He and James Williams are two of the more imposing-looking safeties you’ll find, and it’s no wonder as you watched Spencer run around Greentree this spring that he had other offers from Oklahoma (where Miami flipped his commitment from), LSU, Penn State, Michigan State and Tennessee, among others. Also consider this comment from Spencer’s high school coach at Life Christian Academy in Virginia, Charles Scott: “He’s a generational talent that would easily be a 5 star if he was a big camper early in his high school career,” Scott said. “He is a big hitter who is also fast enough to cover guys on an island.” Indeed, Spencer has the size and speed to the point that some thought out of high school he’d wind up a linebacker at this level. So he has a bright, bright future and we don’t think he will be a guy that Miami redshirts because of his talent plus the fact that there isn’t much safety depth (James Williams, Kam Kinchens are returning starters with unproven Brian Balom and Markeith Williams behind them). Spencer also will be a big asset on special teams.
What he needs to do to move up this list
In Lance Guidry’s 4-2-5, there are a lot of opportunities for safeties to move up in the box, blitz, cover, etc. And Guidry isn’t just the coordinator, but also the safeties coach. So he makes sure these guys are up to speed since they do so much in his D. The main thing that Spencer needs to master is Guidry’s complex schemes. Guidry does a little bit of everything and said he’d be happy just getting 60 percent of his defense in this spring (the offense installed 100 percent of what Shannon Dawson runs, by comparison). So knowing where to be and in what situations he has to do x, y or z are going to be key for Spencer. But he already possesses all the physical tools you want in a future star safety.
Realistic season objective
With the above in mind, James Williams seems like a guy that will be in the box a lot, and against more run-heavy teams there could be a third safety that Guidry wants to utilize rather than undersized nickel Te’Cory Couch. In those situations we think Spencer would be a great answer, assuming he continues to pick up the defense prior to the season. So Spencer should be ready for an immediate role in the two-deep at safety given the depth issues there and his own talent level, plus a starting role on multiple special teams.
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