The CaneSport On3: Analyzing the Miami Hurricanes offensive depth chart/biggest position battles
The Miami Hurricanes’ fall practice is around the corner, and off a 5-7 season coach Mario Cristobal has brought in a huge influx of new faces. There are 24 true freshmen joined by 14 transfers, helping transform the roster. Now the hope for Miami is that transforms losses to wins.
Today we’re taking a closer look at the offensive depth chart and the biggest position battles heading into fall practice:
QUARTERBACK
Projected depth chart
1st team: Tyler Van Dyke
2nd team: Jacurri Brown
3rd team: Emory Williams
Tyler Van Dyke is a year removed from his ACC Rookie Offensive Player of the Year honors when he threw for 25 TDs in nine starts. And we don’t need to rehash the step backward he took in Josh Gattis’ failed offense last season, a year that essentially ended for Van Dyke after a midseason injury. Now he’s back fully healthy and very much looked the part of a top national QB in spring practice. As he put it this offseason, “I know what I’m capable of. Those injuries last year hurt us – I was injured, guys up front, defense (were hurt). It was tough.” So there is no true position battle for the starting job, but there is one for the backup role. Jacurri Brown struggled when called upon as a true freshman last season, having major accuracy issues but making plays with his legs. His athleticism is off the charts, and he showed improvement in his precision passing before struggling with that in the spring game. If he is on point this fall, he’ll be the backup and could be a future star in Shannon Dawson’s system (see Clayton Tune, who threw for 40 TDs and ran for 544 yards at Houston under Dawson last season). But if he falters then Miami will likely have no choice but to turn to the only other scholarship QB, true freshman Emory Williams. Williams looked very good this spring.
RUNNING BACK
Henry Parrish has a tall task holding onto his starting job (© Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Projected depth chart:
1st team: Mark Fletcher, Ajay Allen or Henry Parrish
Backups: Don Chaney, Christopher Johnson
If we had to go out on a limb we’d say that the true freshman Mark Fletcher ends the season as Miami’s top running back. But entering fall camp it’s Henry Parrish with the most experience, and Ajay Allen showed some good things in three games at Nebraska last year before a season-ending injury. The difference between those three? Well, Parrish is built more in the typical third-down back mold with a smaller stature. He isn’t going to bull rush through defenders, and he has good hands out of the backfield. We know Mario Cristobal prefers a power run game that bullies the defense, and that’s the specialty of Allen and Fletcher. We think Fletcher has a bit more burst than Allen, which is why we see him as the guy who will eventually emerge … but he was a summer arrival and has to pick up the nuances of the blocking schemes, etc. This might be a deal where coordinator Shannon Dawson uses all three quite a bit to start the year and ultimately goes with the hot hand. Oft-injured Don Chaney could also factor in, but he wasn’t able to pass by Parrish in spring drills. And Christopher Johnson is a home run hitter true freshman who could find a role as a third down back type, and he also has good receiving skills.
WIDE RECEIVER
Projected depth chart:
X
1st team: Colbie Young or Shemar Kirk
Backup: Isaiah Horton, Frank Ladson
SLOT
1st team: Xavier Restrepo
2nd team: Ray Ray Joseph or Brashard Smith
Z
1st team: Tyler Harrell or Jacolby George
Backup: Robby Washington, Mike Redding
The wide receiver position was not in a good way last year, with the top producer Colbie Young – and he had just 367 yards (with 228 of those coming in back-to-back games vs. Virginia Tech and Duke). There were dropped passes, guys not getting open and few big plays after the catch. So what has changed this year? Well, all the personnel is back except for backup Romello Brinson, who transferred. They are being tutored in a new, more explosive offense and have WR coach Kevin Beard mentoring them. Plus the team’s gotten some explosive additions in Alabama transfer Tyler Harrell and his 4.24 speed, JUCO arrival Shemar Kirk and true freshmen Ray Ray Joseph and Robby Washington. We see Harrell as the likely starter, but Jacolby George will have a say in that battle and has big upside. With Harrell, his best season was two years ago at Louisville with 500+ yards (he was injured most of last year). Kirk has plenty of potential but has to adapt to a new level of competition, and we see Joseph with an immediate role going in motion and getting the ball in his hands on quick hitters and deep throws down the field. He’s an explosive option. Washington perhaps would benefit from a redshirt. As for the other returners? Young should be better after arriving from JUCO just prior to last season – he struggled to pick up the offense, which held him back. And getting Xavier Restrepo back after he had an early season injury and never was the same last year is big – we were expecting a breakout year from him in 2022 and now perhaps he can accomplish that in 2023. The other guys on the depth chart will try to work their way up as well. Do we see a No. 1 threat here? Maybe Harrell. But this could wind up a group that does most of its damage as a group, with a guy here and there stepping up with explosive plays.
TIGHT END
Projected depth chart:
1st team: Elijah Arroyo
2nd team: Cam McCormick
3rd team: Jaleel Skinner or Riley Williams
Backup: Jackson Carver
New Miami coordinator Shannon Dawson has a room full of talent here, something he didn’t have at Houston. So it’ll be interesting to see how he uses the personnel here. He’s got a physical blocker in Oregon transfer Cam McCormick (who is in his 8th year), good receiving options in Jaleel Skinner (if he can solve his drop issues) and true freshman Riley Williams (who has gotten rave reviews this summer) plus a do-everything guy in projected starter Elijah Arroyo. The caveat here is that none of these guys have really put together a solid season yet … starter Will Mallory is gone so Miami does have some question marks at this spot. But the talent is there. The biggest position battle we see this fall will be for the second tight end job, since Skinner has to show he’s an invaluable option as a receiver or the Canes will likely go with Arroyo and McCormick the most to help provide more physicality up front.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Jalen Rivers could start at LT or move back to guard (photo by Neil Gershman)
Projected depth chart:
LT: 1st team Jalen Rivers or Samson Okunlola or Zion Nelson
LG: 1st team Javion Cohen, 2nd team Tommy Kinsler
C: 1st team Matt Lee, 2nd team Ryan Rodriguez or Luis Cristobal
RG: 1st team Jalen Rivers or Anez Cooper, backup Logan Sagapolu
RT: 1st team Francis Mauigoa, 2nd team Michael McLaughlin
The offensive line was a major issue a year ago, a reason the Miami offense ranked No. 95 in the nation in rushing offense and No. 108 in sacks allowed. It’s a reshaped group this year, and four of the starters in Game 1 a year ago won’t be on the field when the team kicks off vs. Miami (Ohio) this year (John Campbell, Jakai Clark, Justice Oluwaseun and DJ Scaife). The reshaped line, based on what we saw this spring, will have either Jalen Rivers or 5-star freshman Samson Okunlola at left tackle (unless former starter Zion Nelson is back full go off recurring knee issues) with Alabama transfer Javion Cohen at left guard, UCF transfer Matt Lee at center, either Rivers or Anez Cooper (who started games as a true freshman in 2022) at right guard and 5-star freshman Francis Mauigoa at right tackle. Do you really want two true freshmen in your starting lineup? Not optimally, but both these guys are steps up from what we saw last year and have NFL type ability. Cohen, meanwhile, is already projected by many as an All-ACC pick while Lee is considered a big upgrade over Clark (who lacked physicality). So the real question here is if returning starter Jalen Rivers winds up at left tackle, where he played this spring, or returns to his more natural right guard spot. So that will hinge on Okunlola stepping up (he was behind Rivers at LT in the spring) or Nelson returning to action. That’s a key area to watch when fall drills begin. Then there’s also the depth question. None of the other scholarship guys on this team have shown they can be difference-makers at this level, so if there’s an injury or a starter falters that might cause some issues up front. But as far as the current starting lineup the way we see it? That’s a big upgrade over the failure of a year ago.
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