2003 Spring Football Outlook
March 14, 2003
After a three-year run in which they won 35 of 37 games, captured one national championship and three BIG EAST Conference titles and made two appearances in the Bowl Championship Series Title Game, the Miami Hurricanes have several challenges to face this spring in their quest to maintain a tradition of excellence and dominance established over the last 20 seasons. The Hurricanes must replace 12 starters (5 offense, 5 defense, 2 specialists) from a year ago and have undergone an almost complete makeover from their starting unit of two years ago. Only two players – linebackers Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams – remain as starters from the 2001 national champions. But the “generational change” that has taken place over the last two seasons hasn’t lowered the expectations of the players, the coaching staff or the fans. The Hurricanes fully expect to compete for another BIG EAST title and make another run at national contention this season as 47 lettermen return from the squad that went 12-1 in 2002 and narrowly missed a second consecutive national championship. Overall, 13 starters (6 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist) return for Miami including the team’s leading pass catcher, top five tacklers, leading blocker, all four defensive backs, and leading return men. Miami completed its first ever back-to-back 12-win seasons in 2001 and 2002 and head coach Larry Coker mans the helm of a program that is one of only two in the nation (along with Texas) to have constructed five consecutive nine (or more) win seasons. Miami has finished ranked among the top two each of the last three seasons, but this group of Hurricanes is not satisfied. The bar of expectations remains high at Miami and this team wants to raise it even higher.
QUARTERBACK
The Hurricanes enter the spring of 2003 looking to replace one of college football’s supreme winners and the most prolific passer in Miami history in Ken Dorsey. Despite the fact that the Hurricanes have a quartet of talented passers ready to compete for the starting job, Miami faces the prospect of a starting quarterback this fall that will be making his first stop in a UM uniform for the first time since Larry Coker took over the program in 2001. Two players return with extensive playing experience – juniors Derrick Crudup and Brock Berlin – but only one (Crudup) has significant playing time in the Miami system. Crudup is entering his fourth year working with the Miami offense and has played in 16 games over the last two seasons. An athletic player with a strong arm, Crudup served as Dorsey’s primary backup the last two seasons after redshirting in 2000. Crudup has completed 25 of 48 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception at Miami. Fellow junior Brock Berlin is a heralded transfer from the University of Florida who sat out the 2002 season per NCAA transfer rules. Berlin went through spring practice in 2002 and is in his fourth spring practice of college ball. The Shreveport, La., native played in 12 games for the Gators in 2000 and 2001, completing 53 of 87 passes for 653 yards and 11 touchdowns with two interceptions. Berlin started his final game at Florida, leading the Gators for much of their victory over Maryland in the 2002 Orange Bowl following the 2001 regular season. Redshirt freshman Marc Guillon appears to have the right bloodlines for the job, hailing from the same high school that produced Dorsey (Orinda High School in Miramonte, Calif.). Guillon played once last year before settling for a medical redshirt in 2001, completing three of five passes for 53 yards and a touchdown without an interception against Florida A&M. True freshman Kyle Wright enrolled early at UM in January. A talented passer, Wright was considered by many to be the nation’s top high school signalcaller in 2002.
RECEIVERS
The player who wins the quarterbacking derby will be able to rely on a receivers corps that combines some veteran experience with exciting young talent. Several young players will be looking to make the most of their chance for a starting job this spring as there is an opportunity for work at both split end and flanker. The loss of split end Andre Johnson to the NFL a year early was a blow, but not an unexpected one, for the Hurricanes. At flanker, senior Kevin Beard will miss the spring while recovering from a knee injury suffered in late November. That leaves senior Jason Geathers as the leading veteran returnee at split end with sophomore Roscoe Parrish the leading returnee at flanker. Geathers spent much of 2002 at tailback, but moved back to split end after Beard’s injury. Geathers is no stranger to the position, having spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons there and he had seven catches for 99 yards with two touchdowns in 2002. Geathers has 16 catches for 211 yards and three scores in his career. Joining Geathers at split end will be sophomore Akieem Jolla, who caught five passes for 96 yards and one touchdown last season. Ryan Moore is a gifted talent at split end who could be ready to make an impact in his redshirt freshman season. While Parrish leads the way at flanker, the Hurricanes have no shortage of talent there this spring while awaiting Beard’s return this fall (he had 23 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns last year to rank fourth in receptions). Parrish began to establish himself as a big-play threat late in the season, making several important catches after Beard’s injury. Parrish ended 2002 with 19 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns. True freshman Darnell Jenkins will make a much-anticipated debut in orange and green this spring while sophomore Sinorice Moss is expected to miss the spring after offseason ankle surgery. Moss was a special teams regular who also caught three passes last year.
TIGHT ENDS
Perhaps the position that will provide the greatest comfort to UM’s new quarterback will be tight end. Junior Kellen Winslow returns to the starting position after posting the most productive pass catching season ever by a Miami tight end in 2002. Winslow, a first team All-America selection by CNNSI.com in 2002, caught a team-high 57 passes for 726 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He capped the year with a record performance in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State with 11 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. A finalist for the John Mackey Award (nation’s top tight end) in 2002, Winslow is college football’s undisputed top returning tight end. But Miami’s talent pool at tight end doesn’t stop with Winslow. Joining the Hurricanes this spring is Kevin Everett, who starred the last two years at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College after originally signing with UM in 2001. Everett has the size, speed and agility to give Miami a pair of outstanding athletes at the position. Sophomore Brandon Sebald returns for his third season in the Miami system after redshirting in 2001 and playing sparingly in 2002. He has one career catch, a 14-yarder against Connecticut in 2002. Redshirt freshman Curtis Justus continues to learn the Miami system and will be competing for playing time this spring, along with Sebald. Winslow’s primary backup, sophomore Eric Winston, has moved from tight end to the offensive line.
RUNNING BACKS
For the third straight season, Miami needs to replace its starting tailback. In 2001, the Hurricanes replaced former starter James Jackson with future NFL first round draft pick Clinton Portis (the 2002 NFL Rookie of the Year). In 2002, Miami replaced Portis with Willis McGahee, who shattered every Miami single-season rushing and all-purpose yardage record in his only season as the starter. One of this spring’s most anticipated competitions will be the battle for the starting job at tailback between fifth-year senior Jarrett Payton and third-year sophomore Frank Gore. Payton has experience on his side, having played in 27 games during his UM career including 12 games last season as a reserve tailback. Payton rushed for 223 yards (4.5 avg.) last season and has 511 yards (4.4 avg.) and three touchdowns in his Miami career. Gore was the touted star of the future heading into 2002 after a dazzling 2001 campaign in which he averaged a whopping 9.1 yards per carry with 562 yards on 62 carries and five touchdowns. Payton and Gore are the only scholarship tailbacks on the roster this spring. Miami will welcome freshman recruit Tyrone Moss to join the rotation this fall. There is plenty of experience returning at fullback as the Hurricanes welcome back incumbent sophomore starter Quadtrine Hill and top reserves junior Kyle Cobia and senior Talib Humphrey. Undersized for a fullback at 6-2, 213, Hill showed surprising blocking skill along with the ability to be a dependable receiver as he caught 14 passes for 270 yards (19.3 avg.) but will be looking for more touches on the ground after carrying only six times for 16 yards last season. Cobia is a more traditional fullback whose blocking in short yardage situations has been vital. But Cobia will miss the spring following surgery to repair a shoulder. Humphrey played extensively as a reserve last year and will be looking to expand his role this spring.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Miami offensive line has produced at least one first-team All-American each of the last four seasons. Miami lost three of five starters from 2001 (LT Bryant McKinnie, RT Joaquin Gonzalez and RG Martin Bibla) and loses two more starters from 2002 (C Brett Romberg and LG Sherko Haji-Rasouli). Romberg and Haji-Rasouli combined for 61 starts in their careers at Miami. Three starters return who started all 13 games in 2002 – senior tackle Vernon Carey, senior tackle Carlos Joseph and junior guard Chris Myers. But line coach Art Kehoe has made it clear that no one’s starting job is safe. Carey could be set up for a monster year in his senior campaign after a dominating performance in 2002 in which he led the team in pancake blocks and “metrorails”. Joseph and Carey have the ability to be outstanding tackles while Myers could be the star of the future at guard. All three players were vital members of a unit that showed the ability to be a punishing run blocking unit while allowing just 11 sacks by the starters last season. Two key starting jobs are open at center and left guard. Junior Joel Rodriguez appears primed to step in at Romberg’s center spot after three seasons of apprenticeship while veteran senior guard Joe McGrath is the most experienced returnee vying for the job at left guard. A group of talented younger players will battle for playing time and starting jobs, as well. Sophomores Tony Tella and Rashad Butler will be in the mix at tackle while sophomore Robert Bergman, and redshirt freshman Alex Pou will get a look at guard. The most intriguing position change of the spring could be former tight end Eric Winston’s move to the line. The sophomore, who has bulked up to 290 pounds over the offseason, will begin at tackle but could play either guard or tackle this season. Also, look for true freshman Derrick Morse to make his presence felt at tackle this spring after enrolling in time for the spring semester.
DEFENSIVE LINE
On paper, at least, the Hurricanes appear decimated along the defensive front. Six key players from 2002, including all four regular starters, have departed leaving Miami with crucial work to do in the defensive front. But the cupboard is far from cleared of talent and experience as the Hurricanes return veterans at both tackles spots and younger players with experience at the ends. Headlining the Miami front wall will be junior defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, who returns for his third season at UM with designs on making a huge impact for the Hurricanes in his first season as the probable starter. Wilfork was close to cracking the team’s top 10 in tackles last year with 43 stops including 15 tackles for losses, eight quarterback hurries and seven quarterback sacks. Joining Wilfork in the middle will be Santonio Thomas and Orien Harris. Thomas played in two games last year before missing the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. He has played in 15 games over the last three years and had three tackles for losses and one sack in little more than a game of play in 2002. Harris earned increasing playing time as last season progressed, racking up 36 tackles (14 solos), 14 quarterback hurries, one sack and a fumble recovery. Another veteran tackle, senior Larry Anderson, returns this season and figures to battle for playing time after missing much of 2002 with an illness. The process to find a rotation of defensive ends figures to be one of the team’s primary concerns this spring. Miami returns two players with extensive experience in junior John Square and sophomore Thomas Carroll. Square has played in 13 games over the last two seasons, including four games in 2002. He had five sacks in nine games two years ago before being limited by a chest injury last season. Carroll worked into regular playing time last season as a redshirt freshman, garnering six tackles (two for losses) and one quarterback sack. The arrival of junior college transfer Alton Wright this spring from Kilgore (Texas) JC could shore up some of the depth at end, as will the emergence of a pair of talented redshirt freshmen in Baraka Atkins and John Wood. Both Atkins and Wood are considered stars of the future for the Hurricanes. Junior David Williams moves to defensive end this spring after spending his first three seasons at Miami at tight end.
LINEBACKERS
The Hurricanes return two starters who started every game in 2002, and a third who started the final segment of last season. As usual, Miami has exceptional talent at all three positions headed by senior middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and weakside linebacker D.J. Williams. Both Vilma and Williams made the 11-man list of semi-finalists for the 2002 Butkus Award and figure to be prime candidates for national honors again this season. Vilma is the most experienced starter on the Miami roster with 24 career starts in the middle. A First-Team Verizon Academic All-America in 2002, Vilma has led the Hurricanes in tackles the last two seasons, including 133 tackles last year along with eight stops for losses, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and four quarterback hurries. Williams was a disruptive influence for opposing offenses throughout the season, ranking second on the team in tackles (108) and tying for the team lead in tackles for loss with 16 (45 yards) along with four sacks and two forced fumbles. A former fullback, Williams could be on the verge of a huge season in 2003. The young pup of the linebacker corps is sophomore Roger “Rocky” McIntosh, who broke into the starting lineup at strongside linebacker last year and appears ready to master the UM defensive scheme. McIntosh started five of the final six games of 2002 and finished with 43 tackles (24 solos), eight for losses, and one forced fumble. A group of talented linebackers will continue to provide depth across the board led by senior SLB Jarrell Weaver, sophomore MLB Leon Williams, junior WLB Darrell McClover and sophomore SLB Buck Ortega.
SECONDARY
The Hurricanes welcome an entirely different situation in the defensive backfield than they faced a year ago as all four starters and the top eight secondary players from 2002 return. The 2002 starting quartet of cornerbacks Kelly Jennings and Antrel Rolle and safeties Maurice Sikes and Sean Taylor not only settled in comfortably as starters but led the nation in pass defense and pass efficiency defense. Along the way, the Hurricanes tied the NCAA record for fewest yards allowed per completion for a single season at 9.5 for the year. Rolle, Sikes and Taylor earned First-Team All-BIG EAST honors in 2002 and all four returning starters should be top honors candidates this fall. The star of the unit could be junior free safety Sean Taylor, who established an edge to the unit with a series of bruising stops along the way to ranking third on the team with 85 tackles. Taylor picked off four passes and broke up a team-best 15 passes and forced a fumble. Redshirt freshman Brandon Meriweather figures to be the backup to Taylor. At strong safety, Sikes will sit out the spring following shoulder surgery. Sikes could return to his starting job in the fall after a season in which he was fourth on the team in tackles (80), intercepted three passes (returning two for touchdowns), knocked down nine passes, forced two fumbles and recovered another in addition to blocking a field goal on special teams. Rolle had an impressive campaign in 2002 with 66 tackles (fifth on the team), six stops for losses, two sacks, one interception, seven passes broken up and three fumble recoveries. The junior from Homestead figures to be one of college football’s top all-purpose corners, showing exceptional cover skills along with a hard nosed approach to run support. Jennings was overshadowed much of last season, but asserted himself as the starter at left corner as a redshirt freshman despite playing much of the season with a cast on one hand. The speedy Jennings made 25 tackles, broke up six passes and intercepted a pass in 2002. Alfonso Marshall returns as one of the team’s most experienced reserves at cornerback. Marshall started three games last season as a nickel or dime back and has played in 32 games over the last three seasons. He made 20 tackles last season, intercepted one pass and broke up six aerials. Sophomore Glenn Sharpe returns to provide depth at corner, as well, after a rookie season in which he made 18 tackles in 12 games and broke up three passes, in addition to recovering a fumble. Sophomore safety Marcus Maxey and soph Greg Threat return at strong safety and could thrive in Sikes’ absence during the spring. Maxey (11 games) and Threat (12 games) played extensively last year. True freshman Terrell Walden will join the team for spring drills at cornerback.
KICKING GAME
The Hurricanes have relied on two of the nation’s best kicking specialists in recent years in placekicker Todd Sievers and punter Freddie Capshaw, but Miami must start anew at both positions this season. Sievers was Miami’s field goal specialist the last three years while Capshaw was the team’s punter since the middle of the 1999 season. Capshaw averaged 41.2 yards per punt last season while Sievers scored 105 points and made 13 field goals. Third-year sophomore Mark Gent is the likely candidate to replace Sievers. Gent has only a missed extra-point attempt last season on his college resume thus far, but has shown impressive range as a field goal kicker in scrimmages and practices. Redshirt freshman Jon Peattie will handle the punting duties this spring. Peattie played in one game last year, handling the punting job in the opener against Florida A&M and averaging 44.3 yards on three punts including a 53-yarder. Two non-scholarship players, junior kicker Matt Carter and freshman kicker/punter Francesco Zampogna also will get a look this spring.
KICK/PUNT RETURNS
Miami returns the top punt returner and its two regular kickoff return men from 2002. Roscoe Parrish was among the nation’s best punt return men, averaging 14.5 yards per attempt and breaking some important big plays in the season’s closing weeks. Parrish had a 48-yard punt return against Pittsburgh, a 43-yarder against Virginia Tech and a 50-yarder against Ohio State. Jason Geathers returned 24 kickoffs for 521 yards (21.7 avg.) and was within just a few yards of the Miami single-season record for kickoff return yardage. Jarrett Payton joined Geathers in kickoff formations last year, returning seven for 145 yards (20.7 avg.). Other possible return men who could get a look this spring include Akieem Jolla and Frank Gore.
