2003 Miami Hurricanes Football Outlook

July 28, 2003

2003 Miami Hurricanes Football Outlook’Canes face a number of challenges this season.

After a three-year run in which they won 35 of 37 games, captured one national championship, won 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 season 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 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.

QUARTERBACKS
The Hurricanes will enter fall practice trying 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 season that will be making his first start in a UM uniform for the first time since Larry Coker took over the program in 2001.

Juniors Derrick Crudup and Brock Berlin vied for the job in the spring with Berlin getting the starting nod heading into the fall.

Berlin is a heralded transfer from the University of Florida who sat out the 2002 season per NCAA transfer rules. Berlin went through his second spring practice with the Hurricanes this year. 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. Berlin also had an excellent spring practice, completing eight of 16 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in the Spring Game.

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.

Crudup had an excellent spring practice, including a dazzling performance in Miami’s Spring Game in which he completed seven of eight passes for 100 yards and one touchdown. He appeared much more confident and comfortable in the offense this spring than in the past.

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.

Guillon has a good grasp of the Miami system and could be ready for duty if called upon. True freshman Kyle Wright enrolled early at UM in January and was impressive in his first spring practice with the team. A talented passer, Wright was considered by many to be the nation’s top high school signalcaller in 2002.

RECEIVERS
Miami’s quarterbacks will be able to rely on a receivers corps that combines some veteran experience with exciting young talent. The loss of several key players at split end and flanker has made room for younger players to emerge into the spotlight as Miami’s receivers corps is looking for new leadership.

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 missed the spring while recovering from a knee injury suffered in late November, but is expected to return in time for fall practice. Senior Jason Geathers is the leading returnee at split end with sophomore Roscoe Parrish returning 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, but he missed all of spring drills with an injury that hindered his development. Receivers coach Curtis Johnson is anxious to see Jolla and Moore step on the field and earn playing time.

At flanker, Beard could have quite a challenge on his hands in getting the starting job back from Parrish. Beard had 23 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns last year to rank fourth on the team in receptions. Parrish began to establish himself as a big-play threat late in the season, making several important catches after taking over as the starter following Beard’s injury. Parrish ended 2002 with 19 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns.

True freshman Darnell Jenkins made a much-anticipated debut in orange and green this spring while sophomore Sinorice Moss sat out the spring after offseason ankle surgery. Jenkins got plenty of playing time with the starting unit this spring (only three healthy scholarship receivers were available for spring practice) and made a 36-yard touchdown grab in the Spring Game.

Moss was a special teams regular who also caught three passes last year and is expected to be ready to resume play this fall. He caught three passes for 30 yards last season. Another newcomer to the receivers corps is former quarterback and linebacker Buck Ortega. A standout on special teams coverage before a shoulder injury sidelined him, Ortega showed some promise at split end during spring practice.

TIGHT ENDS
The position that may 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. Providing additional support will be junior transfer Kevin Everett sophomore Brandon Sebald.

A first team All-America selection by CNNSI.com in 2002, Winslow 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 and was named to the 2003 Playboy Magazine Preseason All-America Team this past April.

Miami’s talent pool at tight end doesn’t end with Winslow.

Kevin Everett, who starred the last two years at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College after originally signing with UM in 2001, joined the Hurricanes this spring and made an immediate impact. The Hurricanes’ fastest tight end, Everett has the size and agility to give Miami a pair of outstanding athletes at the position and will see plenty of playing time. Everett was considered the nation’s top junior college tight end last season.

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.

Two of Winslow’s primary backups in 2002, sophomore Eric Winston and junior David Williams, has moved positions. Winston is now an offensive tackle while Williams moved to defensive end before spring practice.

RUNNING BACKS
For the third straight season, Miami must replace its starting tailback. In 2001, the Hurricanes replaced former starter James Jackson with future NFL second 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 season’s most anticipated sights will be the starting debut of third-year sophomore tailback Frank Gore, who returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2002 season and was outstanding during spring practice. 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.

Participating in full-contact scrimmaging this spring for the first time since the injury, Gore appeared to have lost nothing from his previous form and had solidified the starting job before the conclusion of spring practice.

Payton, a fifth-year senior, 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. Miami will welcome freshman recruit Tyrone Moss to join the rotation this fall.

Payton and Gore were the only scholarship tailbacks on the roster during the spring, enabling UM to try fullback Quadtrine Hill at tailback, a move that revealed that Hill could help the Hurricanes at the position, if needed.

At fullback, there is plenty of experience returning as the Hurricanes welcome back Hill (the incumbent sophomore starter) and top reserves junior Kyle Cobia and senior Talib Humphrey.

Undersized for a fullback, Hill showed surprising blocking skill in 2002 along with the ability to be a dependable receiver as he caught 14 passes for 270 yards (19.3 avg.). Hill will be looking for more touches on the ground after carrying only six times for 16 yards last season and could get those opportunities at either fullback or tailback this season.

Cobia is a more traditional fullback whose blocking in short yardage situations has been vital. But Cobia missed the spring following an elbow injury suffered against Syracuse and is expected to return in the fall.

Humphrey played extensively as a reserve last year and will be looking to expand his role this season after an outstanding spring practice in which he showed startling ability as a receiver, ball carrier and blocker. Humphrey may have been the team’s most improved player 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 and two more 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 Vernon Carey, senior Carlos Joseph and junior Chris Myers, but line coach Art Kehoe made it clear that no starting job was safe. That became clear during spring practice as Kehoe shuffled his starting unit several times in an effort to settle on a reliable playing rotation and develop versatility in his linemen. Who will comprise the starting unit is somewhat clear entering the fall, but how they will line up remains to be seen.

Carey, a starter at right tackle last season, played extensively at guard this spring and is listed as the starter at left guard entering the fall. He could be set up for a monster year in his senior campaign after a dominating performance in 2002. The mammoth senior is already touted by the coaching staff as perhaps the team’s top player overall, a lofty statement on a team with arguably the nation’s best player at a couple of other positions.

Joseph has the ability to be an outstanding tackle and is listed as the starter at right tackle while Myers could be the star of the future at right 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 need to be filled at center and left guard. Junior Joel Rodriguez appears primed to step in at Romberg’s center spot after three seasons of apprenticeship. Myers could shift to center, if needed, after practicing extensively there during the spring. Veteran tackle Joe McGrath also could be a factor at right tackle if he can overcome some nagging injuries.

The most intriguing position change involved former tight end Eric Winston’s move to the line where he is listed as the starter at left tackle entering the fall. The sophomore, who bulked up to 290 pounds over the offseason, can play either guard or tackle.

A group of talented younger players will battle for playing time: sophomores Tony Tella and Rashad Butler at tackle; sophomore Robert Bergman and redshirt freshman Alex Pou at guard; and true freshman Derrick Morse at tackle. Morse joined the Hurricanes in the spring after graduating early from high school and enrolling in January.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Defensive line coach Greg Mark has his work cut out this season as he must find replacements for six key players from 2002 (including all four regular starters). But the cupboard is far from bare of talent and experience as the Hurricanes return veterans at both tackle spots and 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 a 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 two years and had three tackles for losses and one sack in little more than a game of play in 2002. Thomas is a fourth-year junior.

Harris earned increased playing time as last season progressed, racking up 36 tackles (14 solos), 14 quarterback hurries, one sack and a fumble recovery. The brother of former Stanford All-America offensive lineman Kwame Harris, Orien is looking to make a name for himself this season.

Another veteran tackle, senior Larry Anderson, returns this season and figures to battle for playing time after missing much of 2002 with an illness. Redshirt freshman Kareem Brown also will battle for playing time at tackle, as will three high school signees: Dave Howell, Teraz McCray and Nate Robinson.

The process to find a rotation of defensive ends is one of the team’s primary concerns. 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 Junior College in Texas helped shore up some of the depth at right end (where he’s battling Square for the starting role) as did the emergence of talented redshirt freshman Baraka Atkins at left end. Atkins had an excellent spring and enters the fall in a battle for playing time with Carroll.

One intriguing player to watch is Javon Nanton, a walk-on who earned a scholarship after a stellar performance in spring drills. He has the quickness and the strength to be effective both in run defense and rushing the passer. Also, junior David Williams moved to defensive end this spring after spending his first three seasons at Miami at tight end, but was injured for much of spring ball.

Three true freshmen will have designs on work into the playing mix at end: Vegas Franklin, Eric Moncur and Bryan Pata.

LINEBACKERS
The Hurricanes return two starters who started every game in 2002, and a third who started the final six games of last season. There is exceptional talent at all three positions headed by middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma and weakside linebacker D.J. Williams. Both seniors, Vilma and Williams made the 11-man list of semi-finalists for the 2002 Butkus Award.

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 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, and junior WLB Darrell McClover. Weaver has been a steady backup throughout his career while Williams figures to be the heir apparent to Vilma in the middle. McClover has been a consistent contributor on special teams to this point in his career. Another veteran, Carl Walker, is fighting to return from a serious knee injury.

Four true freshmen will fight for playing time this season: Glenn Cook, Tavares Gooden, Ali Highsmith and Leo Waiters.

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 headliner is junior free safety Sean Taylor, who provided bruising stops along the way to ranking third on the team with 85 tackles last season. 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, but he missed much of the spring with a high ankle sprain.

At strong safety, Sikes sat out the spring following shoulder surgery, but 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.

Sikes will have to battle sophomore Greg Threat for the starting role after Threat took over there during the spring in Sikes’ absence. Threat and fellow sophomore Marcus Maxey return at strong safety and thrived in Sikes’ absence during the spring. Maxey (11 games) and Threat (12 games) played extensively last year.

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 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.

Listed as the starter at left cornerback ahead of Jennings entering the fall, senior Alfonso Marshall returns as one of the team’s most experienced players at cornerback. He 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.

True freshman Terrell Walden joined the team for spring drills at left cornerback.

Two UM signees from February are reserve safeties Jon Beason and Willie Cooper. Both players could compete for playing time this season. Both were standout defenders in high school.

KICKING GAME
The Hurricanes 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 is expected to handle the punting duties. A newcomer to watch is freshman signee Brian Monroe, a punter who also could play defensive back. Monroe was one of the top prospects in Florida last season.

Two non-scholarship players, junior Matt Carter and freshman Francesco Zampogna will prepare to help out. Carter is a leading contender to hold on placements. Veteran long snapper Chris Harvey returns for his final season to handle snapping duties on all punts and placements. He has been flawlessly accurate thus far in his Miami career.

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 punt return returns of 50, 48 and 43 yards in 2002. Glenn Sharpe appeared to be the leading backup in the spring.

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. He figures to maintain his kickoff spot this season. 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 season include Sean Taylor, Akieem Jolla and Frank Gore.