Hurricanes Begin Spring Practice
March 6, 2007
Coral Gables – The Miami Hurricanes began their spring practice this afternoon on the Greentree Practice Fields, going through the first of 15 scheduled sessions. The team worked in shorts without pads under the guidance of new head coach Randy Shannon
“It was the first day, but players weren’t in pads. There was a lot of enthusiasm and we wanted to get the timing right. That’s what we worked on today,” said Shannon. “The energy level was great. Guys flew around. Nobody walked from drill to drill. I wanted guys to understand what we’re trying to get done. The (assistant) coaches have done a good job of that.”
As for what he hopes to accomplish during spring practice, Shannon said, “Team. We need team chemistry. We have to get the chemistry issue down. We are working together for a common goal. Nobody is worried about how many receptions they’re getting or how many sacks or how many touchdowns they get. We’re all in this together.”
Shannon said it seemed like just another day of practice for him. “You get into drills, you get involved. I started off watching the quarterbacks and running backs hand the ball off. I watched the receivers. I bounced around. I see different things. Players want to understand that I’m part of them and not separate. I can scan the whole field from any spot. I don’t know about being a head coach; it was good to get on the field as a coach. I coach for a reason and it’s fun. It’s why we’re in this business.”
Shannon said some of the drills were different. The team started working on a turnover drill on both sides of the ball. Later in the practice was a session of trick plays.
Freshmen recruits RB Graig Cooper and DB Doug Wiggins, both of whom enrolled in school in January, participated in their first practice as Hurricanes.
Several players have changed jersey numbers: punter Daren Daly went from 39 to 31 and wide receiver Ryan Hill from 12 to 13. The following players will not participate in spring drills because they are rehabilitating injuries: DT Luqman Abdallah, OL Tyrone Byrd, LB Romeo Davis, OT Jason Fox, DB Tervaris Johnson, WR George Robinson, LB Darryl Sharpton, OL Ian Symonette, RB George Timmons and OL A.J. Trump.
The Hurricanes will practice again on Wednesday, with a 3:05 practice session. All practices are closed to the public this spring with the exception of scrimmages on March 23 and March 30 and the spring game on April 7.
