Joseph Yearby Carrying the RB Torch at Miami
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes have a long tradition of homegrown talent showcasing itself on the football field.
Canes legends like Michael Irvin, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, Santana Moss and Bennie Blades are just a handful of South Florida natives who shined while donning Miami’s orange and green.
Each week in the 2014 season, HurricaneSports.com will honor a Hurricane football player with South Florida ties as the Milam’s Market Homegrown Athlete of the Week. This week’s player spotlight is on Miami, Fla., native Joseph Yearby.
Canes fans everywhere are familiar with superstar running back Duke Johnson, but freshman standout Jospeh Yearby has made himself known around the country as a force to be reckoned with.
The Miami native has been an outstanding complement to Johnson in 2014, rushing for nearly 500 yards and one touchdown and adding over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Yearby’s early success is not a surprise to those who followed the talented back’s career before arriving at Miami.
One of most productive and decorated high school football players in state history, Yearby was named a 2014 All-American by 247Sports and the 247Sports Class of 2014 Offensive Player of the Year. The speedy and elusive runner was a first-team all-state selection as junior and was a 2014 Under Armour All-American game selection.
A two-time state champion at Miami Central Senior High School, Yearby rushed for 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns in his senior season. In 2012, he rushed for 1,448 yards and 20 touchdowns, but the naturally gifted back emerged as a sophomore in 2011, rushing for 2,160 yards and 24 touchdowns.
As one of the best high school running backs in the country, Yearby had scholarship offers from nearly every school in the country. His love for The U and desire to represent his hometown Canes led him to spurn offers from Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Southern California, Louisville and West Virginia and join the University of Miami’s long line of great running backs.
Yearby made his career debut in the season opener against Louisville, catching one pass for four yards. A week later, the college football world saw a glimpse of Yearby’s special talent as he rushed for 95 yards in the home opener against Florida A&M.
The 5-foot-9 back scored the first touchdown of his career on a 47-yard reception against Duke. Yearby was a force in Miami’s win over the Blue Devils, totaling 120 yards (61 rushing and 59 receiving).
Yearby reached another milestone for the first time when he recorded a career-high 113 yards on just eight carries against Cincinnati, including a long run of 62 yards. The talented back registered his second 100-yard game of his career with 104 yards on 22 carries against North Carolina, including his first career rushing touchdown.
At a school that has produced Johnson, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Frank Gore, Willis McGahee, James Jackson, Ottis Anderson, Alonzo Highsmith and a host of other incredible running backs, Yearby has quickly shown a natural ability that appears to have him on track to join those illustrious names by the time his career as a Cane is over.
