The Legacy at Linebacker U
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
The reminders are everywhere.
Pictures on the walls of the Hecht Athletic Center. All-American banners surrounding the Greentree Practice Fields. Five national championships trophies in the DiMare Gallery of Champions at the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence.
No matter where linebackers Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud go, they are reminded of all the greatness that came before them at the University of Miami.
Ray Lewis, Jonathan Vilma, DJ Williams and Jon Beason are just a handful of the recent greats to have dominated at linebacker for the Hurricanes. They are also mentors and motivators for the latest crop of Miami linebackers.
“You just can’t come here, especially as a linebacker, and not live up to the guys who played before you,” Quarterman said. “Just walk around our campus and our facility and those guys are everywhere. They’re all over the walls because they did so many great things. That sets expectations for us to do great things and if you don’t, you have to walk around in shame. I refuse to do that and we refuse to do that.”
Micheal Barrow levels FSU’s Tamarick Vanover in 1992.
The legacy of great Hurricane linebackers spans decades, dating back to the 1970s when Harold Sears became the first Hurricane linebacker to be named an All-American.
Jay Brophy and Maurice Crum were All-Americans that won national championships in the 80s, laying the foundation for an unbelievable stretch of superstars at the position.
The Bermuda Triangle of Micheal Barrow, Darrin Smith and Jessie Armstead followed, winning national titles and making highlight-reel plays for the Canes before going on the NFL stardom.
Lewis, who is arguably the greatest linebacker in the history of the sport, and Dan Morgan, a Butkus, Nagurski and Bednarik Award winner, continued to elevate the standard at Miami.
Vilma and Williams were anchors on the 2001 team that won the national championship, while Beason was a standout at Miami that went on to become a star in the NFL like so many Hurricanes have.
“It’s a great legacy if you look back at some of the guys that have played here and what they did here and in the NFL,” Pinckney said. “We have some of the greatest linebackers ever, including the greatest ever in Ray Lewis. It’s a great honor to be part of it.”
Pinckney, Quarterman and McCloud are lauded by many as the latest in the long line of star linebackers at Miami. The expectations are warranted, as they became the first trio of true freshmen to start together at linebacker in Hurricanes history.
“Playing as much as we did last year is not what usually happens, especially in a place like this,” McCloud said. “It was a huge blessing and was an experience that I am very proud of, but we are all not satisfied. We definitely are motivated to get better and improve of what we did as freshmen.”
Jonathan Vilma helped Miami win the 2001 national title.
Quarterman led the way in 2016, ranking third among ACC freshmen with 84 tackles and had more tackles for loss (10.0) than any first-year ACC linebacker in nearly a decade. A Freshman All-American, he led the Hurricanes with eight quarterback hurries, added three sacks and scored his first career touchdown on 17-yard fumble return at Georgia Tech.
Pinckney racked up 61 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception to earn Freshman All-America recognition by ESPN, while McCloud burst on the scene with a blocked punt in the season opener against Florida A&M and finished the year with 37 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Despite all the success the trio has experienced, they are hungry for more.
“You’ve got to remember that we still haven’t really done anything,” Pinckney said. “Even with all the success we had last year, it’s not like we are regarded as the best linebackers in the country. That motivates us to work so we can get to that level. For me, I remember that the projections said I wasn’t even supposed to touch the field last year. That motivates me and I have a chip on my shoulder when I play the game of football.”
Quarterman is excited to see how the trio’s encore performance will go in the second season of their Hurricane careers.
“As a linebacking unit, I just can’t wait to see us fly around again after the experience we got last year being thrown out in the fire and what we learned this spring to improve our football IQ,” Quarterman said. “I just can’t wait to put it to the test this year and show the world that we are truly meant to be on the field.
“Individually, I just want to be a force,” Quarterman said. “I want people to watch me on TV and say, ‘That’s the way football is supposed to be played.’ I want the alumni to say, ‘That’s somebody keeping up to the standards of how we play football at Miami.’ I want to be fast, aggressive and always around the ball.”
Meeting the standards set by the linebacker legends of the past is something that all of Miami’s linebackers strive to achieve.
“Hard-hitting. Fast. Tough. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of Hurricane linebackers and that’s what we try to do when we take the field,” McCloud said. “There is a lot of heart involved in being a Hurricane. This is not for everybody. But for the guys that love it, it’s a blessing and an opportunity to be part of something special that is with you forever.”
Ray Lewis was an All-American in 1995.
Quarterman, Pinckney and McCloud have some help as they look to continue their development into the next great Hurricane linebackers.
“A lot of those guys come back and tell you what it means to be a Hurricane and to be a linebacker at Miami,” Pinckney said. “I thought I knew what it meant when I committed here, but you really start to understand when you talk to some of the older guys and hear the passion in their voices and see it in their eyes. They have so much pride for what they are a part of and they make sure you take pride in it, too. That is something I try to take with me to the field. I play with passion for myself and my teammates, but also for those guys because they want to see us succeed and be great and I want to do the same for them.”
Alumni linebackers like Beason, Vilma, Williams and Lewis have taken the time to mentor the current crop of Hurricanes just like older players did for them when they were at Miami.
“It’s huge walking into a room and seeing all the faces of the people you’ve looked up to and seen on TV,” McCloud said. “You hear all the names growing up, but we get to be around these guys and learn from them. I guess it’s like if a musician got to be around Michael Jackson all the time. There is just a special feeling about it. Whenever we get the chance to interact with them and learn from them, it’s a huge deal for us.”
“It’s hard to put into words how great it is to have so many guys around that have done so much on the field here and in the NFL and then they want to help you get to that level and be even better,” Quarterman said. “I guess the best way to say it is that it’s special. The linebacker brotherhood at Miami is special. It inspires you to be like them and work to prove that you belong at the University of Miami.”
A star at Miami, Jon Beason was a first
round pick and made three Pro Bowls.
Quarterman, Pinckney and McCloud have a lot of respect and admiration for their predecessors. They are also grateful for being able to learn from their Hurricane heroes.
“When I was being recruited, I always said Jon Beason was my favorite linebacker,” Quarterman said. “I’ve had the chance to talk to him on numerous occasions and just his insight on the game and the knowledge that he passes on to me is so valuable. It’s a dream come true because I don’t know that many people get to really talk to their idol and not just talk, but also be mentored on the game and talk Xs and Os. The fact that I have been able to do that has helped make me a better linebacker and it’s because he has taken the time to help me get there.”
While Quarterman has always tried to model his game after Beason, Pinckney struggles to pick a favorite.
“I can probably come up with a top five,” Pinckney said. “I can’t pick just one guy to be my favorite because we have so many, so I try to take something from each of their games. Ray Lewis is the greatest. Jon Beason just has that hustle about him and he was relentless on every play. That’s how I feel I play sometimes. Then you have DJ Williams, who was so athletic and could do certain things that few people could do. Vilma was a do everything right guy. Every little detail had to be right and he has really helped me with that. All of those guys did so much and have helped me so much.”
McCloud’s favorite Hurricane linebackers may come as a surprise to some, but it’s a sign of the bond that Miami linebackers share. In a program that boasts dozens of standouts at the position, McCloud’s favorites are the guys he lines up with every snap.
“I appreciate and respect all the greats that came before me, Ray Lewis, Vilma, DJ, Beason and all the rest, but those are my favorites because they’re the guys I am playing with,” McCloud said. “I know we haven’t stepped up to the level of greatness that those older guys are at, but there is something about a brotherhood and when you are on the field with someone and spend so much time with someone, you see them go through their worst pain and they see me go through my worst pain. Grinding it out with them and helping each other along the way, they’ll always be my favorite linebackers because of that.”
Linebackers Zach McCloud and Shaq Quarterman celebrate with defensive analyst Jonathan Patke following a big play.
