The Canes are Back in Town and Hungry for More
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Canes are in the building…literally.
The University of Miami football team reported for training camp on Friday, officially beginning one of the most highly anticipated seasons in recent program history.
Head coach Mark Richt is back for his third season in Coral Gables and the expectations are high. The 2018 Canes will look to build off an outstanding 2017 campaign that included a 10-game winning streak to start the season, a victory over rival Florida State, the program’s first ACC Coastal division title and an appearance in the conference championship game, as well as a berth in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
The Canes were picked to repeat as ACC Coastal champions, but enter the fall hungry for more. No one in Coral Gables is satisfied with how last season ended. While Miami had its best season in over a decade, the three straight losses to end 2017 have served as motivation all spring and summer as the Hurricanes prepare for the upcoming season.
“I don’t think there are a lot of doubters, but then again, there’s still that feeling of losing three games in a row that’s just going to sit with us until we do something about it,” wide receiver Ahmmon Richards said at the ACC Football Kickoff. “I think that’s what we needed this off-season to get better.”
Miami returned to the national stage a year ago, climbing as high as No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Canes enter the 2018 season as a top-10 team, appearing at No. 8 in the preseason edition of the Amway Coaches Poll.
There are many familiar faces back from last year’s 10-win Hurricanes team, as 14 starters and 44 letter-winners from the 2017 roster will suit up for Miami this season. The Canes anticipate having seven starters back on each side of the ball.
Miami’s defense is loaded with impact players, led by Preseason All-ACC selections Jaquan Johnson, Michael Jackson and Shaquille Quarterman. The Canes also bring back standout linebackers Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud, explosive defensive lineman Joe Jackson and physical safety defensive back Sheldrick Redwine, giving Miami one of the most talented and experienced defenses in the country.
Johnson enters 2018 as the most ballyhooed of the many outstanding Miami defenders. The safety elected to return for his senior season after an All-America campaign in 2017. Johnson, the team’s leading tackler, was a Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist and a three-time ACC Defensive Back of the week honoree. Johnson has totaled 160 tackles, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six interceptions in 39 career games – he hasn’t missed a game since arriving in January 2015. A 2018 Preseason All-American, Johnson heads into the 2018 season on the watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, Thorpe Award, Bednarik Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
Jackson joins Johnson on the Thorpe Award and Nagurski Trophy watch lists, while Quarterman is also on the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award watch lists. Miami defensive lineman Demetrius Jackson is also on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, giving the Canes a lot of preseason accolades on the defensive side of the ball.
A year ago, Miami’s Turnover Chain was one of the biggest stories in college football. But the Hurricanes are positioned to continue their success forcing turnovers in 2018. The players who contributed to the Turnover Chain in 2017 and helped lead Miami to one of the best turnover ratios in America will bring back 87.1% of the team’s total turnovers in 2018 (27 of 31).
Of Miami’s 17 interceptions last season, 16 of those were recorded by players who are returning to the Hurricanes defense in 2018 (94.1%). The lone interception that wasn’t was by redshirt senior Dee Delaney. Of Miami’s 14 fumble recoveries, 11 were recorded by players who are returning to the Hurricanes defense in 2018 (78.6%). The Canes also bring back their top nine tacklers (total tackles) from a year ago.
While Miami’s defense should be stout, the Hurricanes’ offense has a chance to be prolific. Redshirt senior QB Malik Rosier returns for his senior year after setting the single-season “touchdowns responsible for” record at Miami with 31 – besting Vinny Testaverde’s record of 30, set in 1986 – a year he won the Heisman Trophy. A dual-threat quarterback, Rosier added 468 rushing yards to help set the single-season total offense record at Miami (3,588 yards) in his first year as a starter.
Among Miami’s top targets in 2018 will undoubtedly be a healthy Richards. The junior standout, who was a near-consensus Freshman All-America in 2016 and won All-ACC honors, saw action in eight games in 2017 but was hobbled by an early hamstring injury and a season-ending meniscus injury in late November. He topped Michael Irvin’s single-season freshman receiving yards record in 2016 with a team-high 934 yards. National pundits expect big things from Richards in 2018, naming him to the Biletnikoff Award, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award watch lists.
Travis Homer headlines a talented running back group for the Hurricanes. The junior was excellent as Miami’s lead back following a season-ending injury to Mark Walton during the victory at Florida State. Homer, who led the Canes with 966 rushing yards (5.9 per carry) and eight rushing touchdowns a year ago, is on the watch lists for the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award in advance of the 2018 season.
Tyler Gauthier leads a Miami offensive line that brings back three starters from a year ago. A Rimington Trophy candidate, Gauthier is the man in the middle upfront for the Canes, while senior Tyree St. Louis and 2017 Freshman All-American Navaughn Donaldson will man the tackle spots. Jahair Jones and Hayden Mahoney lead the competition at guard entering camp, but graduate transfer Venzell Boulware and a host of others will look to challenge for playing time on the offensive line.
Though Miami lost a number of key contributors – including starting defensive tackle tandem Kendrick Norton and RJ McIntosh, tight end Christopher Herndon IV and leading wide receiver Braxton Berrios – Miami welcomed a signing class ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida. It includes 14 ESPN300 prospects and was ranked in the top-two in the ACC by every major scouting service.
Several newcomers are expected to make an immediate impact for the Canes, including early enrollees Lorenzo Lingard and Brian Hightower on offense and Gregory Rousseau on defense. Other names to watch include tight ends Brevin Jordan and Will Mallory, defensive backs Gilbert Frierson and DJ Ivey and defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera.
The Canes have arrived and are ready to work. The quest for another ACC Coastal Division title and return to the ACC Championship Game begins with the start of fall camp Saturday morning.
