Miami Spring Football Preview: Defense
Tackles for loss. Third down defense. Passing yards allowed. Yards per play. By nearly every measure and statistic, the Hurricanes ranked among the nation’s best on defense in 2018.
And for that exact reason, head coach Manny Diaz’s biggest hire on that side of the ball was a coach quite familiar with the aggressive and violent tendencies exhibited by Diaz’s units over the past three years.
Blake Baker, who spent the previous four seasons at Louisiana Tech as defensive coordinator and coached under Diaz in both Ruston, La., and at Texas, moved south to lead what promises to be another fearsome unit.
Joining Baker in early March was Todd Stroud, who signed on as assistant head coach and defensive line coach.Stroud spent the previous seven seasons at Akron, where he was most recently associate head coach and defensive coordinator.
Baker admitted on National Signing Day that he was “walking into a great situation.”
And, as Baker and Stroud might be the first ones to say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The Hurricanes had five defensive players invited to the NFL Combine in February: cornerback Michael Jackson, Sr., defensive end Joe Jackson, safeties Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine, as well as defensive tackle Gerald Willis III. A few more could work their way into the NFL Draft picture or sign free agent deals.
Returners and newcomers, however, will enjoy continuity with most of the defensive staff: Diaz is at the helm, co-defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda and cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph enter their fourth seasons and outside linebackers coach Jonathan Patke enters Year 2 after joining the staff as a quality control coach in 2016. Both Baker and Stroud have served as defensive coordinators at their prior stops, providing Miami with added leadership.
“Coach Diaz and I are aligned as you can be,” Baker said in February. “It’s about tackles for loss. It’s about takeaways. It’s about creating chaos and negative plays.”
If Baker and the Hurricanes’ defensive staff can maintain the standard set during the past three seasons – and maybe come up with another gaudy turnover chain design – there will be plenty of happy fans at Hard Rock Stadium come fall.DEFENSIVE LINE
Miami must replace Willis, who was a second-team All-American, and Jackson, who racked up a team-best nine sacks a season ago. The Hurricanes return junior Jonathan Garvin, who was a terror opposite Jackson and totaled 17.0 tackles for loss. Senior Pat Bethel enjoyed a strong first year as a starter, and Nesta Jade Silvera flashed his potential as a disruptive force in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Another defensive tackle candidate is Jon Ford, who possesses all the physical tools to be a successful interior player at The U. The Hurricanes will also be bolstered by the return of redshirt freshman Greg Rousseau, who missed nearly all of last season after suffering a leg injury. Freshman Jahfari Harvey will be an impact player and will benefit from spring practice, while redshirt freshman Patrick Joyner, Jr., transitioned to defensive end, where he starred at South Dade. Jordan Miller also took a redshirt year in 2018.
“I’m new here, so I don’t know what it was like before – only from the outside looking in. Now, the energy is different. We’re working towards changing the program, and I can see it. Even the older guys around me, they’re saying they see it evolving.” – Jahfari Harvey
LINEBACKER
The biggest recruits of Diaz’s entire offseason were Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, who elected to return for their senior year rather than enter the NFL Draft early. Quarterman ranked second on the team with 82 tackles last year and has started every game at The U since his arrival in January 2016. Pinckney, one of Miami’s top playmakers, was third with 74 tackles and added 11.0 tackles for loss. Joining them is striker Zach McCloud, who had 44 tackles. The trio has combined to start more than 30 games together. Bradley Jennings, Jr., and Waynmon Steed saw limited action a season ago, with Jennings taking a redshirt and Steed seeing action in five games after redshirting 2017. No player enjoyed a quantum leap in 2018 more than Romeo Finley, who was one of the breakout stars of the defense and was a key player at striker. Redshirt freshman Gilbert Frierson, who had an offseason position switch, will benefit from the reps he’ll get this spring at striker.SECONDARY
Gone are Johnson and Redwine, teammates from Pop Warner all the way through Miami careers. The departure of Jackson, Sr., who broke out in 2017 and was a two-year starter for the Hurricanes, adds to the void in the secondary – as does Jhavonte Dean, who had three interceptions. Thanks to the breakout season by Trajan Bandy, however, Miami’s defensive staff knows it has a playmaker on its hands. Bandy totaled 36 tackles, 4.5 interceptions, a team-best eight PBUs and also had three picks to tie for the team lead. Junior Amari Carter, sophomore Gurvan Hall, Jr., and junior Derrick Smith looked poised to take the next step in their careers with increased roles, and will benefit from another spring under Banda’s direction. Redshirt senior Robert Knowles is the elder statesman in the room, alongside 2018 team captain Jimmy Murphy. At cornerback, Miami saw flashes from freshman Al Blades, Jr., and DJ Ivey in 2018, and that duo – along with fellow classmate Nigel Bethel, Jr. – should continue to develop under Rumph.
“I’m excited about this group as I’ve ever been.” –Ephraim Banda
