By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
 
CORAL GABLES, Fla. –The fall semester begins on Aug. 19 at the University of Miami, but class is already in session for the freshmen on the Hurricane football team. 
 
The newest members of the Miami football family have fast-forwarded the start of their collegiate experience, participating in their first fall camp as Hurricanes.
 
“It’s been going great,” wide receiver Jeremiah Payton said. “There’s been a lot of learning and with learning you get experience and possibly gain the trust of your teammates and playing time.”
 
It’s no secret that the first fall camp can be eye-opening for most freshmen. Going from big man on campus in high school to newcomer in college can be a challenge.”Everything is moves faster and everyone is bigger and stronger,” linebacker Sam Brooks said. “It’s very different from high school. You have to be a hard worker to play for ‘The U’ and that’s what I’m doing.”
 
But the transition goes beyond football, as many players are moving away from home for the first time and that can be a different experience for many freshmen.
 
“I really like being on my own and handling things for myself,” cornerback Christian Williams said. “I like the freedom of being in college and have already learned how to manage my time better. I’ve learned a lot since I got here and I’ve gotten better at learning how to actually focus on what needs to be done at that time, whether it’s with football or with school. It’s good to be in a new place and experience new things. Back home, I know everybody and this is all new to me. I like it a lot.”
 
Williams, who was a consensus four-star prospect out of Alabama, is not the only freshman enjoying his first time away from home. 
 
“This is making a man out of me,” Payton said. “I am adjusting to the college pressure, the tough practices in the heat and the rain and learning how to make plays through adversity.”
 
Every one’s adjustment is different.
 
For some, like Payton and offensive lineman Zion Nelson, the adjust has been easier. The duo enrolled early at Miami, graduating high school early and joining the program in January for the spring semester. Going through spring football has made a big difference for both players, as Nelson is in the mix to start on the offensive line and Payton has had nearly seven full months to learn Dan Enos’ offense.
 
“It’s really helped,” Nelson said of enrolling early. “I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now if I hadn’t been here in the spring.””Enrolling early prepared me a lot,” Payton said. “No offense to the guys that just came in, but you can tell how far ahead you are from the guys that just got here compared to the ones that got here early. I’m like four or five steps ahead of the guys that just got here. For an individual, you can see how it helps you adjust and as a team, it’s a big difference to get to camp and already know what’s going on.”
 
For others, the transition from high school to college has featured a few extras wrinkles.
 
“It’s been a big transition for me,” Brooks said. “I played D-end in high school and I’m at linebacker now, so it’s not just adjusting to being in college for me. I’m also learning a new position. Coach [Blake] Baker and Coach [Mike] Zuckerman have been on top of me and helping me learn how to be a linebacker. They’re showing me keys that have helped me a lot.”For New York native Jason Blissett, identifying the biggest adjustment is easy.
 
“The only thing that really surprised me, as much as people even talked about it, is the heat,” Blissett said. “That’s really it. The competition is there, of course. I expected that. Nothing else surprised me. I didn’t know, meeting [new defensive line coach Todd] Stroud, how our relationship was going to be, but just getting to know him, he’s a great guy and I just can’t wait to learn more from him. So, everything else has met my expectations, but the heat is the only thing that has surprised me.”
 
Every player’s transition from high school to college is different. Some pick things up quickly and others take a little longer to develop. Te’Cory Couch has been mentioned as a freshman that has stood out early on in camp, but the former Chaminade-Madonna star admits his first camp has been a challenge.
 
“It’s been a lot mentally, but it’s slowly slowing down for me and I’m getting the hang of it,” Couch said. “Just the plays, getting the hang of the playbook and being where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there. Things like that.”
 
Couch credits working with cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph and watching Miami’s veterans in action for helping him adapt to the UM defensive scheme. Every freshman can point to different veterans that have been helping them get up to speed with how to be a Hurricane. “Oh, the veterans have been real welcoming, just friendly overall and just willing to help us learn,” Blissett said. “Pat Bethel especially just has been welcoming, whatever we need to learn from him and stuff like that. Even Nesta [Jade Silvera], he’s taken us under his wing a lot. Being that he hasn’t been as active in practice, he’s pulled us to the side and told us what we need to correct and things like that. But overall, all the veterans are just great guys and great mentors for us.”
 
“The four guys that have been here for a while, Trajan Bandy, Al Blades, DJ Ivey and Nigel Bethel, they’ve all been helping me since I got here,” Williams said. “I didn’t know anything at first, and they’ve been telling me what I need to know since before we even started camp. I feel like they’ve helped me a lot in learning our defense and the different coverages.”
 
Brooks might have the best group of veterans to learn from in seniors Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud and he has been using them as resources while learning his new position.
 
“They’re four-year starters, so I know they know everything that it takes to play linebacker here,” Brooks said. “They give me a lot of tips about linebacker and I’m really comfortable talking to them and they’re always helping me out and giving me keys to playing the position.”
 
The path to Miami has been different for every freshman, with some coming from out of state, others from all over Florida and some from right is Miami-Dade County.
 
Blissett is one of three freshmen from New York, joined by fellow defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte and offensive lineman Adam ElGammal. The trio has stuck together early on in Miami and helping each other adjust to their new home. 
 
“Jared is my brother,” Blissett said. “He’s my roommate. We feed off of each other, we feed off of each other’s energy and everything like that. It just feels great knowing he’s right next to me and everything like that. I just am so excited that he’s with me and I’m glad that he came down to Miami with me.”
 
For Brooks, who is the nephew of former Miami defensive back Nate Brooks, arriving at Miami and officially becoming a Hurricane has been a dream come true.
 
“I’ve been waiting on this forever,” Brooks said. “My uncle played here and this has always been my dream school. I finally have a U on the side of my helmet and it feels awesome.”
 
The 2019 freshmen are a special group of newcomers in Coral Gables. They are hungry, tight knit and eager to prove themselves.
 
“We’re all close,” Couch said. “We hang out in the dorms, we’ll go to each other’s rooms. We go out and stuff like that together. So, we’re pretty close.”
 
Most have set lofty individual goals that will lead to team success, like Blissett’s desire to be an impact player on a deep Miami defensive line from the start of his college career.
 
“Really, I just want to earn the respect of everybody on the team,” Blissett said. “I don’t want to come in as another freshman. I want to come in as a guy who’s going to deliver for the team as early as I can. Freshman year is actually my expectation; I want to be a Freshman All-American and other things like that. I’m excited and I just want to prove to the guys that New York has great football and I’m a great football player.”
 
But they are all confident in their abilities and believe they can make a difference for the Canes in their first year.
 
“I think we have a lot of talent in this freshmen class,” Williams said. “We have playmakers and we are hungry to contribute and help us win.”