Forward Thinking
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Zach McCloud knows he’s made a rather unusual request.
Three-year starters don’t typically ask their coaches about the possibility of redshirting and voluntarily sitting out their senior seasons.
Teammates and coaches would say, though, that McCloud isn’t your typical three-year starter.
On Sept. 3, 2016, he helped make history at Miami, joining teammates Shaq Quarterman and Mike Pinckney as the only trio of freshmen linebackers to start together for the Hurricanes.
The expectation after that first game of their careers was that McCloud, Quarterman and Pinckney would be a force at Miami, a modern-day version of the Bermuda Triangle that would uphold the linebacking tradition set in Coral Gables by the likes of Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan, Jonathan Vilma, Jon Beason and of course, Micheal Barrow, Darrin Smith and Jessie Armstead.
And while the trio has undoubtedly been an integral part of the Hurricanes’ defensive success over the course of the last three years, McCloud has dealt with a myriad of challenges during that time ranging from multiple injuries to a series of position changes.
This offseason proved especially tough on both those fronts.
Already hampered by a wrist injury that kept him from physically preparing for his senior year the way he would have liked, McCloud was set to change positions again, with coaches shifting the former Santaluces High standout from the Hurricanes’ striker position to inside linebacker.
McCloud adjusted as best he could to his new role, but after seeing limited defensive snaps against Florida, North Carolina and Bethune-Cookman, he began asking himself some hard questions.
Eventually, the 21-year-old came to a realization that fueled some tough heart-to-heart conversations with his family, his coaches and eventually, two of his best friends.
“I needed to develop more,” McCloud said. “After kind of bouncing around positions and trying to find my feet and get really solid at what I assume I’m going to do at the next level, which is be a linebacker, I wanted to get as much knowledge from the coaches as I could. I wanted to squeeze every drop out of [Strength & Conditioning Director David] Feeley that I could because me and him have a good relationship and he’s already helped me come so far. I think another year with him would help. Those were all the ‘me’ things I thought about. … When I step on the field, I want to be at my highest and I felt like I wouldn’t be able to do that this season.”
There was another issue McCloud couldn’t ignore.
If he continued to play, he, Quarterman and Pinckney would all exhaust their eligibility at the same time, leaving the Hurricanes with a young group of linebackers moving forward in 2020.
McCloud had already once put his professional dreams on hold, deciding as a junior to bypass the NFL Draft and return to Miami for his senior season. He hopes making a similar decision now will make an impact at the program he says has changed his life.
“At the end of the day, every man makes his own decisions, but at the same time, I think there are people in situations where everyone’s talking to them on the outside and they make decisions that could have waited a year,” McCloud said. “I want to help create a culture at Miami of staying. The U makes you better. You can keep elevating your game right here.”
With the idea of playing one more season at Miami now brewing in his mind, McCloud reached out to head coach Manny Diaz – his former defensive coordinator and position coach – and defensive coordinator Blake Baker to share his thoughts and get their feedback.
Together, all three came to the conclusion that redshirting McCloud would be a boon for both the linebacker and the Hurricanes. There exists one caveat, though, on which they all agree: if Miami truly needs McCloud to return to action this season, he’ll play.
Because of that, McCloud has continued practicing as an essential member of Miami’s defense. And with the linebacker feeling healthier than he has at times in the past, pre-dawn sessions with Feeley in the weight room have become his preferred way to start the day.
In big ways and little ways, McCloud has continued setting an example for his teammates on and off the field, something Diaz says can’t be understated.
“The fact Zach thought he could help himself and help us by sticking around for another year, I thought that was great,” Diaz said. “Zach didn’t have a spring. He was limited in some of the things he could do in the summer. Then, the experience of transitioning to the inside linebacker position, he needed more snaps and at-bats to play a bigger role and it’s hard to take 55 and 56 off the field.
“But with [Quarterman and Pinckney] leaving next year, that’s going to be a major loss for us. To have Zach, have his age, that’s going to be a big boost. He’s thinking about maximizing his potential and guys don’t think about that enough. … Zach’s a guy that understands he can continue to improve, continue to grow and become the best version of himself that he can be.”
As much sense as his decision has made for both him and the Hurricanes, McCloud concedes there will be moments this season he’s sure will be bittersweet.
When he, Quarterman and Pinckney arrived at Miami as wide-eyed early enrollees three years ago, the trio forged a fast friendship that all three say will be a lifelong bond.
Now, if things go according to plan, they won’t finish their college careers together as they originally hoped they would. That reality was part of why McCloud said it was so hard to share the news of his decision with Quarterman and Pinckney.
Still, his friends – brothers, as they call themselves – understood.
“You come here, you work hard and for a couple years, you’re with your brothers. But sometimes, you have to make tough decisions,” Quarterman said. “In the end, I think it will benefit him, as well as this university. It’ll be great for him and his development and it’ll be great for the team. With me and Mike leaving, we’re going to need that. … But for sure, we cried about it and we hugged it out.”
Added Pinckney, “He made a grown-man decision. Being able to say this is the best decision for the team and the best decision for him and going about it the way he’s gone about it, he’s shown so much maturity and shown he’s not a selfish guy at all. … Freshman and sophomore year, I was so used to having him with us. He’s still with us all the time, but it will be kind of strange ending it without him. It’ll be weird.”
With McCloud’s decision now made and a plan put in place, it’s time for the linebacker and the Hurricanes to begin the process of moving forward.
The 21-year-old senior who has already earned his degree in Human & Social Development from Miami’s School of Education & Human Development is already thinking about how he’ll balance pursuing a master’s degree with his football responsibilities. And he intends to continue the community service projects that earned him a spot on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list this past summer.
There’s a lot going on in his life and because of that, McCloud understands why some might have questions about whether his future plans really do include Miami.
He’s been asked as much on social media and to that, the senior could only smile.
“All the blood, sweat and tears on the Greentree Practice Fields, all the blood stains on my jersey, all the scratches on my helmet, they have been for Miami,” McCloud said. “I couldn’t do this in any other colors. I’m here to stay. This is the place for me. I couldn’t leave.”
He paused before continuing.
“You cut me open right now, you’ll see orange come out of my left arm and green come out of my right arm,” McCloud added. “This is all Hurricane.”
