Rousseau Looking to Lead
By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – There was a point during the first week of spring practice that Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz felt compelled to pull one of his star players aside and make a point.
And after his coach had corrected him in front of all his teammates, the NCAA’s returning sack leader nodded his head and responded with a “Yes, sir” before diving into the next drill.
There was no moping, no hanging of his head, no complaining.
Instead, whether he realized it or not, Gregory Rousseau – last year’s ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a freshman All-American – delivered a powerful example of the kind of leadership the Hurricanes are hoping to receive from the redshirt sophomore all season.
“When you can coach your best players the hardest and they accept it, everyone else will follow suit,” Hurricanes defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. “Watching him, it was, to me, kind of evident at that point that he understands he’s now one of the leaders on this defense.”
Added Diaz, “It showed who he is as a person and showed that to have a great team, you have to be able to coach your great players hard. If Greg’s a guy that makes a mistake, he has to take that type of criticism and correction the same way a guy who just got off the bus does. … If you’ve ever heard anything about the best teams, whether it was Tom Brady with the Patriots or Tim Duncan with the Spurs, when your best players can take criticism in front of the team, the team understands there is no special treatment and that really helps team chemistry.”
For his part, Rousseau is more than happy to try and set the tone for Miami’s defense as the Hurricanes look to rebound after a tough 6-7 season.
The former standout at Hialeah’s Champagnat Catholic was undoubtedly one of the bright spots for Miami last season totaling 54 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and an ACC-high 15.5 sacks. He added a team-high seven quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
His sack total tied Greg Mark for the second-most in a single season at Miami and was second in the nation behind only former Ohio State standout Chase Young, who is widely projected to be one of the top picks in this year’s NFL Draft.
Though Rousseau appeared in all 13 of Miami’s games last fall, he started just seven. Every expectation is that number will increase significantly this fall and the defensive end is embracing his increased responsibility, both on the field and in the locker room.
“I’m trying to raise my consistency to another level because I know people are relying on me,” Rousseau said. “Last year, I was a back-up. I’m a starter from day one now and I know I’ve got to bring that mentality every single day and stay at that super-high level. I’m a dude that a lot of people are looking up to. So I’m taking more notes, watching some more film, trying to be a pro, trying to raise my level in everything, and also, making sure I come out here every single day and compete to the fullest of my abilities knowing that people are always watching me.”
Among those impressed by what they’ve seen from Rousseau so far this spring is fellow defensive end Quincy Roche, a graduate transfer from Temple who, last season, was just five spots below Rousseau on the national leader list with 13 sacks of his own.
Through four practices together, Roche has already taken note of Rousseau’s speed, strength, arm length and, of course, Rousseau’s hard-to-miss 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame that already has more muscle on it than it did last fall.
“He’s really mature and he’s a freak of nature … I don’t know how long his arms are, but I’ve never seen anybody built like that and I can see why he’s had so much success,” Roche said. “He’s always receptive to coaching. I’m learning from him and he’s learning from me. I think it helps both of us. I know it definitely helps me having a player like him on the line.”
With Rousseau, Roche, UCLA transfer Jaelan Phillips and redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey among the players impressing early during spring drills, Baker says he’s believes the Hurricanes could have one of the deepest and most talented defensive end units in the country.
Even as much as the Hurricanes like to rotate on their defensive line, the competition for playing time will be intense. That will only help Miami as a whole and the ends individually.
“We push each other in all of our drills. We’re racing to get to the quarterback every single play,” Rousseau said. “[Roche] being out there, Jaelan too, we’re all just pushing each other to be great.”
And Baker is confident Rousseau will, once again, help set the standard for the defensive line – especially given that he’s played just one full season at the college level.
“He’s impressive and he still surprises you quite a bit,” Baker said. “But he’s still got a lot left in the tank, in my opinion. There’s still a lot more to go. I think he’s still scratching the surface, physically, being a student of the game and with his pass-rush moves.”
Baker paused before smiling.
“That’s pretty scary if you’re a quarterback or an offensive lineman,” he added.
