CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Donald Chaney was wearing a mask but there was no hiding his joy.

Not long after the freshman running back scored the first two touchdowns of his Hurricanes career during Miami’s 52-10 rout of Florida State this past Saturday night, Chaney happily answered question after question about his experience in the rivalry game, what it was like to play in Miami’s offense and lots more.

Through it all, the Miami native savored the moment, laughed, and at some points, was downright giddy.

And why not? In Miami’s first three games, Chaney has logged a good amount of playing time.

He’s totaled 97 rushing yards on 22 carries and is the Hurricanes’ third leading rusher behind veteran back Cam’Ron Harris and quarterback D’Eriq King. That the first two touchdowns of his college career came against the rival Seminoles only made all of that sweeter.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it felt amazing. Just seeing everybody getting hyped and do what they do – what we always do when we score, it felt so good. So good,” Chaney said. “To have those [Touchdown] Rings on, it was finally good to feel what my teammates feel and what Cam [Harris] always feels. So, it was finally good to share that moment with them.”

Chaney isn’t the only one of Miami’s highly touted freshmen making an impact early.

Fellow running back Jaylan Knighton, who scored two touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ win over Louisville on Sept. 19, is just behind Chaney in total rushing yards with 96 and is fourth on the roster with 206 all-purpose yards. Safety Brian Balom has followed a strong showing in preseason camp with four early tackles and like Chaney, Michael Redding III scored his first touchdown against Florida State.

It’s a moment the receiver says he won’t forget.

“It was amazing, just watching the ball come all the way into my hands, knowing I was in the end zone, knowing we just put a fifty-burger up. It was just really, really exciting,” Redding said. “The most exciting part was probably just my teammates, being there with them, celebrating together, just all of us together, celebrating the 50 points.”

In all, 20 of Miami’s true freshmen saw playing time in the win over FSU. That so many of them have found success early has not been a surprise to the coach who saw each’s playmaking ability during the recruiting process and worked to bring each of them to Coral Gables.

“This class has something to it. I feel like I’ve been saying that. You want it to be true as the games come, but it’s turning out to be true,” head coach Manny Diaz said. “Dave Feeley [Miami’s Director of Strength and Conditioning] still does his 5:45 [a.m.] developmental lift with all the new guys and you can just really tell how they are when they work when no one’s watching. You can see the talent on the field, but really, who you are gets tested in that weight room every week and all the reports come back, these guys are just different.”

They’re different, perhaps, because they’ve weathered their share of ups and downs to get to this point.

Many of Miami’s freshmen watched from a distance as the Hurricanes went through several coaching changes. Some, depending on the positions they play, have seen schematic changes, too. And last fall, the program they’d vowed to play for endured a tougher season than any of them expected.

There were more challenges when those who enrolled early eventually arrived on campus and saw their first semester of college disrupted by a global pandemic that not only kept them from completing spring football practice, but closed their college campus and sent them home.

But the freshmen say all of that adversity helped strengthen their bonds, both to each other and to their new coaches and veteran teammates.

That, too, has in a way, helped them find success during the early part of Miami’s season.

“A lot of the guys, when we committed a while back, we all wanted to make sure we were locked in and we wanted to make a change,” freshman tight end Dominic Mammarelli said. “Hopefully, everything keeps going and we keep doing what we have to do and stay locked in. I think we’re all really close and I think the future is really bright for us.”

Said freshman receiver Xavier Restrepo, “Our motto over here is ‘Play the next year.’ So, our minds aren’t really on last year. It’s a whole new team this year, whether there’s people from last year on this team, the mindset has changed, truthfully. With the motto ‘Play the next play,’ we’re just doing a great job of forgetting the past, executing and preparing for the future and the present.”

The Hurricanes are counting on that, not just this season, but beyond. That’s another reason all of this early playing time – and the opportunity to learn from Miami’s veterans – has proven so invaluable.

Now, the freshmen need to continue building on what they’ve learned and continue to learn.

Diaz – and his freshmen – are confident that will happen.

“They want to work, they want to be great. We saw that when they stuck with us during some of the dark moments we had last fall and as they’ve gotten here, they’ve been who we thought they were. It’s been fun to watch those guys develop and grow,” Diaz said. “That’s what it’s all about, right? It’s about adding like-minded people to your program that fit the culture of what you want to build. And I do think they’re benefiting from better older leadership than what we’ve had in the past. It’s been fun to watch those guys. They’re really fun to be around.”

Said linebacker Corey Flagg Jr., “I think our class is super talented. I’ve got to tip my hat off to [Director of Strength and Conditioning] David Feeley. We get up at 5:45 every day and we’re together pretty much every single day. We’re lifting with each other, we just feed off each other’s characteristics, just being trustworthy, having leadership, we go from there…and leading to our future, we have to continue to do the same thing: work hard and trust each other. That’s the biggest thing, just trust, having trust in your teammates.”