Canes Camp Report: Aug. 3
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Hurricanes continue making their way through preseason camp, and after Saturday’s practice, defensive back Damari Brown, tight end Cam McCormick, defensive back Daryl Porter, Jr. and receiver Xavier Restrepo all spoke with reporters.
Here are some of their best quotes after Saturday’s practice, along with some team notes, as Miami moves one step closer to its Aug. 31 season opener at Florida.
Damari Brown
On what he learned last season, while playing as a freshman, that can help him this year:
“Just always stay ready, seize the moment. Opportunity was there for me last year. It’s here for me now, so I’m just going to take advantage and keep moving forward, get better day by day.”
On how he feels the first few days of practice have gone:
“They’ve been smooth. [The] defense is coming together, offense is looking pretty nice. We’re all competing and stuff. I feel like we’re going to have a good season this year.”
On what it’s like to defend receiver Xavier Restrepo in practice:
“He’s good work, best of the best. When I go against him, I make sure my Ps and Qs are on. Everything is one-on-one game time reps with him. The more I go against him, the more he has sharpened me up.”
On what it’s like to work with fellow defensive back Daryl Porter, Jr.:
“Daryl, that’s my guy. He has a lot of knowledge to him. He’s been doing this for a few years, so hopefully, this being his last year, he can go lead [and] go out with a bang and then lead the secondary.”
On his mentality going into the season:
“[To] kind of take over. A lot is expected from me this year. [I’m] not a baby anymore. Got to take on this year two campaign role, be the starting corner, defensive back [and] just have to perform at a high level, set the bar.”
Tight end Cam McCormick
On how productive he believes the tight end room can be, now that Elijah Arroyo is healthy, and Elija Lofton has joined the team:
“This group can be really, really productive. We all have different skill sets and bring something different to the table. So, I’m excited to see what this room can do this year just because we’re a very unselfish room. We like to celebrate the success of others in the room and whenever someone in the room makes a big play … we’re all super excited, cheering, getting loud for each other. We know the hard work that we put in in the offseason is going to lead us to … when we get out there on Saturday, those big plays are going to find us, and we’ll be right there to celebrate with all of the guys.”
On freshman Elija Lofton’s progress:
“He is definitely ahead of the game, for sure. You can just tell when guys come in and his work ethic, how hard he works and just how competitive he is to be on the field. It’s impressive for a guy so young to learn the game so easy, so quick. High school to college is a big level, a big jump. So, for him to come in and I guess get [accustomed] so fast, I give him his props. He’s doing a great job.”
On what makes quarterback Cam Ward different:
“Just his ability to bring the guys together. When he talks, everyone listens. … He’s a leader and when he does say something, all the guys listen and do what he says. I think outside of football, he does a great job of just bringing everybody together, getting guys together, hanging out, just building that camaraderie with each other off the field. That’s important, so that when we get on the field, it’s all trust. When we get out there and he says something, it’s like ‘Hey, listen to him and let’s do it. Let’s get it done.’”
On his advice to the Hurricanes going through their first preseason camp:
“Just work hard, compete. Days are going to get hard and there’s going to be adversity that’s going to come your way. It’s about how you can handle that adversity and move forward. Every day is not going to be a great day. How are you going to be able to move on from that, process that, [because] we have another practice tomorrow. It’s like, how are you going to be able to adjust your mindset to ‘Hey, we’ve got another practice tomorrow. We’ve got to do it all over again. Can you keep the same level of consistency throughout the week?’”
On what it’s like to face the defense in practice:
“Those guys like to fly around. They like to have fun. They fly around. They’re smart and they’re physical. So, it’s a challenge every day going against the defense and I’m glad I’m going against them every day because it’s going to only make myself better, [and] the whole offense better every day.”
Defensive back Daryl Porter, Jr.:
On what it’s like to work with cornerbacks coach Chevis Jackson:
“I would say the way he coaches, he brings the confidence out of you, makes sure that you’re playing fun and doing whatever you have to do to make plays. I feel like he’s going to be a really good coach for the guys that are younger than me.”
On what it means to now be one of the veterans in Miami’s secondary:
“I feel like I have to turn into a coach sometimes, telling them everything that I know from experience on and off the field. I feel like I have to do more outside of football.”
On how the game feels different for him now, compared to last year:
“I feel like I’m learning more little things that I didn’t really see last year. Last year, I felt like I was just out there playing, focused on who we had each week. But I feel like more I’m learning the game even more.”
Receiver Xavier Restrepo
On what it’s been like battling the defense in practice early:
“I mean, we’re going back and forth. It’s like a couple plays here and there that [can] ruin our entire offensive motto for the day, but then we jump right back on it. We have short-term memory. I mean, if we were whooping the defense every single day, there would be something wrong, you know? We have great guys all over the field, great guys on the sideline as well, including the coaches and stuff like that. … We have a big year loading.”
On his first impressions of Miami’s new-look secondary:
“I mean, everyone’s just running around the field. This is one of the best incoming groups I’ve ever seen. I mean, nothing more to say, you know? The guys are flying around, making plays on both sides of the ball, giving us really good competition, really good looks and we’ll be ready.”
On the different skill sets and depth in Miami’s receivers room:
“I mean, Sam [Brown], just like Jacolby [George], just like Isaiah [Horton], just like Ny [Carr], Chance [Robinson], Jojo [Trader], they’re all different types of receivers and they bring something to the game. Every single one of them is unique. Every single one of them comes every single day to work. … and just gives their all. And that’s what I love the most about them. I respect those guys a lot and can’t wait to play next to those guys all season.”
Borregales honored
Hurricanes kicker Andy Borregales was, on Friday, named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award.
Last season, Borregales converted on 22 of his 26 field goal attempts, which tied for the most made kicks in the ACC. He also converted on 44 of 45 extra-point attempts and had 46 touchbacks on 73 kickoffs.
He is a two-time semifinalist for the award and was a first-team All-ACC pick last season.
