Miami Football Freshman Al Blades Jr. ready to walk in father’s footsteps
One of the most anticipated Freshmen in Miami football’s 2018 recruiting class is Freshman defensive back Al Blades Jr. Blades is the son of the former Hurricanes defensive back by the same name.
The Senior Blades played for Miami football from 1998-2000. He died in a car accident in 2003 at the age of 26. The Junior Blades is a four-star cornerback from legendary St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. Among the St. Thomas Alums is former Miami football great Michael Irvin.
Al Blades Jr. was ranked the 97th best player in the Class of 2018, the 12th best cornerback and the 21st best player in Florida according to 247 Sports. His uncles Bennie and Brian had extensive careers in the NFL. His cousin HB Blades, Bennie’s son also played four years in the NFL for the Redskins.
A lot is expected from Blades in part because of the family name. He is a part of a deep Hurricanes 2018 class in the secondary. Miami also brings in four-star safety Gurvan Hall, four-star cornerback Gilbert Frierson and three-star corner D.J. Ivey.
In a profile in the Sun Sentinel, Miami beat reporter Christi Cabrera Chirinos talked with various members of the Blades family about the similarities between Senior and Junior.
Brian who played wide receiver at Miami and in the NFL was up first.
"“He has a lot of his father’s ways…It’s kind of bittersweet, but I’m glad we can see parts of his dad in him. … He does things and you’re like, ‘How would he know to do that?That’s just like his dad.’ We say it all the time. To him, it’s just natural. It’s who he is. But to us, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s another Al.’ It’s something we’ve enjoyed watching, even if he doesn’t know he’s doing it.”"
Blades will not have to come in and be a star immediately. Miami returns potential All-American candidate Michael Jackson, rising Sophomore Trajan Bandy and rising Senior Jhavonte Dean at the corners.
Blades, Frierson and Ivey will likely contribute as Freshmen, but they will get a chance to ease into being college football players behind the more experienced defensive backs.
Blades position coach as a Miami football player will be his father’s former teammate and current Cornerbacks Coach Mike Rumph. Blades Junior’s Mom Katina Rose spoke about her son’s desire to finish at UM what his father started.
"“He’s had this thing in his eyes since he realized who he was and what he was capable of,…He’s been saying since he was 7 or 8, ‘I’m going to finish my father’s mission. I’m going to finish my father’s mission.’As a parent, I wanted him to weigh his options, and I never wanted him to feel like he had to be there. But he made it clear that’s what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.“He’s been all-UM since he was a baby. He was doing backpedals on the with his dad on the grass at Miami when he was 2 years old. … He’s so positive, he has this thing about him and he handles everything so well. … I’m excited for him.”"
Al Blades Junior joins the Miami football team with the swagger and confidence that was prevalent during the eras that his father and uncles played in. Blades discussed the opportunity to play with the other defensive backs Miami is bringing in in the Class of 2018.
"“Every last recruit we have coming in is a winner,…They want to win. They’re competitive. They’re not scared of competition and when it comes down to it, they’re willing to sacrifice for the person next to them.Everyone is tight in this class, and we have a bond coming in. It’s only going to get stronger, and I think that’s maybe what’s been missing. ‘The U’ back in the day, those players all grew up together. They all knew each other and that’s kind of what’s happening now.”"
Richt and Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz have tried to rebuild the Miami football roster by going in the way back machine. They took a page from the man credited with building the Miami Hurricanes into a National Power, Howard Schnellenberger.
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Schnellenberger created the State of Miami. He wanted a fence around the three-county Miami area to keep recruits home. Diaz and Richt have done a good job doing that. Eighteen of Miami’s players in the Class of 2018 are from Florida. Twelve of those 18 are from Broward, Dade or Palm Beach County.