Miami Hurricanes Football Preview: Linebackers

Jermaine Grace – Junior – 6’1 208 lbs

Jermaine Grace is the most talented linebacker in this years group for the Canes. Grace is still trying to put on some more size, but he relies more on his speed and agility rather than his strength.

Grace really jumped onto the scene last season, recording 60 tackles and 3 sacks as a sophomore. Besides Perryman, Grace was probably the best linebacker on the team last season and the coaches hope that another year of experience can help him get even better.

The team will be looking for the next great Miami linebacker and my money is on Jermaine Grace.

Marques Gayot – Sophomore – 6’1 220 lbs

Marques Gayot came into Miami as a safety but with the depth at that position and the lack of depth there last season, the coaches asked Gayot to move over to linebacker.

We still don’t know much about how Gayot will perform at linebacker but he’s up to 220 pounds this season and that should definitely help out. Gayot will play the weak-side linebacker role behind Grace this season, and he’ll also make contributions on special teams.

And he’ll continue to body slam punter while he’s at it.

Tyriq McCord – Senior – 6’3 236 lbs

Tyriq McCord started 12 games last season for the Hurricanes and was able to record 3 sacks as a junior. Most are still waiting for McCord to really show off his skills and really take off but that hasn’t happened just yet.

He’s been a solid player for the Hurricanes but this is the season that I think he finally puts it together and has a big season for Miami. With the NFL looking at him in the face for next season, I think he’ll have a big year and cash in come May.

McCord will play some strong-side linebacker but his main role with the team will be to be a dominant pass rusher on third downs. Hopefully he can do that.

Terry McCray – Redshirt Freshman – 6’3 223 lbs

It’s unclear where the coaches will play Terry McCray this season. After redshirting last season to put on some more size, McCray still isn’t scheduled to be in any sort of rotation this season. He was a really talented pass rusher in high school, but Miami seems to be set at that position this year.

He’ll have to prove himself in camp, but he’s probably just going to be a special teams specialist this season.

Charles Perry – Freshman – 6’1 212 lbs

Charles Perry was one of the better recruits Miami was able to snatch up this season. The four-star linebacker from Royal Palm Beach high school is a really fast, athletic linebacker. To give you an idea of how fast he is, Perry played running back for his high school and was a pretty good one, recording 849 yards on the ground as a senior.

Perry was an early-enrollee and that puts him ahead of the curve but he’ll still have to prove himself during camp, much like a lot of the linebackers on the team. Perry is one guy to keep an eye out for this fall.

James King – Freshman – 6’0 200 lbs

James King is the other linebacker that the Hurricanes were able to snatch from South Florida in the 2015 class. King, who was an FAU commit for a while, decided to flip to Miami on National Signing Day and sign with his teammate Mark Walton.

King was a three-star in high school and he does have a nice skill set. King still needs to put on some more muscle so he’s a likely candidate for a redshirt this year.

Juwon Young – Sophomore – 6’2 245 lbs

Juwon Young is one of those players that the coaches will need to see improvement from. Young played limited snaps last season because of Perryman and Raphael Kirby in front of him, but that’ll change this season.

Young isn’t a projected starter but he’ll definitely be a rotational player this season, as opposed to last season where he was mostly a special teams guy. He’ll be important to the success of this group and many believe he’s ready for the opportunity.

Jamie Gordinier – Freshman – 6’4 235 lbs

Jamie Gordinier flew under-the-radar during his recruitment but he’s a really solid player. Gordinier was rated as the number one defensive end in the state of New Jersey coming out of high school; that’s pretty good. Gordinier also collected 117 tackles as a senior in high school and really just knows how to roam the field and make plays.

It’ll be interesting to see what the coaches do with Gordinier this season, but he should be ready to contribute this season, even if it’s just on special teams.

Raphael Kirby – Senior – 6’1 235 lbs

Raphael Kirby is the leader of the linebacker group this season. Kirby will be replacing Perryman in the middle and he has big shoes to fill. Kirby started every game last season at outside linebacker but he faces a new challenge in the middle.

Kirby recorded 54 tackles this season and this number is certainly bound to go up with extra opportunities. Kirby is one of the known commodities of this linebacker group and he should have a good senior season for the Canes.

Mike Smith – Redshirt Freshman – 6’1 225 lbs

Mike Smith is another one of those talented pass rushing linebackers on the roster that will need to prove themselves in camp. Smith had a disappointing season as a high school senior, but had a spectacular year as a junior where he recorded 18 sacks.

Smith will have to earn some playing time, but he’ll likely see some time on special teams.

Darrion Owens – Sophomore – 6’3 238 lbs

Darrion Owens is a really talented player with a year of experience under his belt. Owens has size and speed and can cover some ground. He recorded 24 tackles last year in limited action but he’ll likely be taking over as the starting strong-side linebacker for Miami.

Owens will need a good camp to hold off the other linebackers we just talked about, but he’ll likely get the first crack at solidifying the position.

A starting linebacker unit of Owens, Grace and Kirby should give people something to be excited about. Unproven, but exciting.

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