The Miami Hurricanes lost a big part of their offense from 2016 when Tight End David Njoku announced he was foregoing his final two seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.
Njoku led the Hurricanes Tight Ends in every receiving statistic and finished second on the team overall in receiving touchdowns with eight and third with 43 receptions and 698 yards. He was awarded the team’s Nick Chickillo Most Improved Player with teammates Rayshawn Jenkins and Michael Smith.
He finished 2015 with 21 receptions for 362 yards and one touchdown. The only statistic that dropped from 2015 was his yards per catch. The redshirt sophomore went from 17.2 in 2015 to 16.2 in 2016.
Njoku is the latest in a long line of Miami Tight Ends to head to the NFL. NFLDraft.Net projects Njoku as the second tight end taken. CBSSports.Com ranks him as the sixth best Tight End overall and expects him to be picked in the second or third round.
Njoku was also awarded with Miami’s third best play of the season. He used his skills as a national high jump champion in high school to score a touchdown against Pittsburgh.
After Miami’s victory over West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Njoku said:
"“After discussing it with my coach and teammates, I chose to enter the 2017 draft. It’s kind of bittersweet leaving my team a couple years early, but I feel like it’s best for me. It hurts, but this decision that I had to make, was mostly about myself and my family. It’s going to be upsetting that I’m leaving my team a little early, but I think they understand.’’"
Njoku is actually listed as the backup Tight End to Chris Herndon IV. Herndon doesn’t have the athleticism or speed that Njoku has. He still has the potential to be part of the Hurricanes passing game in 2017.
With Njoku gone, Herndon will likely be first in line to be a part of the Hurricanes passing game from the Tight End position. Herndon caught 28 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns in 2016. That was up from 18 receptions for 237 yards and one touchdown in 2015.
Freshmen Michael Irvin II and Jovani Haskins should be contributors as well. They were both suspended for the Russell Athletic Bowl win over West Virginia. Irvin is the son of Miami great Michael Irvin. They and five teammates were suspended for the game by Head Coach Mark Richt.
"Richt said: “Just getting guys to do things right. But it’s… sending a message to guys just saying, ‘Tighten up. Do things right…It’ll be a one-game deal.’’"
Factory of Sadness
Irvin received playing time on special teams this season. He played his Senior year of high school at the legendary St. Thomas Acquinas in Fort Lauderdale. Before transferring to St. A, Irvin prepped at Prestonwood Christian High School in Plano, Texas.
He recorded 1,200 yards receiving at Prestonwood. In 2014 Irvin tied the Texas single-game record for receptions, hauling in 21 catches against IMG Academy. He was a three star prospect coming out of high school.
Haskins was also a three star prospect coming out of high school and a top 20 Tight End in the class of 2016. He played Quarterback at Bergenfield High School in New Jersey.
Miami has only one Tight End in their 2017 recruiting class, three star Brian Polendey from Denton, Texas. Polendey also had Nebraska, Michigan, Colorado, Arkansas and Houston among his other suitors. It’s unknown how much of a receiver he projects to be. Polendey caught only seven passes for 60 yards and one touchdown this season.
Njoku’s Miami teammates are confident about his ability to perform at the next level:
"“He’s a freak,’’ senior tight end/defensive end Standish Dobard said earlier this season of the 6-4, 245-pound Njoku. “He does a lot of things well, and now he’s becoming one off the great blockers, too, not just a pass-catcher. He’s a complete tight end now, so he’s going to be a star.’’"
Next: Hurricanes Overcome Slow Start, Down WVU 31-14 to Win Russell Athletic Bowl
There is also the possibility of converting someone to Tight End. Among the Miami recruits in the class of 2017 is Njoku’s brother Evidence. He is 6’4 198 pounds.