Talking to the Palm Beach Post Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mark Richt is pointing to 2018 for a run for a National Championship. According to the Miami Football Czar, a lot will depend on the return of Junior eligible draft players for the 2018 season.
The Miami Hurricanes will begin the 2017 season with questions in a few places. They will be starting a new quarterback, lack depth at running back and tight end and have to rebuild their secondary.
By the Fall of 2018, the Hurricanes will have reinforcements at running back and tight end, a quarterback with a year of experience starting and experienced units through the rest of the team.
Miami will only start five Seniors in 2017, four on offense and three on the offensive line. Defensive end Chad Thomas is the only Hurricanes starter on the defensive side of the ball. On offense senior starters number three offensive linemen and tight end Chris Herndon.
The Hurricanes do have a handful of Juniors that could declare for the NFL draft. Miami lost Daniel Njoku after his redshirt Sophomore (academic Junior) year to this year’s NFL draft.
Players that could leave early following the 2017 season include running back Mark Walton and defensive tackles R.J. McIntosh and Kendrick Norton.
Walton had a breakthrough season in 2016. He ran for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 27 receptions for 240 yards and one touchdown.
McIntosh and Norton form one of the country’s best interior tandems on the defensive line. McIntosh had 47 tackles 9.5 tackles for loss and two and a half sacks last season. Norton had 39 tackles, ten tackles for loss and two sacks.
Miami could also lose their backups after this season as well. Andrew Moten and Trent Harris are Seniors and Gerald Willis Demetrius Jackson will also be draft eligible as a Juniors. Miami signed two defensive linemen, D.J. Johnson and Jon Ford in this year’s class.
Asked about his team’s depth, Mark Richt told WQAM’s Joe Rose show last week:
"“It’s getting to where we need it to be. It’s not there yet. The class we’ve got going right now, we’re very excited about. If we can add that to what we have — and quite frankly, keep a couple guys from turning pro, next year’s group might be as good as you can hope for.”"
The Post’s Matt Porter said that Walton is expected to turn pro. By the fall of 2018, the Hurricanes will have enough to be able to replace Walton. Travis Homer will get a lot more experience this season, Trayone Gray will be a year removed from his ACL tear and Robert Burns will have a year of college under his belt.
Add in 2018 five-star freshman Lorenzo Lingard and his classmate Cam’Ron Davis and Mark Richt will have plenty of options on the ground.
The Hurricanes lose Herndon at tight end and Trevor Darling, Nick Linder and K.C. McDermott on the offensive line, Miami has a great class coming in and good depth on the o-line. At tight end, Miami is bringing in two top ten tight ends in the fall of 2018.
The Sophomore class for the Hurricanes is strong. Ahmmon Richards on offense and defensive end Joe Jackson and the linebacking trio of Shaq Quarterman, Zach McCloud and Michael Pinckney on defense give Richt a lot to be excited about going forward.
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Those four will likely be the core of team leaders heading into 2018. Especially if Walton turns pro.