Miami Hurricanes Practice Report: Day 1

(Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

The departure of tight end David Njoku to the NFL after his redshirt Sophomore season has left Herndon as the only experienced player left at tight end. He is going to be counted on to be a leader and pick up a lot of the production lost with Njoku in a Cleveland Browns uniform.

Herndon spoke about what he is doing to prepare for the season.

"“I’m just taking it day by day,” Herndon said of being the top tight end. “It’s also part of me being a leader. I have a bunch of young guys behind me. It’s not just me. I have to bring them along with me because we are going to need more than one this season.”"

Defensive Line Outlook

The Miami Hurricanes return their front seven defensively intact and with most of the players two deep on the depth chart also returning. The Miami defense improved greatly from 2015 to 2016. Manny Diaz’s defense finished ninth in the country in yards allowed per play, fifth in tackles for loss per game and 12th in the nation in points allowed per game.

"Defensive tackle Kendrick Norton who has been honored by being added to a few award watch lists this preseason spoke about what he feels the defense is capable of this season. “The sky is the limit for us…We’ve got a lot of returning players and a lot of young guys who could possibly step in. They have a lot of older guys in front of them to show them and a lot of younger guys that can step in and contribute.”"