"“Shaq Quarterman stands out and (Michael) Pinckney stands out. Gerald Willis all spring has been really good. Mike Jackson has been playing great. Jaquan Johnson hasn’t been playing a lot because of a class he has for graduation, but when he shows up, his attitude is great. Our corners are what you’re looking for. Just about every one of them are tall, they’re strong, athletic and they have ball skills. Then you have Trajan Bandy, who’s not quite as tall as everybody else, but he can jump out of the gym and is probably one of the fiercest competitors we’ve got. Our experiment with the striker position has been a really good one.”"
Everyone that Richt mentioned with the exception of Bandy are entering at least their third year with Miami. Quarterman and Pinckney are wise beyond their years. They, along with Zach McCloud are entering their third years as starters on defense.
The defense is continuing to grow under Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz. Richt was extremely impressed with the performance on Saturday.
"“They were stout up front. The offense couldn’t really get much run going, couldn’t consistently form a good pocket. They tackled well. I couldn’t really see any missed tackles at all, which is a great sign.”"