Freshman running back Lorenzo Lingard signed with the Miami football program as the only consensus five-star player in their Storm ’18 Class.
Lingard was expected to make an impact with the Miami football team as a Freshman in 2018. When the first depth chart for the Hurricanes was released earlier this week, Lingard did not make the top three.
Junior Travis Homer is the starting running back on the first-team offense and will be backed up be backed up by Sophomore DeeJay Dallas and Senior Trayone Gray who is also listed as the first-team fullback. Lingard is reportedly behind Redshirt Freshman Robert Burns as well.
Burns dealt with injury problems throughout his high school career and was forced to redshirt last season because of a few injuries. It’s hard to fathom that Lingard is fifth on the depth chart at running back. Also competing for playing time could be four-star Freshman Cam’ron Davis. Davis could also be a candidate to redshirt.
If he doesn’t play in the season opener against LSU it would be shocking for him not to receive some carries in the home opener week two against FCS Savannah State.
Coming out of high school Lingard was the nation’s 25th ranked player, second-best running back and sixth best player overall in Florida for 2018 according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings. Lingard is the first five-star running back to sign with the Miami football program since Duke Johnson in 2012.
Lingard’s place on the depth chart seems to be rooted in his struggles understanding the Miami pass protection schemes. Miami Head Coach Mark Richt was quoted on HurricaneSports.Com discussing his prized Freshman.
"“Lorenzo [Lingard] really struggled early in pass protection – learning who to block, because it’s not that easy, and learning how to do it…He was getting knocked around a bunch, quite frankly.Then I saw him start to pick up a blitz or two. It was physical. He ran the ball with more power and finishing the runs like we finish. He did a couple of runs like he probably did in high school – where it didn’t look good and he wanted to spin around and run over there and out-run everybody, and you can’t do that in college.If you stop and spin around, you’re going to get a seven-yard loss. He is starting to learn to stick it in there, drive his feet and those types of things.”"
Lingard knows he has work to do to get playing time this season.
"“I’ve been taught to hit the hole full speed…Now I have to take a step, read and slow things down. For me, that’s a big issue because I’m like a rocket. I want to go like 1000 miles-an-hour, but I can’t. Pretty much, it’s about patience for me.”"
As Richt said Freshmen often have to learn to adjust to the vast difference in speed between high school and college. In an elite Power Five Program, a player’s rise from high school to college will be the greatest one they will make in their careers playing football.
The flow of the game against LSU could dictate if and how much playing time Lingard receives. If Homer, Dallas and potentially Gray run well, the Miami football team might not need to give Lingard a few carries. The Hurricanes could potentially be able to bring Lingard along slowly and not be forced to play him in a passing situation.