Miami football doesn’t have to panic or reach on recruits per Manny Diaz
In an appearance on the Joe Rose show on Wednesday morning Miami Head Coach Manny Diaz said the goal in recruiting for the Miami Football team is to sign players who can win the ACC Championship and defeat Clemson.
After winning the ACC Coastal Division and making their first appearance in the ACC Championship game in 2017, the Miami football team took a huge step back in 2018. Diaz did an incredible job building the nation’s fifth-ranked defense. He now needs to translate that to the offense.
The Hurricanes have to rebuild their defensive line and secondary but got a huge lift when all three of their three-year starters at linebacker decided to return for their Senior seasons in 2019. Shaq Quarterman has the most tackles on the Hurricanes during his three-year tenure in Coral Gables.
Michael Pinckney finished third in tackles in each of the last two seasons. Zach McCloud has been a stellar player who has lived in Pinckney and Quarterman’s shadows. The success early in their careers with the Miami football team shows recruits if you are ready to compete you will get a chance to play immediately.
Diaz spoke about where the team is in recruiting and if defensive tackles will be a priority in the three weeks before national signing day. Miami lost Senior Gerald Willis who was a second-team All-American and Tito Odenigbo and who played well as a Graduate Transfer at defensive tackle this season.
"“We do have a limited number of scholarships left to give and we have to make sure we’re giving them to the right guys. We do not have to reach on a player. We do not just have to panic buy, like we’re running to the store and grabbing the first thing on the shelf.We’ve met on recruiting this week with the staff we have here on campus and again, if these guys are not good enough to win the [ACC Championship] game — we’ve got to win in Charlotte against the [Clemson] team that everybody watched play Monday night — we don’t have to take them.The remaining scholarships that we fill will be guys that we think can help hold down that end of the bargain."
Miami has Junior Pat Bethel, Sophomore Jon Ford and Freshman Nesta Jade Silvera at defensive tackle returning for next season. They also signed four-star defensive tackle Jason Blissett and three-star Jalal Holley as part of their Surge ’19 recruiting class. The three returnees are likely to be the rotation up front.
Blissett and Holley will get a chance to play if they prove they are ready. Linemen usually take longer to mature than skill position players.
Sophomore defensive end Jonathan Garvin who had a breakout 2018 season is a perfect example. He improved significantly over his Freshman year and was a critical part of Miami’s defense in 2018. Garvin had 60 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 5.5, sacks, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown.
Diaz discussed the plan to continue to thrive on the defensive line with Rose and his radio partner Zach Krantz.
"“You’re going to look at it two ways — there are certainly some positions where we feel like we have to get a guy or two, potentially, at that spot. But very similar almost to an NFL draft, you have to make sure you’re not bypassing the best player available.We have to get the team where it’s able to function at a very high level. So, again, is there a place where our numbers are deficient and we absolutely have to add? But again, we’re not going to add someone we that we don’t think can help us win.There are certain positions where we still understand, yes, we absolutely have to sign a guy at that spot that can come in and help the football team next year.”"
As it stands now Miami is short mostly on offense in the Surge ’19 Class. The Hurricanes signed one wide receiver and no running backs or quarterbacks during the three day early signing period last month. Diaz said they don’t have to reach or panic during the February signing period, they need to add depth though.
The unusual loss of all four tight ends for the final game and half of the regular season meant the Miami football team had to alter how they ran their offense against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. That would be a near disaster if that happened at quarterback. The Hurricanes only have three scholarship QBs heading into 2019.
Miami missed on two OC hires and key player could transfer. dark. Next
It almost seems more likely to lose more signal callers than tight ends. The Hurricanes are likely to look for a graduate transfer quarterback to add to the 2019 roster.