Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Mike Harley is entering his senior season excited to play in the new uptempo, spread offense under new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Harley stated after practice on Monday he is ready to break records.
The offense under new Miami Hurricanes coordinator Rhett Lashlee was prolific and swift in his two seasons at SMU. The Mustangs had one of the best offenses in FBS during his two seasons in the Metroplex. Senior wide receiver Mike Harley is excited to play in the new offense with the chance to break UM receiving records.
When Lashlee was announced as the new Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator, Harley began studying video from 2019 SMU games. The veteran Hurricanes WR noticed that his skills and number three match SMU star James Proche. Proche tied nationally for the lead in receptions, was 13th in receiving yards and third in TDs.
Proche finished his senior season with 111 receptions for 1,225 yards and 15 TD receptions. The receptions and receiving yards would obliterate the Miami Hurricanes single-season record and 13 TD receptions would tie the all-time Miami record. Harley is exceptionally ambitious aiming for Miami career records.
If Harley has a season that lands him on top of the Miami Hurricanes receiving charts he would at the very least be a Heisman Trophy finalist. Harley enters the 2020 season with 68 receptions for 816 yards and three career TD receptions. He ranks 55th, 66th and 104th on the Miami career charts for those numbers.
"“I’m looking at it like, ‘Okay, he (Proche) wears No. 3, too. He’s catching a lot of balls. Let me study this guy’…And then I looked up all the [records] for the University of Miami – the career leaders and stat leaders in yards and catches…I realized this offense can put me in the right position to break records and be remembered, from an individual standpoint. This offense is just great for my skill set, but as a whole, on offense, everyone can eat.”"
The numbers that SMU put up in 2019 has the Miami Hurricanes offensive players excited about the 2020 season. Harley stated the above to
. Harley doesn’t need to reach the numbers Proche put up for SMU last season to set the Hurricanes single-season receiving records.
Leonard Hankerson set the Miami single-season reception record with 72 receptions and 13 TDs in 2010, Allen Hurns 1,162 receiving yards is the Miami single-season standard. Harley would need to nearly duplicate the season that Proche had with SMU in 2019 to reach the top of the Hurricanes career receiving charts.
Reggie Wayne holds the Miami record with 173 career receptions. Only Stacy Coley with 166 career receptions is close. Harley needs 105 receptions in 2020 to tie Wayne’s Miami reception record. Santana Moss holds the Miami career receiving yardage record with 2,547.
Harley needs to finish with 1,731 receiving yards in 2020 to tie Moss’ all-time Miami record. Ja’Marr Chase of LSU led FBS with 1,780 receiving yards in 2020. The expectation Miami to challenge the level LSU reached offensively in 2019 is a lot to ask. The career TD reception record for Miami seems out of reach.
Harley has three in three seasons with the Hurricanes. Michael Irvin still holds the Miami career record with 26. Chase led the FBS in 2019 with 20 TD receptions. Harley would have to surpass that by three to match Irvin. Harley fits the skill set of the Lashlee offense.
The only senior in the Miami receiving corps Harley brings experience and consistency to the Miami passing game. In the up-tempo spread offense, Miami should average 14-15 plays more per game than 2019. As Harley states that should put him in a position to break records and be remembered with enough touches for everyone.