The special teams for the Miami Hurricanes should be greatly improved in 2020 with the addition of kicker Jose Borregales from FIU and the return of punter Lou Hedley. The Hurricanes need to improve their kickoff return coverage and find return men.
The addition of kicker Jose Borregales from FIU through the transfer portal during the 2020 offseason is a huge upgrade to the roster of the Miami Hurricanes football team. Borregales adds accuracy and experience for Miami in 2020. Punter Lou Hedley enters the 2020 season with a year playing FBS behind him.
Miami lost at least a few games last season where the kicker could have been the difference between winning and losing. Former kicker Bubba Baxa and backup Turner Davidson missed kicks that might have made the difference in games against Florida, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Baxa and Virginia Tech.
Conversely, Borregales played a critical role in FIU’s shocking victory over Miami. Field goals of 29, 50 and 53 yards by Borreagales in the Panthers victory provided the winning margin in a 30-24 FIU win. Baxa did finish 14th in the nation on kickoffs in 2019. The Hurricanes have to improve their kick return coverage, however.
Miami finished 110th in FBS in 2019 in kickoff return coverage allowing an average of 23.64 yards per return. The Hurricanes did not allow a return TD in 2019, but nearly 90 other teams can make the same claim. Borreagales averaged 61.77 yards per kickoff to compare to Baxa’s 63.6 to finish 56th.
FIU finished 86th in the country in kickoff returns in 2019 allowing 21.54 yards per return. Borreagales finished tied for
50th in the nation in 2019 with 100 points
. Although much better than Baxa and Davidson, Borregales has to improve his percentage of 72.4 on field goals in 2019. Borregales brings a big leg.
Camden Price proved capable for Miami in 2019 making all 18 of his extra-point attempts and six of seven field-goal attempts. None of Price’s attempts were beyond 40 yards in 2019. Borregales was 5-6 from 40-49 yards in 2019 and 3-4 from 50 yards or more. The struggles for Borregales were 6-11 from 30-39 yards.
Lou Hedley upgraded the Miami Hurricanes at punter in 2019. After Miami legacy, Zach Feagles did not live up to expectations in 2017 and ’18, the Australian Hedley finished 26th in the nation in punting in 2019 averaging 43.88 yards per punt. With Hedley punting Miami was 28th in opponent punt returns in 2019.
Hedley had 15 punts end in a fair catch 21 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and16 punts of 50-yards or more. Increasing the number of fair catches would help the Miami defense. The Hurricanes were 118th nationally in 2019 allowing 24 punts to be returned. Hedley should continue to be a reliable punter for Miami.
The departures of former graduate transfer wide receiver K.J. Osborn and juniors, WR Jeff Thomas and running back Deejay Dallas to the NFL after the 2019 season cost Miami all of its punt returners and all but two kickoff returns from last season. Miami was 10th in punt returns in 2019 and 68th in kickoff returns.
Rising senior WR Mike Harley and redshirt junior RB Robert Burns each returned one kickoff in 2019. Harley could be an option on kickoff returns but as the expected go-to WR on offense, Miami will likely lean on one of the younger players on the roster to return kickoffs in 2020.
Freshman RB Jaylan Knighton is a player to watch for both kickoff returns and punt returns. Other candidates are wide open. Junior Mark Pope and freshman slot receiver Xavier Restrepo seem to be the leading candidates to return punts for Miami in 2020, but that position is wide open, with spring practiced mostly canceled.