Ephraim Banda expects Miami football players who want to compete
Following a 6-7 season getting players who want to compete for the Miami football team will be critical. In an appearance on the Joe Rose Show, Monday morning, defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ephraim Banda discussed that and other topics.
The lack of competitiveness during several games last year led to a 6-7 record for the Miami football team in 2019. That attitude needs to change for the Hurricanes in 2020. Co-Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ephraim Banda discussed that and several other topics on the Joe Show on Monday.
Banda and Blake Baker led a Miami defense in 2019 that finished 13th nationally in total defense and 23rd in total defense. The Miami defense is expected to be led by the trio of edge rushers, Greg Rousseau, Quincy Roche and Jaelan Phillips in 2020. Banda knows they have to perform on the field to live up the hype.
The two-month isolation that has kept most people at home as transformed recruiting. Banda discussed how isolation changed recruiting and the work habits of coaches. Some of those changes could be utilized more often by coaches in the future. Banda also discussed the importance of relationships in recruiting.
The inability to have players visit the Miami campus or for coaches to have in-home visits have changed current recruiting. The isolation has caused coaches to interact with players and their families through Zoom and other forms of electronic communication. Some of that will evolve when the world joins back together.
Banda stated the players have to be self-motivated more this upcoming season with the potential of playing in front of no fans or severely diminished crowds. Playing against Notre Dame or Virginia Tech as Rose’s co-host Zach Krantz mentioned or Florida State as Banda said is easy, other games require more self-motivation.
"“At the end of the day you’ve got to want it, you’ve got to love it, you’ve got to want to compete….we’ve got to do a great job of identifying those guys (who are not self motivated) and not playing them. What’s going to happen is you are going to find out who is going to care about game. When you are really locked in as a player you don’t notice the crowd. (Banda stated Florida State will be most odd without the crowd)."