For the third week in a row, the Miami football team will be missing several players with 13 out against Virginia Tech.
The Miami football team will be without 13 players against Virginia Tech due to COVID-19 restrictions. Among the players missing are starters on the offensive and defensive lines and at linebacker. Junior tight end Brevin Jordan who missed the last three games will return in Blacksburg.
Jordan was leading Miami in receptions and receiving yards when he was injured in Miami’s loss to Clemson last month. Jordan has 18 receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns this season. Classmate Will Mallory has thrived with Jordan out. Mallory has 10 receptions for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the last three games.
Miami players who are out against Virginia Tech are starting redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte, redshirt sophomore offensive tackle John Campbell, guard Jakai Clark and redshirt senior linebacker Zach McCloud. The likely replacements will be DT Jon Ford, OT Zion Nelson and LB Sam Brooks.
Other players out for Miami are redshirt freshman DT Jason Blissett, offensive lineman Jakai Clark, backup defensive ends, redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey and true freshman Chantz Williams, plus redshirt freshman DT Jalar Holley and freshman safety Keshawn Washington who has not played much this season.
On the offensive line Miami in addition to Clark, Miami will be without redshirt sophomore guard Cleveland Reed, freshmen offensive linemen Jalen Rivers and Issiah Walker. The missing players were reported by Miami Hurricanes play-by-play announcer Joe Zagacki an hour before game time.
Brooks will receive the majority of snaps with McCloud out. McCloud was beginning to be pushed by McCloud. In the win last week against North Carolina State, McCloud played 34 snaps to 30 for Brooks. Harrison-Hunte had surpassed Ford as the starter at DT recently and leads Miami with three sacks.
The losses of Harrison-Hunte and McCloud are significant for the Miami defense. Zagacki also reported that Donaldson will make his season debut for Miami on Saturday after missing the first seven games because of a knee injury suffered in the last regular-season game against Duke in 2019.