The departure of cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph from the Miami football staff can be attributed to the lack of recruiting high-level players at his position and their development.
The reports on Tuesday that the Miami football program is parting ways with cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph can be attributed to a lack of securing the top talent necessary to develop an elite pass defense during the 2020 season. The Hurricanes lack of depth at CB is an area that needs addressing in the 2021 offseason.
Miami went from leading the nation in pass defense in 2018 allowing 135.6 passing yards per game to 65th allowing 233.9 yards this season. The Hurricanes ended the 2020 season with four healthy CBs. Sophomore Christian Williams transferred at the beginning of the season and Al Blades was lost late with an illness.
Sophomore Te’Cory Couch is the only Miami CB ranked in the top 250 in FBS and he ranks 171st. Miami has to do a better job of recruiting and developing their CBs. Couch finished with 37 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and six pass breakups. Early in his Miami tenure, Rumph helped Corn Elder and Michael Jackson get drafted.
Elder was a fifth-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2017 NFL Draft and remains on their roster. Jackson was chosen in the same round by the Dallas Cowboys of the 2019 NFL Draft. After being an undrafted free agent in 2020, former Miami CB Trajan Bandy is on the Cincinnati Bengals practice roster.
The departure of Rumph and former co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ephraim Banda leaves head coach Manny Diaz and special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach Jonathan Patke as the last remaining coaches currently on the Miami staff from the original 2016 Mark Richt staff.
There has been criticism of Rumph not being responsible for keeping the top CBs from South Florida at home. Bandy, junior Al Blades, Couch and D.J. Ivey are the only four-star CBs from Miami who Rumph has been credited with getting to sign with the Miami football program. Rumph helped Miami sign 11 four-star CBs.
Malik Curtis from Fort Myers is the only projected CB Miami signed in the 2021 class. Whoever succeeds Rumph will have to lead the Miami football program in better signing and developing CBs for the future. The 2018 Miami was elite in pass defense. In the two seasons since Miami has become the epitome of mediocrity.