Miami football was better opportunity per Tyrique Stevenson

Transfering to play for the Miami football program was a better opportunity to maximize his talents according to cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson transferred to Miami from Georgia in January. Stevenson spoke with reporters for the first time since returning home from Athens.

Stevenson signed with Georgia during the 18 days that Diaz was the head coach at Temple in December 2018 before returning to Miami. Some reports since Stevenson announced his transfer have opined that Stevenson would have signed with the Hurricanes out of Miami Southridge had Diaz not left in the interim.

Stevenson returned to Miami in part because of Diaz, recently promoted CBs coach DeMarcus Van Dyke and defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson who was hired in January after being the defensive coordinator at South Carolina for the last five years. Miami replaced nearly the entire defensive staff this offseason.

Stevenson helps upgrade a Miami secondary that struggled often last season. The former four-star signee is the highest-ranked CB on the Miami football roster. Miami returns everyone in the secondary in 2021. Stevenson will almost definitely start at one CB with the returnees competing to start opposite him.

Juniors Al Blades Jr and D.J. Ivey, sophomore Te’Cory Couch and freshmen Marcus Clarke and Isaiah Dunson and 2021 signee Malik Curtis are the other CBs on the Miami football roster. Stevenson was needed for the Hurricanes as a talent upgrade and to add to the depth Miami has at CB sof the 2021 season.

"“How Miami has handled transfers within the past few years, every transfer that came here and got the opportunity to play, whatever they did with their opportunity, they made the best of it…I felt like Miami gave me the best option to flex my talent in a way I need to to make NFL scouts pay more attention.It’s really crazy, but I’ve always lived by the motto my great grandmother always told me: Everything happens for a reason and when I entered the [transfer] portal, that was a big change for me.Just seeing [Diaz, Robinson and Van Dyke] getting their new jobs here, coaches I knew at a different level, my mind went back to the saying my grandma always used to say, that everything happens for a reason and God makes no mistakes.We had great conversations and once those conversations were over, in my head, I was like, ‘If I’m with these three coaches at this program.”Courtesy MiamiHurricanes.Com"

Diaz has had a lot of success adding transfers in the Miami football program, particularly on defense. Early in his Miami career, Texas transfer Adrian Colbert leveraged his time with the Hurricanes into being taken in the NFL Draft. Entering his junior year, Stevenson will be eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Diaz, Robinson and Van Dyke are highly thought of defensive coaches. Stevenson is one of three transfers Miami added for the 2021 season and two on defense. Defensive end DeAndre Johnson transferred to Miami from Tennessee and wide receiver Charleston Rambo signed with the Hurricanes from Oklahoma.