Miami football adds tough runner with Cody Brown per Manny Diaz

According to head coach Manny Diaz, four-star running back Cody Brown who only recently joined the Miami football program officially provides the Hurricanes with a tough runner with great size. Brown is 6’0, 217 pounds and with 6’0 225 pound 2021 RB signee Thad Franklin will provide Miami with excellent size in the backfield.

Miami needed to add depth at RB behind Cam’Ron Harris, Don Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton after Robert Burns transferred following the 2020 season. Brown and Franklin could be used in short-yardage in 2021. Harris is the returning starter at RB with Chaney and Knighton pushing for more snaps in their second seasons in 2021.

Brown transferred to Miami after initially signing a National Letter of Intent with Tennessee in December. The Volunteers released Brown from his NLI after head coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired in January. Adding a fifth RB will help the depth for Miami in 2021. Diaz spoke about Brown at Paradise Camp this past weekend.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald quoted Diaz on Brown. Only Harris has the option of entering the 2022 NFL Draft. The backfield for the Miami football program will be crowded the next couple of seasons. The potential seems to be there that one of the four could transfer. It is a good problem for Miami to have.

"“Cody is a tough runner, great size…He can run through tackles and then have the ability if you watch film, has the ability to run through tackles and go all the way. We felt with Robert Burns leaving the program we were short maybe at running back.We’re happy to be bringing in Thad Franklin, We just felt we were maybe a guy short. The situation just kind of presented itself…We had a relationship with Cody through the recruiting process. And everything went sideways with Tennessee.He went into the portal and we had the ability to contact him and I think the prior relationship we had with coach [Eric] Hickson, there already were a lot of good feelings from him to us and from us to him and it kind of worked out. We’re really happy he’s here.”"

If Brown, Chaney, Franklin and Knighton are patient they could all get a chance to make an impact carrying the football for Miami. The legendary Miami backfield in the early to mid 2000s had Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee at halfback. All three eventually became starters for Miami.

Harris has two seasons of eligiblity remaining. Entering his fourth year with Miami, Harris seems likely to move on after the 2021 season. Chaney and Knighton both contributed in 2020 and showed a gilmpse of the future. Expect good competition for snaps at running back for the Miami football team in 2021.