3 things to watch for as Miami begins the second week of training camp

The first week of training camp is over for the Miami Hurricanes and the September 4th opener against Stanford is getting closer.

There have already been some answers to the questions we had in the offseason, but there's still a lot to be determined. That second week of camp is "moving week" for me. This is when p;layers get some more opportunities in scrimmage situations and step up to claim the open spots on the two-deep. 

Here are three things to know about the Hurricanes as they begin the second week of training camp: 

Things have to get settled at LB/DL rotations

Right now, the Hurricanes have six established players on the defensive line that we expect to get the bulk of the snaps early in the season — Damon Wilson II, Ahmad Moten, Marquise Lightfoot, Justin Scott, Armondo Blount and Keona Davis. Beyond that there are some questions.

READ MORE: Keona Davis' versatility will prove to be major asset on the Miami defensive line

At minimum, defensive line coaches Damoine Lewiis and Jason Taylor need eight guys that can play in a regular snap rotation. In a perfect world, they would have 9–10 bodies that can jump in. Some players, like Blount and Davis, will move around the line and could provide quality snaps on the edge or the interior.

The two players most likely to jump into those final two spots on the two deep are Herb Scroggins and Jarquez Carter. After those two sophomores, I'd keep an eye on the daily camp reports to see if one of the freshmen edge rushers can make some noise.

"We rotate a lot and we play a lot of defensive linemen," Carter said during the spring. "So whatever they need from me, I'm there."

READ MORE: 4 underrated X-factors for Miami this season, beyond the names everyone already knows

Linebacker is whole other issue. As long as Mo Toure and Chase Smith stay healthy, everything is fine. Between the two players, they have 14 years of college football experience and have seen everything. Behind that it's anyone's guess. 

Kellen Wiley was a top recruit in the 2025 class, and he is going to be a player that gets every opportunity in the next few weeks to show the coaches he's ready. Wiley is big (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) and athletic, and he could conceivably be a difference maker if things click.

There is an embarrassment of riches at WR

We expected some serious battles for the WR3/WR4 spots between incoming transfer vets Vandrevius Jacobs and Cam Vaughn along with some very enticing in-house prospects like Joshua Moore. That has materialized early and another name, Daylyn Upshaw, has been mentioned by Darian Mensah as a player that stood out early.

Not to be ignored are a couple of true freshmen — Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford — that are trying to throw their names in the race. I expect the battle to get on the field in those 3 and 4-WR sets is going to continue throughout the season. 

Samson Okunlola iwill be your Week 1 starting left tackle

There were some rumblings after Okunlola, a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, started camp at left tackle, but so far it's been excellent and, frankliy, who are we to doubt Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal at this point? 

Okunlola is 6-foot-6 and down to 320 pounds, so he's big enough, and presumably the lighter weight has added to his athleticism. As he explains it, this is the natural progression that Mirabal wants from his top linemen as they go through the system. 

"The thing about Mirabal, he's always going to work you everywhere," Okunlola said Friday after practice.  "Just like he worked me at guard first and moved me to tackle.":

This is the year that Okunlola makes the jump and becomes the third first-round NFL Draft pick from that 2023 recruiting class. 

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