The expectations for the Miami Hurricanes offense are through the roof. One of the loudest members of the college football media to wave that flag is Rivals/On3 personality JD PicKell.
This week PicKell dropped a video that explains exactly why he feels the way he does. Most of it is pretty obvious — it's a stacked team. Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher Jr., Cooper Barkate, Jackson Cantwell, etc. etc., the stars will be out in Coral Gables every week this fall. But PicKell immediately goes to the quarterback position where Darian Mensah will take the reins and the pressure of getting the Hurricanes over the hump in the ACC and the CFP.
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Darian Mensah gives the Miami offense an extra element
You are not going to get me to slander Carson Beck. I thought Beck brought a lot to Miami last year and his experience in big games and big-game situations were a key reason why the Hurricanes almost won the CFP championship. He brought composure to the huddle in those tight situations and Beck not only knew what to do in crunch time, but he also knew what NOT to do. That's important.
But playmaking is also important and Mensah brings a lot of it. Beck was limited as a playmaker and the Hurricanes offense likely couldn't reach its full potential with his physical limitations. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise because the Hurricanes needed to slow the game down to get the best results last year. But that was last year. This year offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will be able to go full throttle.
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"I have more confidence that this offense is going to cut it loose," PicKell said. "I think Shannon Dawson....he wants to sling it around the yard. He wants to throw that ball downfield. He wants to be a lot more like it was with Cam Ward when [the Hurricanes] top 15 in college football when it came to yards per pass."
There's no question that the expectations for Mensah are through the roof. He already has an ACC title on his resume with Duke, but that was a beautiful underdog story. Miami is going to be the favorites and the Hurricanes are ready to end that 20+ year drought of not winning a conference championship. Mensah is going to have a full allotment of skill players to work with and his ability to extend plays is something that will keep opposing defenses on their toes.
"Darian Mensah is getting paid a lot and I think you're going to be able to see he was worth every penny with what he is able to do off script," PicKell added.
READ MORE: Cam Ward says he wishes he could have played with Miami star Malachi Toney
It's been a long time since we've seen a Hurricanes offense with this kind of firepower and the coaching that will let the dogs eat. Last time it felt this good was in 2001, and we know how that season ended.
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