When there's a video of the Miami Hurricanes battling in the trenches, it's a must-see.
By this point, we know what Mario Cristobal wants out of practices during the middle of the week. He wants physical battles and a lot of competition. It sets a tone for the rest of the spring and the offseason.
Obviously, the guys aren't going to have full-on collisions this early in spring. That's just silly. But there were some fun drills in there and a little of the nastiness from the offensive and defensive line that you should expect to see this season.
Fans get a first-look at Hurricanes line battles
A few notes from the short video:
-- Five-star freshman Jackson Cantwell (#79) looks impressive physically. He looks every bit of the 6-foot-7, 290 pounds that he is listed at. He's getting the first-team reps at right tackle and is expected to be the day-one starter there.
-- It's always fun to see Jason Taylor coaching 'em up. The defensive ends coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer was a little hoarse when he met with the media later.
"A little bit of yelling. I'm always yelling anyway, even when I'm happy."Jason Taylor
-- Although the numbers aren't clear, it looks like Ryan Rodriguez was able to get leverage on Jarquez Carter (#91) and drive him back pretty well. I wonder if Carter was able to get back in a later rep.
-- Two freshmen, tight end Israel Briggs (#14) and lineman Ben Congdon (#58), got in on the action and executed a strong double team on Herbert Scroggins III. Seeing Briggs' aggressiveness in the blocking drill is going to win him over with coaches.
-- And one of the best signs of the culture at Miami was Akheem Mesidor going to practice and taking an active role in helping the young guys as he finishes up final prep before the NFL Draft. The clip shows him working with freshman DeAnthony Lafayette.
"Mes was at practice today, before practice, and was working with [Marquise] Lightfoot and Armando [Blount]," Taylor added. "So they're still here. They're still around. Obviously, they're going to be picked in three or four weeks, and they'll be gone. But that way of life, that standard that everybody in that room got to see for the last couple of years, is contagious."