Miami has crawled, it's now time to walk
Adriana Edwards - Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
Miami was still a really young team last season so when they faltered against Georgia Tech and then Virginia Tech, it was expected. An 11-2 season was something to be proud of, even if they failed to make it to Charlotte or a BCS Bowl.
This time around, expectations are raised in Coral Gables and everyone knows it.
Manny Diaz has brought the program back to consistent heights it hasn't been at since the late 90s and early 2000s with many predicting Miami to compete for a national championship, as shown by their number eight preseason rankings.
Ten Best Miami Players
1. S Gurvan Hall Jr, Senior
2. DT Nesta-Jade Silvera, Senior
3. LB Kevin Jones, Sophomore
4. CB Al Blades Jr, Senior
5. CB D.J. Ivey, Senior
6. TE Will Mallory, Senior
7. S Bubba Bolden, RS Senior
8. DE Greg Rousseau, RS Junior
9. QB Tyrone Williams, Sophomore
10. HB Brett Sharp, Sophomore
Schedule
Aug. 29 vs. UAB
Sept. 5 at #22 Michigan State
Sept. 19 vs. #4 Alabama (Georgia Dome)
Sept. 26 at Louisville
Oct. 3 vs. Wake Forest
Oct. 17 vs. Virginia
Oct. 24 at Duke
Oct. 31 vs. #7 Florida State
Nov. 7 vs. Georgia Tech
Nov. 14 at #13 Virginia Tech
Nov. 21 vs. North Carolina
Nov. 28 at Pittsburgh
Miami Hurricanes Starters
QB Tyrone Williams, Sophomore :: 87 ovr, 77 spd, 96 thp, 86 tha
HB Brett Sharp, Sophomore :: 86 ovr, 97 spd, 99 acc, 68 car
FB Realus George, RS Junior :: 81 ovr, 81 spd, 79 str, 67 rbk
WR Sean Johnson, Freshman :: 81 ovr, 97 spd, 93 acc, 77 cth
WR Kenneth Kent, Freshman :: 77 ovr, 90 spd, 91 acc, 78 cth
TE Will Mallory, Senior :: 89 ovr, 84 spd, 93 acc, 85 cth, 73 rbk
LT Zion Nelson, Junior :: 84 ovr, 87 str, 85 pbk, 85 rbk
LG Cleveland Reed Jr, RS Junior :: 89 ovr, 92 str, 89 pbk, 89 rbk
C Cory Gaynor, RS Senior :: 85 ovr, 90 str, 84 pbk, 86 rbk
RG D.J. Scaife Jr, Senior :: 92 ovr, 90 str, 92 pbk, 92 rbk
RT Kai-Leon Herbert, RS Senior :: 85 ovr, 91 str, 89 pbk, 82 rbk
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DE Jahfari Harvey, Junior :: 86 ovr, 81 spd, 79 str, 84 bsh
DE Greg Rousseau, RS Junior :: 89 ovr, 76 spd, 85 str, 86 bsh
DT Nesta Jade Silvera, Senior :: 92 ovr, 57 spd, 90 str, 89 bsh
DT Jason Blissett, Junior :: 87 ovr, 66 spd, 87 str, 81 bsh
LB Kevin Jones, Sophomore :: 85 ovr, 88 spd, 97 acc, 87 tkl
LB Sam Brooks, Junior :: 84 ovr, 89 spd, 94 acc, 74 tkl
CB Al Blades Jr, Senior :: 91 ovr, 92 spd, 99 acc, 91 mcv, 91 zcv
CB D.J. Ivey, Senior :: 90 ovr, 92 spd, 97 acc, 91 mcv, 89 zcv
S Gurvan Hall Jr, Senior :: 93 ovr, 91 spd, 96 acc, 88 zcv
S Bubba Bolden, RS Senior :: 89 ovr, 90 spd, 93 acc, 89 zcv, 73 tkl, 85 hit power
Striker Gilbert Frierson, RS Junior :: 88 ovr, 91 spd, 97 acc, 83 zcv, 85 mcv, 69 tkl, 82 hit power
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K Bubba Baxa, Senior :: 94 ovr, 99 kp, 90 ka
P Louis Hedley, RS Senior :: 96 ovr, 99 kp, 95 ka
Preseason All-Americans
DT Nesta Jade Silvera, Senior
LB Kevin Jones, Sophomore
S Gurvan Hall Jr, Senior
S Bubba Bolden, RS Senior
AP Brett Sharp, Sophomore
Preseason All-ACC
HB Randy Battle, Sophomore
G D.J. Scaife Jr., Senior
DT Nesta Jade Silvera, Senior
LB Sam Brooks, Junior
LB Kevin Jones, Sophomore
CB D.J. Ivey, Senior
S Gurvan Hall Jr, Senior
S Bubba Bolden, RS Senior
S Gilbert Frierson, RS Junior
AP Brett Sharp, Sophomore
P Louis Hedley, RS Senior
What to watch for on offense: Jonathan Smith brings in a more wide open, spread offense to Coral Gables which should suit the big arm of Tyrone Williams more than previous offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard's pro-style offense. Smith might be a rental but if he can bring the best out of Williams, who served more as a game manager as a true freshman, then it will be worth it.
What to watch for on defense: Miami has some studs on defense in Jones, Brooks and Silvera along with a back five that has two All-Americans. This has all the makings of a top-ten defense which can be one of the elite units in the country.
The team will be far better if... they can start using their receivers. Miami's WR room got a makeover this offseason and with some explosive freshman in Kenneth Kent and Sean Johnson, they hope that they'll be able to stretch the field as opposed to the limited passing game of last season which primarily featured tight ends and running back.
The Schedule: Can Miami survive the beginning of the schedule?
Outside of the opener against UAB, Miami opens the season on the road against Michigan State and then the highly anticipated match-up against Alabama. There is a world where Miami is 1-2 heading into Louisville, on the road, in a potential night game. They'll want to avoid that at all cost.
The schedule lightens up after that with home games against Wake Forest and Virginia and then a road game at Duke before they host Florida State and Georgia Tech. Miami ends the season at Virginia, home against North Carolina for senior night and at Pittsburgh which should be interesting given the weather.
Outside of the stretch of Florida State - Georgia Tech - at Virginia Tech, Miami's schedule is fairly easy once they get past Alabama but that's a big ask.
Best offensive player: TE Will Mallory. Mallory's sat for a while behind a great player in Brevin Jordan and while Randy Battle was productive as a goal-line option with fifteen touchdowns and Brett Sharp is uber talented but ultimately, Mallory is Miami's best offensive player and probably going to have the best season.
Best defensive player: S Gurvan Hall. Kevin Jones gets the awards and Silvera makes the noise but Hall is the backbone of the defense, reminiscence of Jaquan Johnson a few seasons ago.
Key players to a successful season: It starts with Tyrone Williams but going to throw Brett Sharp in there as well. Cam'ron Harris isn't here anymore to quietly put together a 75-yard rushing night and get the tough yardage and Batte is a nice goal-line option but lacks the speed to be a game changer. Can Sharp's slight frame handle the workload as HB1?
Defensively, it's defensive end Greg Rousseau. Miami's had an elite pass rusher almost everyone season under Manny Diaz from Joe Jackson to Jonathan Garvin to Jaelan Phillips. Is Rousseau next in line?
The season will be a success if...the Hurricanes win the ACC and compete for a national championship. Clemson is a tough hurdle but Miami will need to knock off a giant in order to be one.
Key game: Alabama. If Miami beats Alabama, they might be looking at a number one ranking.
Game by Game Predictions
Aug. 29 vs. UAB: W
Sept. 5 at #22 Michigan State: W
Sept. 19 vs. #4 Alabama (Georgia Dome): L
Sept. 26 at Louisville: W
Oct. 3 vs. Wake Forest: W
Oct. 17 vs. Virginia: W
Oct. 24 at Duke: W
Oct. 31 vs. #7 Florida State: W
Nov. 7 vs. Georgia Tech: W
Nov. 14 at #13 Virginia Tech: L
Nov. 21 vs. North Carolina: W
Nov. 28 at Pittsburgh: W