Florida football: Know your enemy – Miami Hurricanes

Florida football kicks off the 2019 season Saturday in Orlando against a revitalized Miami Hurricanes football team. A new head coach, new starting quarterback, and several transfers have Miami fans hopeful for a quick turnaround after a 2018 season that fell well below expectations.

Miami last kicked off a season against Florida in 1987 with a 31-4 victory en route to a national championship, however, this group of Hurricanes is not expected to come close to those heights.

The Canes return 12 starters for head coach Manny Diaz‘s first season at the helm.  Diaz, who was named the 25th head coach in program history last January after Mark Richt retired at the end of the season, has quickly brought in a new energy to a program that seemed to run out of steam by the end of last season.

The ACC Preseason Poll projected Miami to finish second in the Coastal Division behind Virginia.

Offensive Outlook

"Returning starters (at least five starts): OL Navaughn Donaldson, Jr., 22 career starts WR Jeff Thomas, Jr., 14 career starts TE Brevin Jordan, So., 11 career starts WR Mike Harley, Jr., 9 career starts OL DJ Scaife, So., 7 career starts QB N’Kosi Perry, R-So., 6 career starts"

The offense was a major point of concern last year in Coral Gables.

QB Malik Rosier could not duplicate his 2017 success and the Canes ranked 104th in the nation in total offense. Miami was abysmal on the offensive side of the ball during a critical midseason ACC stretch that resulted in four consecutive losses: 16-13 at Virginia, 27-14 at Boston College, 20-12 vs Duke, and 27-21 at Georgia Tech.

Play-calling and quarterback play were deemed to be the major culprits of the 2018 letdown, so Mark Richt stepped aside allowing the program to hire Diaz, the architect of a tough defense, back from his recent departure to Temple. Diaz immediately went to work in the offseason by securing high-profile transfer from Ohio State backup QB Tate Martell.

Miami spent a good deal of its offseaon finding players in the transfer portal.

Quarterback

Martell was expected to start for the majority of the offseason, but Miami recently announced that redshirt freshman Jarren Williams would be the starter on Saturday against the Gators. The two deep lists Martell “OR” QB N’Kosi Perry, who started a few games last season, as the backup.

Though the move seems surprising on the surface, Williams was a four-star prospect who was ranked as a top-10 dual-threat passer in the recruiting class of 2018. He had offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

Though Williams won the job outright, it would not be shocking to see Martell used in some capacity against the Gators.

Running Back

RB Deejay Dallas is coming off a 2018 campaign where he rushed for 617 yards on 109 attempts and 6 touchdowns. Dallas led the Canes in all-purpose yards (1,260) and has found the end zone ten times in 26 career games despite the fact that he has yet to start a game.

Four-start prospect Cam’Ron Harris is expected to see a share of the carries as well. The Opa-Locka, FL, native grabbed attention at the end of the season when he accounted for 93 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns against Virginia Tech.

Wide Receiver

WR Jeff Thomas returns after a brief stint in the transfer portal.

"In case you missed it, Thomas was kicked off the team at Miami this past November. The Canes’ leading receiver announced he was leaving for Illinois. Then Mark Richt retired, Manny Diaz took over and suddenly reports were that Thomas was going to go back to Miami. Connor O’Gara, Saturday Tradition"

The junior deep threat at wide receiver hauled in 35 catches for 563 yards in 2018 but has the potential to be a breakout star for the Canes in 2019 if the reports of his talent begin to match his on-field performance.

Thomas should pair well with Buffalo Bulls transfer, redshirt senior WR K.J. Osborn.

Osborn, who made the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, should make an immediate impacted. He totaled 1,490 yards on 96 catches with 12 touchdowns over three seasons with Buffalo.

WR Mike Harley could also be a factor. The junior wideout caught 21 passes in 2018 but has the speed to score any time he gets the ball in his hands.

Tight End

TE Brevin Jordan has garnered multiple preseason mentions after a 32 reception, 4 touchdown performance as a freshman.

Jordan has been listed on the Mackey Award watch list and received Preseason All-ACC conference honors after being named to the All-ACC Second Team a season ago.

Jordan missed time in the spring due to injury which allowed sophomore Will Mallory and redshirt junior Michael Irvin II to get more reps in offensive coordinator Dan Enos‘ new tight end friendly system.

Expect Jordan to be a central figure in the Gators’ defensive plans on Saturday night. Slowing down the sophomore tight end would force Miami’s first-year quarterback to take more chances on the outside.

Offensive Line

Left Guard Navaughn Donaldson returns for the Miami to anchor a relatively inexperienced offensive line. The junior made the watch list for the Outland Trophy, but outside of Donaldson, the only returning starter is junior Right Guard D.J. Scaife.

Sophomore Corey Gaynor gets the start at center and the Canes will feature two freshman tackles, freshman Left Tackle Zion Nelson and redshirt freshman John Campbell.

Experience may be an issue, Florida’s defensive front will have its hands full dealing with the Canes’ size on the offensive line:

LT Nelson, 6’5″, 285 lbs

LG Donaldson, 6’6″ 345 lbs

C Gaynor, 6’4″, 301 lbs

RG Scaife, 6’3″, 300 lbs

RT Campbell, 6’5″ 310 lbs