Miami Hurricanes
Overall Rank: #22
#2 ACC
Manny Diaz will take over the head coaching job at Miami after serving as the defensive coordinator under Mark Richt. That move has brought some excitement to the program, but the Hurricanes have quite a few holes to fill this year. But after Clemson, the ACC is pretty wide open and Miami has the talent to finish second in the conference.
2018 Record: 7-6, 4-4
2018 Bowl: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Wisconsin (L 3-35)
Coach: Manny Diaz (0-0 at Miami, 0-0 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Dan Enos
Defensive Coordinator: Blake Baker, Ephraim Banda
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: DeeJay Dallas, RB, 617 yards
Passing: N’Kosi Perry, QB, 1,091 yards
Receiving: Jeff Thomas, WR, 563 yards
Tackles: Shaquille Quarterman, LB, 82
Sacks: Shaquille Quarterman, LB, 6.0
Interceptions: Trajan Bandy, CB, 3
Other Key Returnees: TE Brevin Jordan, LB Michael Pinckney, DE Jonathan Garvin, LB Zach McCloud
Key Losses: RB Travis Homer, QB Malik Rosier, WR Lawrence Cager, DL Gerald Willis, DL Joe Jackson, LB Mike Smith, S Jaquan Johnson, CB Michael Jackson, S Sheldrick Redwine
Offense:
The Hurricanes struggled offensively last season, ranking 13th in the conference in total offense. New coordinator Dan Enos will attempt to revitalize the unit. It will not take much to improve the quarterback situation. N’Kosi Perry was thrown into the fire as a freshman and had mixed results. The hope is that year of experience will make Perry more consistent. But redshirt freshman Jarren Williams and Ohio State transfer Tate Martell are competing for the starting job as well. Jeff Thomas emerged as the top receiving threat last season, catching 35 passes for 563 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Brevin Jordan had a superb freshman campaign and turned into a nice safety valve option. K.J. Osborn, a transfer from Buffalo, will add another option and this is a Miami team that suddenly has some quality options in the pass catching game. Running backs DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer did a pretty good job on the ground. They combined to rush for 1,602 yards and ten touchdowns. If the passing game can give the running backs some room to operate, this is an offense that can take a big step forward.
Defense:
The front line has some holes to fill, but there are plenty of talented options. Jonathan Garvin is back to lead the pass rush off the end and tackle Pat Bethel will eat up plenty of space in the middle of the line. The addition of several transfers should keep the unit quite productive. Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney are both extremely talented senior linebackers and Zach McCloud and Romeo Finley are returning seniors as well and will man the linebacker spot with more coverage responsibilities. There may not be a better group of linebackers in the country. The front seven will help usher in a new look secondary. Cornerback Trajan Bandy is the only returning starter, but he is a great piece to build around.
The Bottom Line:
The Hurricanes should not have to wait too long to see if they can grab ahold of the ACC Coastal Division. On October 5th they host Virginia Tech and follow it up the next week hosting Virginia. Those two games could decide the division and if Miami wins them both, they will be well on their way to reaching the ACC Championship game.
Projected Bowl: Orange Bowl
2018 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 191.5 (45th in nation, 7th in conference)
Passing Offense: 167.3 (112, 12)
Total Offense: 358.8 (104, 13)
Scoring Offense: 28.8 (65, 9)
Rushing Defense: 143.3 (42, 3)
Pass Defense: 135.6 (1, 1)
Total Defense: 278.9 (4, 1)
Scoring Defense: 19.5 (18, 2)
Turnover Margin: -0.08 (73, 9)
Sacks: 3.08 (9, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 2.08 (56, 6)
Madness 2019 Recruit Rankings:
#56 Jeremiah Payton
#192 Christian Williams
