Here’s the full release on this announcement from the ACC’s official website

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN have announced that the 2017 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game between second-ranked Miami (Coastal Division) and No. 4 Clemson (Atlantic Division) will kick off on ABC in prime time at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This marks the ninth consecutive year that the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game has been held in prime time, and the fifth consecutive year the game has been televised by ABC in its coveted 8 p.m. time slot. The winner of the conference championship game has gone on to play in the National Championship Game or compete in the College Football Playoff each of the previous four seasons.

The game which will be played on December 2nd will mark the first appearance in the Conference’s Championship game for the Miami Hurricanes. They will face the Clemson Tigers, 3-time defending ACC Coastal Division champions and 2-time defending ACC Conference champions.

Before this game, however, Miami faces Virginia on Senior day (November 18) and Pittsburgh on Black Friday (November 24) to conclude the regular season. The Hurricanes, undefeated at 9-0, look to continue their nation-long 14 game win streak ahead of this clash of titans against the Clemson Tigers.

More on the ACC Championship game as it nears.

But first, a look at Miami’s own résumé:

Miami has had a turbulent season, but has handled all the challenges to improve to an 8-0 record, and Top 10 ranking.

In the eyes of many in the 305 the Top 10 is still too low for the Canes’, Miami is behind one-loss teams, and has been for weeks. The Canes’ have more FPI Top 50 wins than anyone not named Clemson, and UM also boasts the #2 SOR in the nation.

In addition, Miami ranks in the Top 15 in several defensive categories; #12 in Scoring Defense, #4 in Turnover Margin, #1 in Tackles For Loss per game, #5 in Sacks per game, #13 in Passing Yards per Completion, and #7 in Interceptions.

However, the Canes had struggled to pass the “eye test” until Saturday night, as for four consecutive weeks Miami had won by 8 points or less, including a near disaster against 1-8 UNC.

28-10 at The Rock was a statement, but it appears that Miami will have to make another one this weekend, despite their record.

The Fighting Irish are deservedly above the Hurricanes heading into this week’s primetime matchup, UND’s only loss is to #2 (#1 in the Playoff Poll) Georgia, and the Irish have convincing blowout wins over #15/14 USC, #13/16 Michigan State, and NR/#24 NC State. In addition the Irish have dispensed every other opponent they’ve faced with ease, with the exception of a slight stumble against Wake Forest.

Notre Dame has earned the right to be a Top 5 team, but they face a determined, angry, Miami team and fanbase this weekend. Miami is deservedly behind the Irish for now, but they can settle it on the field at 8pm this Saturday.

In my eyes, Miami has an argument to be ahead of Clemson. While Clemson boasts more FPI Top 50 wins than anyone else, they also posses a loss to Syracuse, a team Miami has since beaten.

Clemson also shared an opponent with Miami, Virginia Tech, whom they beat 31-17, Miami since beat the same opponent, 28-10, a larger margin of victory.

Miami also has a higher SOR than Clemson, and nearly the same amount of Top 50 wins (as previously stated), in my honest opinion Miami should be nearly even with Clemson in the eyes of poll voters.

Once again Miami will probably get a shot at this opponent later in the season. Clemson, barring a disaster against FSU, would be the ACC Atlantic Representative in the ACC Championship Game. Miami, needing only a win in Coastal play, or a UVA loss in coastal play, would be the Coastal Division representative in the ACC Championship Game. So it is likely that Miami will have a chance to line up against yet another team ahead of them in the polls.

Oklahoma is the hardest team to get a handle on here. Miami shares no opponents with Oklahoma, the two will almost certainly not play each other.

Oklahoma is also a bizarre team, Heisman frontrunner Baker Mayfield leads possibly the nation’s best offense, but is backed up by one of the worst, if not the worst Power 5 defense in the NCAA.

However, like Miami, the Sooners find ways to pull out wins, and posses one of the best out of conference wins of the season, a victory against Ohio State in Columbus.

As a result Oklahoma has remained ahead of the Canes throughout the last couple weeks, and the Sooners have a big opportunity to add another trademark win to their season this weekend, as they take on #8/9 TCU.

While Miami stayed behind Oklahoma in the AP Poll, they remain ahead of them in the Coaches Poll, and look for Miami to possibly pass Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff Poll tomorrow.

So what do you all think, is Miami too highly ranked, ranked too low? Are the Canes right where they should be? Tell us in the poll and comments below.

Welcome to the eighth edition of the column I like to call “The Freshman 15”. If you’re a first time reader, this will be a focus on the rankings and the order of the top 15 recruits the coaching staff are pursuing. At this time, players without offers will not be considered for the board. How do we rank the players, you ask?

Well, the order will be based mainly on:

• How likely a recruit is to commit to Miami at the time
• Skill level
• Miami's need at their position

This column will be updated throughout the cycle each month and will show movement up or down for each recruit as the list is updated, ie. who is starting to become more/less important and prioritized by the staff.

Delving into the board, you can start to see the coaching staff honing in on a few key position groups: defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, and fullback. The Canes will look to add one player from each group, and maybe more when it comes to the D-Line.

Let’s get into the board for the month of November.

1. Tyson Campbell, CB, Fort Lauderdale, FL (American Heritage) (Last Month: 1)

Ht 6-2 | Wt 180 | 247 Composite: 4-Star, #23 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Campbell is a corner that plays just down the road at American Heritage, where his former head coach was current Canes CB coach Mike Rumph. He sports outstanding speed and length, along with incredible ball skills. Miami has been loading up on DB’s in this class, but is still making Campbell a priority. His status as a national top 25 player, high interest in Miami, and relationship with coach Rumph land him as the #1 player on this board.

In The Mix: Campbell lists his favorites as Miami, Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia. One of Clemson, LSU, Florida, and Florida State are on the outside looking to break into Campbell’s top 5.

Latest: Campbell was on campus back in October with a few other recruits taking in a Miami practice, while Rumph and coach Kool stopped in at Heritage to see Campbell a few weeks ago and keep the pressure on. Campbell is chopping down his list to a top 5 sometime soon and has already said the Hurricanes will make that cut, along with Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia. Campbell’s top 5 will all get official visits, which will be taken after the season to focus on his senior year. He says his decision will come down to whether he wants to play at home in front of his family, or if he feels it will be better to get away from South Florida for college. So, really, it seems to be between Miami and his preferred out of state school. That decision would likely be made at the Army All-American game in January.

2. Dennis Briggs, DT, Kissimmee, FL (Gateway) (Last Month: 2)

Ht 6-4 | Wt 255 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #448 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Briggs is another talented prospect who has seen his recruiting stock soar as of late and it is still on the rise. He offers a great motor and his speed and athleticism will likely be amplified when he is inevitably moved inside to play tackle in college. After missing out on Rick Sandidge and Keondre Coburn, Briggs becomes much more important to the class.

In The Mix: Briggs’ has a top 6 of Miami, FSU, UF, Tennessee, Oregon, and Georgia.

Latest: Briggs says he will official to Miami, FSU, Tennessee, Oregon, and Georgia. Despite that, Florida remains still involved as he’s taken multiple unofficial visits to Gainesville and the Gators cannot be counted out. It will be interesting to see how the firing of Jim McElwain effects his recruitment. Being from the area, Briggs came out to watch Miami’s practices in Orlando when they were displaced from Hurricane Irma, a very good sign for the Canes. Heading into his visits, Briggs says UM is in his top 2, but does not name the other program tied with Miami. Briggs took an unofficial visit to FSU for their loss against NC State in September, while he set his first official to Tennessee for the weekend of December 8th.

3. Trevor Trout, DT, Saint Louis, MO (Chaminade) (Last Month: 3)

Ht 6-3 | Wt 315 | 247 Composite: 4-Star, #186 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Trout is a stalwart in the middle of the defense who is at his best when he is taking on double teams and funneling runs to the linebackers. With a pretty quick first step for a big man, once Trout establishes a gap, he can be almost impossible to move. He is proficient at collapsing a pocket from the inside and opening up pass rushing lanes for his teammates.

In The Mix: Trout has a top 4 of Miami, Alabama, USC, and UCLA.

Latest: Trout is officially leaving home for college, as he surprisingly eliminated hometown favorite Missouri, as well as Georgia, from his list this past weekend. Trout now has a top 4 that includes UM, Bama, USC, and UCLA. Trout took his first official visit to UCLA in September, taking in the Bruins’ win over Colorado, and loved it. His second official will be to USC for the UCLA game on November 18th weekend. Trout’s final 2 official visits to Miami and Bama are still being planned and he anticipates making a decision on Signing Day. Coach Kool has done great work here to keep Miami around this long for an out-of-state kid who everyone in the country wants. If the official visit goes well and Miami keeps winning on the field, this could end up being one of the best pulls of the class.

4. Marcus “Tank” Jenkins, OG, Montgomery, AL (Park Crossing) (Last Month: 6)

Ht 6-4 | Wt 325 | 247 Composite: 4-Star, #287 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Jenkins is a classic power guard sporting a large, compact frame. His strength comes from a low center of gravity with adequate hip bend. Jenkins shows a little bit of get-up for his size and pulls across a formation with authority. Jenkins has set an official with Miami and looks to be the new priority on the O-Line with William Barnes out of the picture.

In The Mix: Auburn, Louisville, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Miami make up Jenkins’ top 5.

Latest: Jenkins could really end up anywhere in his top 5 and it wouldn’t be a shock. He just went to Louisville on an unofficial last month and loved the campus. Jenkins has visited Auburn unofficially about 10 times by his own estimation and the Tigers are the local favorite. He’s also unofficially visited Missouri, back in the summer, and one of his teammates recently committed there. That leaves Miami and Oklahoma as the two favorites that Jenkins has never seen. He’ll change that this weekend, when he plans to be on campus in Coral Gables for an official to watch the Canes take on Virginia Tech. Obviously, this visit will make or break his UM recruitment, so stay tuned to see how that goes.

5. Patrick Joyner, LB, Homestead, FL (South Dade) (Last Month: 4)

Ht 6-2 | Wt 205 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #894 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Joyner takes sharp, direct angles to the ball-carrier, and he throws his body around against bigger opponents with little fear. Joyner is comfortable with his hand on the ground at the line or standing up and blitzing from a linebacker spot. He has the timing, quick feet and tight hips to make the turn and get into the backfield coming off the edge. While some schools are looking at Joyner as a DE, the defensive staff at Miami sees him as a linebacker, and he’s probably now the only LB on their board.

In The Mix: Joyner is committed to FSU, but still has Miami, Florida, Auburn, and FIU in his picture.

Latest: Joyner took his official to FSU a few weeks ago for the Noles’ loss against Louisville and claimed it helped to solidify him, yet still continues to flirt with the Canes. He said in an interview that Miami’s win over the Noles moved UM up a bit in his mind and showed they were ready to make the next step. He’s been pretty impressed with the Canes’ undefeated season so far and plans to take his Hurricanes’ official visit in mid-December. The Canes really need to get him to flip, otherwise they’ll need to evaluate and send out an offer to a late bloomer at LB. I think it’d be a mistake to completely pass on the position this cycle.

6. Davoan Hawkins, DT, Hollywood, FL (Chaminade-Madonna Prep) (Last Month: 5)

Ht 6-4 | Wt 270 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #783 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Hawkins can overwhelm blockers with pure strength and explosiveness when his feet are right. He is strong enough in his lower half to play through contact and cause stress in the pocket. Hawkins shows quick, strong hands in pass rush situations and is able to attack the edge with technique. Like Briggs, Hawkins is a jumbo defensive end prospect that Miami would likely move inside to tackle.

In The Mix: The Kentucky commit is only considering one other program: Miami.

Latest: Like Joyner, Hawkins is a prospect committed to another school that has taken notice of Miami’s undefeated season this year, and especially their win over FSU. The Wildcats aren’t going to give up Hawkins without a fight though, and sent offensive coordinator Eddie Gran to visit Hawkins’ high school last month. Hawkins says UM is slightly behind Kentucky as of now and his official visits will decide where he ends up. Miami’s official is unscheduled at this point, but he will be at UK for an official during the weekend of December 15th.

7. Jayson Oweh, DE, Blairstown, NJ (Blair Academy) (Last Month: NR)

Ht 6-5 | Wt 236 | 247 Composite: 4-Star, 160 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Oweh has only been playing organized football for a season, and college coaches love someone that is a blank slate and doesn’t have learned bad habits. Oweh displays great length and quickness to frequently disrupt the flow of plays. He’s still growing and gaining muscle, but has tools to blossom into an end that can set the edge in the run game. Oweh has quality bend when rushing into the backfield. With Ronnie Perkins off the board to Oklahoma, Oweh looks to be the new top target at DE.

In The Mix: Oweh has a top 6 of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Miami, UF, and Notre Dame.

Latest: Oweh has been a bit of a late bloomer since he is so new to football, but Miami coaches have loved his senior film so far and sent him an offer 2 weeks ago. Oweh’s gotten a lot of late interest (Michigan offered around the same time as the Canes), so his list has been constantly changing, but two big schools that have been with him for awhile now are OSU and PSU, and he considers them his leaders. Still, Miami has a chance to make up ground when Oweh visits Coral Gables on an official visit in mid-December. He officially visited OSU back in September, and will officially visit PSU and Michigan in November. UF and Notre Dame are battling for his last official visit. Oweh plans to commit at the Under Armour game in January.

8. Chris Collins, DE, Richmond, VA (Benedictine) (Last Month: NR)

Ht 6-5 | Wt 215 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, 499 Overall

Behind The Ranking: At first glance, Collins looks extremely athletic; he may actually remind you of UM DE commit Gregory Rousseau, with the two sporting similar length and wiry frames. Collins has range as tackler and can run sideline-to-sideline well, while also being fluid when asked to drop into space. He shows the appropriate foot quickness to shoot gaps and demonstrates exceptional flexibility in his hips to help him get around the edge.

In The Mix: Collins is committed to UNC and is only considering a flip to Miami.

Latest: UM actually was in on Collins early in the cycle, but contact had dropped off since the spring. Coach Kool decided to ramp up his interest in the Virginia defensive end, however, and Collins has been accepting of the overtures; he plans on setting up a UM official visit sometime in December. He’ll also officially visit UNC in December and is planning to be an early signee, so we’ll get a final decision from Collins either way next month.

9. Jared Goldwire, DT, Fort Scott, KS (Fort Scott C.C.) (Last Month: 7)

Ht 6-5 | Wt 295 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, N/A Overall

Behind The Ranking: Goldwire is a Washington native that signed with UTEP out of high school and has developed his game in JUCO to the point where he is thought of as an instant impact player in the middle of a defense. He has a powerful, college-ready frame with thick lower half and evenly displaced weight throughout. Goldwire pops opponents with a good initial punch that can push back linemen, and also shows surprising quickness at times for his size.

In The Mix: Goldwire is a Louisville commit but is still considering Miami.

Latest: Goldwire committed to Louisville back in June, but has still kept in contact with Canes coaches and there is mutual interest abound. He is planning an official visit to Coral Gables for a game weekend in the near future and is looking for a great business school and coaching that can get him to the NFL. Fortunately for UM, they have one of the top business schools in the country and coach Kool is one of the best in the game at developing his defensive linemen for the NFL. Obviously, as JUCO player with limited eligibility, Goldwire wants to go somewhere he can play right away. That might hurt the Canes due to their D-Line depth, but if RJ McIntosh leaves early for the pros, this recruitment will get more interesting.

10. Nigel Bethel, CB, Miami, FL (Northwestern) (Last Month: 8)

Ht 6-0 | Wt 165 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #1353 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Originally a track standout, Bethel’s 4.3 speed has translated nicely to the football field. He shows necessary hip flip and foot quickness to recover from mistakes in press coverage. Bethel features closing burst and takes playmaking angles to the throw. While he’s still learning the finer points of the corner position, it’s clear Bethel has incredible upside if coached up right.

In The Mix: Bethel previously named a final 3 of Miami, Georgia, and UF, but it seems Louisville is now involved.

Latest: Bethel hasn’t given an interview since the summer and has been mum on when and where he’s going to be taking his officials. This is another Miami target that will be significantly effected by Jim McElwain’s firing, but what it actually means for the future of Bethel’s recruitment is unclear. However, Bethel has been tweeting out pro-Louisville posts recently, and the Cardinals look to be involved here now. It’s unknown if Bethel is a true take for the staff with Campbell still on the board at CB, and being a “Plan B” could cause the Canes to lose this talent from their backyard.

11. Jordan Davis, DT, Charlotte, NC (Mallard Creek) (Last Month: 9)

Ht 6-6 | Wt 320 | 247 Composite: 4-Star, #312 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Davis has massive size with long arms. He initiates well at the point of attack and drives offensive lineman back consistently. Davis has shown the ability to beat double teams, while still playing with disciplined gap integrity.

In The Mix: Davis has an open list at this point, naming North Carolina, N.C. State, Michigan, Georgia, Miami, South Carolina, and Florida State as those pursuing him the hardest.

Latest: Davis has kept a pretty low profile and is another that hasn’t been interviewed since the summer. However, he is close to narrowing down his options to 5 official visits. And, of those potential visits, Davis claims to want to see Miami and Michigan the most. So, as of now, we feel pretty comfortable saying Miami will get an official, but there is still a long way to go to get Davis’ signature.

12. Devonta Jason, WR, New Orleans, LA (Landry-Walker) (Last Month: 12)

Ht 6-3 | Wt 190 | 247 Composite: 4-Star, #111 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Jason has great body control in mid-air to be able contort for difficult catches. He has the prototypical frame of a #1 receiver with great hands that don’t drop much. Elite straight-line speed allows Jason to blow the top off a defense.

In The Mix: While still being committed to Kansas, Jason has a named top 7 including Kansas, Miami, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and WVU.

Latest: Jason has been committed to Kansas since February, but is still being pushed to flip by everyone in his top 7. Of those, he says LSU is the school gunning for him the hardest. Jason hasn’t bothered to shut down the rumors of his eventual flip to LSU, instead wearing Tigers gloves during his most recent game. It sure seems like he’s stirring the pot just for attention, which is not a good sign for him ending up at Miami knowing coach Mark Richt. Jason is one of two players on this board (Davis being the other) that hasn’t explicitly tried to nail down plans for an official visit with this staff, and if that talk doesn’t happen soon, it’ll implicitly tell us he’s not really interested in UM.

13. Kayode Oladele, DE, Hialeah, FL (Champagnat Catholic) (Last Month: NR)

Ht 6-4 | Wt 235 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #382 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Oladele plays hard, he is violent, his hands stay active, and he has speed to the ball. He can improve his pad level, and work leverage more, but you always see his hands flying around, you always see him working to get to the ball, and when he gets that window, he closes in a blur. As a Nigerian native that is new to football, Oladele is the type of raw athlete that Coach Kul has had success with many times in the past.

In The Mix: UM, Auburn, FSU, and Florida are the main programs involved with Oladele.

Latest: After originally being told the Canes did not have room for another defensive end in the class, Oladele was surprised to hear from Miami 2 months later asking if he was still interested. As it turns out, his love for Miami hasn’t died, and Oladele attended the Georgia Tech game as an invited recruit. As the once-leaders in this recruitment, the Canes have some making up to do here after the slight, and are now playing catch-up to Auburn and FSU. Also, his official visits have yet to be ironed out. If Miami truly makes an all-out push here, there’s a very good chance he ends up in the orange and green.

14. Abraham Alce, FB, Immokalee, FL (Immokalee) (Last Month: 15)

Ht 6-0 | Wt 230 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #1232 Overall

Behind The Ranking: Alce is a physical, downhill runner that also doubles at inside linebacker for Heritage. Alce shows aggression on tape and has experience as a jack-of-all-trades ball carrier, pass catcher, pass protector, and lead blocker.

In The Mix: Alce is high on Miami, USF, Kentucky, Boston College, and Wisconsin at this stage.

Latest: After previously listing Wisconsin as his frontrunner, the Canes have made up ground here and are now co-leaders with the Badgers for Alce. He really enjoyed his experience in the UM recruiting section for the Toledo game and the staff made him feel wanted. While Alce hasn’t formally set any official visit dates, UM will get one at some point. He’ll have to speed up his process, though; Alce is graduating early and will have to make his decision by December, and the Canes are now pursuing another fullback target as well.

15. Realus George, FB, Atlanta, GA (Pace Academy) (Last Month: NR)

Ht 6-2 | Wt 245 | 247 Composite: 3-Star, #1368 Overall

Behind The Ranking: George accelerates and explodes into contact as a blocker. He does what all great fullbacks do: takes a crease and makes it a lane. George is adept at reading a defense and chooses his targets carefully. Once George locks onto a defender, they don’t have much hope of re-entering the play.

In The Mix: Colorado State, Navy, and Memphis are others besides Miami that are involved with George.

Latest: The Canes offered George last week, and have immediately shot to the top of his list. He’ll be visiting UM unofficially for the Notre Dame game in 2 weeks, and indicates he’ll return for an official in December or January. In terms of other official visits, George has been to Colorado State, and will visit Navy this weekend. However, as long as he commits before Alce, we see no reason that George is not a part of this class.

Falling Off

10. DT Tyler Friday: Things could pick back up with him later, but Friday feels to be staying up north as of now.

11. DE Ronnie Perkins: Committed to Oklahoma on his official visit to Norman last weekend.

13. OT Nicholas Petit-Frere: While Miami sets up more and more official visits with other prospects, Petit-Frere has been quiet. Too quiet. He’s got the talent, but there’s just too much unknown with his recruitment and, regardless, he’s a longshot.

14. OT Daniel Faalele: Behind the scenes sources are indicating Miami is no longer pursuing Faalele.

This is huge news for Miami. Depth was already thin at RB, and Walton was the most indispensable player on the roster. Now that he’s gone, Miami will have to reshuffle things at the RB position.

A lightly used sophomore from West Palm Beach, FL, Homer is now the man at RB for the Canes. A 4-star recruit from Oxbridge Academy in the 2016 recruiting class, Homer has good size at 5’11” 195bs, and runs like a man bigger than that size.

As a recruit, Homer showed good all-around skills, along with toughness and speed. He broke Oxbridge academy records in his time there, and scored several touchdowns longer than 80 yards in his senior season.

In his time at Miami, Homer has been lower on the depth chart. He was 4th string as a freshman, but the backup this year, although Walton still received the majority of snaps and carries. To this point of his collegiate career, Homer has 32 carries for 256 yards and 3 TDs. The vast majority of those numbers have come this season, as Homer only had 7 carries for 44 yards as a freshman in 2016.

It will be interesting to see how Mark Richt tweaks the offense with Homer as the starting RB as opposed to Walton. But, rest assured that Homer has the athleticism, talent, and skill to be a good RB for Miami as the Canes move through the rest of their schedule.

If you simply move everybody else up the depth chart, that means redshirt junior Trayone Gray and true freshman Robert Burns are you new back up and 3rd string RBs, respectively. Gray has talent, but has been inconsistent in his Miami career. Burns was a breakout star as a sophomore in HS both on the field and camp circuit, but spent much of the last 2 years of his HS career, and the beginning of his college career, injured.

Even though he’s a bigger back at 6’2” 235lbs, Gray’s main asset is his speed. If he gets a crease, he’s gone. Coaches from the previous staff and current have been working with Gray to get him to be consistent in his technique, particularly relative to lowering his pads on runs and pass protection. The time has come to see if those adjustments have been made.

For Burns, he’s unproven but very talented, and all potential. He had the highest SPARQ athleticism score EVER (has been since broken) at a Nike Training Camp after his sophomore year. That would have to be the highlight of his career to this point. He was injured for most of his last 2 years in HS, ending with only 9 carries for 53 yards and 1 kickoff return for a 95 yard TD as a senior. He’s been very injury prone, which is obviously not a good thing considering Miami’s lack of depth at RB, and hasn’t played yet this season. It seems, however, that it’s time to remove Burns’ redshirt and see if the kid can translate that potential into production.

The wildcard here is true freshman DeeJay Dallas. A multifaceted athlete, Dallas played option QB (but threw some), RB, WR, DB, KR and PR in high school at Glynn Academy in Brunswick, GA. The 4-star recruit was heavily pursued by many schools, including Alabama, but chose Miami early in the process and stuck with the Canes. There was much debate about which position Dallas might play when he enrolled at Miami in January, but the coaching staff quickly decided to put him at Wide Receiver and leave him there, even in the face of limited depth at DB and RB, the other positions Dallas could have most likely played.

With Walton gone and depth very thin, Dallas could join the RB position, at least on a part-time basis, to add depth and talent. Obviously, he’s never played there in college, but he’s only a freshman so it’s not like he’s very far removed from playing there, which he did in HS.

This is on Mark Richt and not the players, but I’m interested to see what changes, if any, are made to the offense? Mark Walton is a great running back, but speed is not his best asset. With Homer, Gray, and Dallas all having more speed at the RB position now, what will CMR do to get those guys in the open field?

Additionally, how will Richt update the passing game? I have faith in Homer and the rest of the players named to be a solid running game, but with a wide variety of top talent at WR/TE, maybe Miami looks to the passing game just a bit more to open up the run.

Lastly, someone tweeted me saying that Jeff Thomas or Mike Harley, Miami’s fastest offensive skill players, could get involved in jet sweeps, reverses, or other offensive plays (one guy even asked if Thomas could be Miami’s version of Tavon Austin). I think those are possible, but it’s up to Richt to update the playbook to add that level of creativity. I don’t think that’s going to happen — we’ve seen what a Mark Richt offense looks like — but if it did, I think that would offer more assistance to the run game, which could need it now that Walton is gone.

Those are my quick thoughts on where Miami now stands at RB. I know you have thoughts too, and I can’t wait to hear them in the comments below.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami football program announced Sunday that junior running back Mark Walton sustained a right ankle injury in the Hurricanes’ 24-20 win at Florida State Saturday, and will undergo surgery.

The surgery will be performed at the UHealth Sports Medicine Institute at The Lennar Foundation Medical Center.

A timetable for Walton’s return has not been determined.

Walton has rushed for 428 yards and three touchdowns in four games this season, ranking third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 107 rushing yards per game.

UPDATE: on his weekly conference call, Mark Richt said Walton’s injury will be “season-ending”

This is a HUGE loss for Miami. Not only is the depth at RB limited, but Mark Walton is the best player at that position for Miami. His ability to run and catch the ball has been featured on the Canes’ offense this season.

Having had a major ankle injury before, I sympathize with Walton. While a timetable has not been announced for his potential return, I hope he is able to come back this season.

Walton is the 2nd Miami RB to be injured and need surgery after playing Florida State in recent years. Former Canes RB Duke Johnson broke his leg and needed surgery following the Canes’ game at Florida State in 2013.

We wish Mark Walton the best in his upcoming surgery and the associated recovery.

More on this in the coming days.

Rosier gives thoughts on being named starter

It hasn’t really seemed to sink in yet for Malik Rosier that he is the starting quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes. It probably really won’t until he steps out on the field for the opening snap against Bethune-Cookman on September 2nd.

Until then, though, there’s still fall practice to finish up. After he was named starter yesterday, it was time for the team to go through drills. As the Canes have been rotating QB’s, usually, the coaches tell the QB’s on the spot who would start out the day with the ones and Rosier was hesitant to walk out onto the field without first asking.

“Coach, what’s the rotation for quarterbacks?” Rosier asked QB coach Jon Richt. “He was like, ‘Malik, you’re with the ones!’ and I was like, ‘Oh, okay Coach,’” Rosier said. “It was one of those things we kind of joked about.”

“I haven’t really got the chance to sit down and say, ‘Wow, I’m the starting quarterback for the University of Miami,’” Rosier said. “It will probably come sometime soon. I got a little freer today. I’ll probably relax and talk to my mom about it. It’ll be nice.”

At the end of the day though, Rosier was relieved to finally put the internal competition behind him so the team could really start to come together, rally behind him, and focus on their goals for the upcoming season.

“It’s one of those things where sometimes you stress out and it’s like, ‘Man, am I going to be the guy?’ Some days, when you watch film, N’Kosi is (throwing) great balls, Cade is throwing great, Evan is throwing great. At any time, any quarterback can come in and step in and lead this team. That was the big thing for me, to just play relaxed and just be myself every day.”

Malik Rosier. State of the U/Stefan Adams

“Consistency” seemed to be the big word of the day that was “consistently” being thrown around, and Rosier felt that bringing his A-game everyday led him to the starting role.

“For me, and even for the coaches, they just want to see consistency,” Rosier said. “They don’t want to see me play one way one week and then another week, play another way. I think that was the biggest thing for them, just to see the quarterback they want consistently grow and consistently get better. That’s one of the things I think that I proved throughout these last few weeks.”

Rosier then went through the process of how head coach Mark Richt named him starter yesterday. Richt entered the QB meeting room before practice and gathered all the QB’s around.

“(Richt) was just like, ‘Malik, I’m naming you my starter,’” Rosier said, ‘Evan (Shirreffs), you’re my second string.’ He told Cade (Weldon) and N’Kosi (Perry) to keep battling, keep learning and keep doing what they’ve been doing the whole camp. For me, it was a very energizing feeling to know that Coach Richt has enough trust in me to name me the starter for Week 1.”

When the news broke, Rosier received congratulations from all around Canes nation, including his competition, current and former teammates, and even Edgerrin James and Gino Torretta.

“The big thing I want to say is thanks to (my teammates),” Rosier said. “N’Kosi gave me a shoutout on Instagram, that was huge love. The first person to actually tell me congratulations was Evan Shirreffs, which means so much to me, and Mark (Walton) and Braxton (Berrios). All the guys came around me and that’s the big thing – making sure whosever in there at quarterback, that the guys supported him. I think the biggest congratulations besides Brad (Kaaya) was Edgerrin James. He actually hit me up, telling me congratulations and that he’ll see me and talk to me soon. I also had Gino Torretta hit me up on Twitter, he told me congratulations and that if I have any questions, that he would help me out as well. So just some of the older guys coming back and helping me out. That means the world to me, that they’re still here to support us.”

Kelly. Kosar. Testaverde. Walsh. Erickson. Torretta. Dorsey. Rosier is aware of the tradition at “Quarterback U” and hopes to add his name amongst the greats.

“It’s a great history,” Rosier said. “Me and Brad still communicate every day. That’s one of my best friends, him and David (Njoku). We still talk. We talk about NFL stuff, we talk about college. He’s still helping me out. It’s different going from being a back-up behind Brad to actually starting now. He’s still helping me out. It’s huge to follow the legacy of great quarterbacks.”

Brown breaks down QB decision, rest of offense

OC/RB coach Thomas Brown. State of the U/Stefan Adams

OC/RB coach Thomas Brown was obviously a part of the decision making process to choose the starting QB. Brown and the other offensive coaches had a tough decision to make, so just what was it that made them feel comfortable going with Rosier? In a word, “Consistency.”

“He was able to be the same guy every single day, put the offense in the best spot to be successful,” Brown said. “Malik did a really good job of being consistent. Also taking care of the football: he did a great job with that.”

When speaking of Rosier as a leader, Brown highlighted his personality, saying guys respond well to him. But what else does Rosier have to work on?

“Be consistent, continue to develop,” Brown said. “I think he has a long way to go along with the rest of our offense as well. He’s taken the lead, it’s kind of his job to lose. He’s done a good job so far.”

Head coach Mark Richt said yesterday that he was not looking to rotate QB’s back and forth and Brown agreed with that.

“You have continuity with the offense (to think about), one or two guys with different cadences or different mannerisms in the huddle,” Brown said. “It’s a lot easier to have one guy kind of manage it.”

Brown is high on second string RB Travis Homer and gave him extended reps with the ones last scrimmage to see how he responded.

“That was important,” Brown said. “Travis has been a very tough kid, reliable. … he had a couple of nice runs (in the scrimmage) in the open field, broke a couple of tackles, made a couple of guys miss.

Walk-ons look to be leading the way at fullback, and LB Mike Smith, who was previously said to be working at fullback part-time, went unmentioned in the competition.

“We’re trying a couple of different guys there,” Brown said. “It’ll be a long competition. We don’t have one on scholarship right now but we have four or five walk-ons competing for that spot, so we’ll see what happens.”

When asked about TE Michael Irvin II, Brown noted his improvement but still wants to see more from the young legacy.

“He can catch the ball well in space, is a pretty good route runner, does a good job at the point of attack when he’s focused, when his mind is in the right spot,” Brown said. “He should be doing it every day. He’s made progress.”

Quarterman, St. Louis, Langham react to QB news, talk upcoming season

LB Shaq Quarterman. State of the U/Stefan Adams

For the players, they were ready to get the QB decision out of the way and focus on the season. And the team appears to have no shortage of confidence that Rosier can get the job done.

“I think with him we’re going in the right direction,” said starting MLB Shaq Quarterman. “I definitely have confidence in him. I was happy to have a verdict, but honestly I was just more focused on the defense.”

“(Rosier winning) the job, I feel he really pushed himself through the fall, spring,” said WR Darrell Langham.

Also, RT Tyree St. Louis said on Rosier: “Malik’s funny... he’s a team guy, not a lazy person, doesn’t let anyone slack off, holds guys accountable.”

The buzz is as high around the program as it’s been in years. The Hurricanes are chomping at the bit for the season to start and, in Quarterman’s words, “hit somebody else”.

“We’re definitely ready for the opener, ready for the entire season,” St. Louis said. “I’m really excited for this year. A lot of expectations come from last year: with a year under our belts we’ll be a lot better.”

“I feel everything I worked on in the spring has helped me out to what I’m doing right now,” Langham said. “If I keep pushing... play big... anything can happen... I feel like I’ll be a part of the receiver rotation (come the season).”

One of Miami’s goals this upcoming season is to win the ACC Championship. However, championship-level teams have depth throughout the roster and the Hurricanes seem to be coming along in that department.

"If there's no drop-off (between the first and second team) then you're a very good team, and I feel as though at linebacker we're getting to that. Everybody's getting better every day. With that we're going to be a great defense."

“(Navaughn Donaldson’s) a truck, a moving house,” St. Louis said. “He’s a young guy, really eager.”

Notes

• The third and final scrimmage of fall camp will be held tomorrow, Thursday 8/24.

• Ahmmon Richards is still being held out due to a tweaked hamstring. He is not expected to play in the scrimmage tomorrow.

• True freshman RB Robert Burns has been cleared for full-contact coming off his shoulder injury, per coach Brown.

• OL KC McDermott and LB Waynmon Steed were both back in action after being held out with undisclosed injuries yesterday.

• In other undisclosed injury news, DT Kendrick Norton was held out today and was off to the side riding the exercise bikes along with OL Zalon’tae Hillery and WR Evidence Njoku (hyperextended knee). Doesn’t look to be anything significant with Norton; Njoku and Hillery are on “Redshirt Watch”.

• In receiver drills, Mike Harley and Jeff Thomas were looking as smooth as a baby’s bottom, effortlessly catching passes and gliding upfield.

• Lightning delayed practice this morning for about a half an hour, the first time that’s happened all fall camp. The indoor practice facility can’t come soon enough.

Today, head coach Mark Richt named Malik Rosier starter for the Hurricanes opener against Bethune-Cookman. So, what did Rosier do to that led to this accomplishment?

“Focus, discipline, and accuracy,” Richt said. “(Rosier) showed up focused every day on his job, was disciplined in his fundamentals, his footwork, his reads, his passing fundamentals. And then he was on his target. He did a very good job.”

However, Richt’s decision to go with Rosier was not a landslide one. Rosier had the better fall camp to be sure, but only lightly nudged out Evan Shirreffs (who was named the #2) for the right to take the opening snap at Hard Rock Stadium on September 2nd. Rosier was Brad Kaaya’s backup the past 2 seasons and none of the other quarterbacks did enough to unseat him as the top returning QB on the roster.

“(Rosier) did stand out above the rest. It wasn’t an unbelievable amount but it was apparent that he was having the best camp. And Evan did extremely well. But I felt there was enough of a difference to feel comfortable that Malik’s the guy.”

Many expected dynamic true freshman QB N’Kosi Perry to beat out the returning veterans and come right in and take a hold of the starting position. However, Perry showed he still had some growing up to do on the field and, along with fellow freshman Cade Weldon, both were plagued with accuracy issues and mental errors in camp.

“You could see the skillset of N’Kosi and Weldon,” Richt said. “Not only are they smart and all that, but they have the ability to make plays, whether it’s with their wheels or their arm. When they get it right, it looks really good. But, on a consistent basis, even if (there’s a mistake) one out of five plays, it’s way too many. I told N’Kosi, I told Cade, just keep competing everyday, you never know what can happen.”

There’s been plenty of talk that even if Perry was not named the starter initially, he would still be worked into gameplans via special packages designed to take advantage of his running ability. Richt said nothing to shut that idea down, but he won’t be switching QB’s back and forth.

“I won’t do that (switch QB’s back and forth). Richt said. “Could a (backup) get in the game? Maybe a series in the first half or something like that, I would consider that because I think guys are capable of that, but I’m not sure yet, haven’t gone that far yet.”

Mark Richt speaks to the media after naming Malik Rosier his starting quarterback. Stefan Adams/State of the U

Richt also said no decision has been made on redshirting either of the freshman QB’s.

“Well, you don’t really have to decide until game 4. Sometimes you may say ‘I think I want to redshirt a guy’ but if someone goes down (you may need him).”

Richt had a gem of a quote when talking about his QB competition with Jim Kelly when he was a member of the Hurricanes back in the day, and how he stuck it out at Miami instead of transferring after being named backup QB.

“I used to call him `Lucky Jim’ because the guy was lucky,” Richt started. “I can truthfully say he was better than I was. My mom still would not admit that... it’s not easy being No. 2. There was a moment where I’m like `I’m leaving’ I left the team for like a week, and I didn’t like how it felt. I felt like a quitter, and I didn’t want to be a quitter. So I groveled, went back to coach Schnellenberger and asked him if I could come back on the team. When I said I was leaving, it was after the spring game, he said, `If you change your mind let me know.’ He did open the door for me. Within a few days, I was like, ‘This doesn’t feel right. I love this place. I love my teammates. I’m not leaving.’ Did I play a lot of ball here? No. But God blessed my decision to stick it out and try to do what was in the best interest of the team.”

Making decisions in the best interest of the team can be noble, but, just as coaches leave schools for better jobs and higher paychecks, sometimes players have to do what’s right for them at the moment. Having said all that, though, Richt would be “shocked” if any of his stable of QB’s left the program at this time.

“Everybody has to make choices in life,” Richt started. “They all know they’re learning, they all know they’re growing, they all know they’re getting better. They understand there’s competition everywhere you go. You can go somewhere for greener grass, well guess what? They got a bunch of dudes there too. They know the system. You’re going to be behind the 8-ball if you go somewhere else.”

Walton, Berrios react to QB news

For the players, there was a sense of relief finally knowing they have “their guy” at QB and getting rid of the elephant in the room so they could focus on doing their jobs.

“It’s nice to turn that page... there’s finally one set in stone person now. Just knowing (the starter), it’s one less question mark,” senior WR Braxton Berrios said. “And that was a big question mark we’ve been hearing... It was nice to hear, nice to get it done."

“It was great: as an offense we feel great about it,” junior RB Mark Walton said. “Whoever coach would have announced, I would have been excited for them. I think Malik did a great job this camp, think he’ll lead us in the right direction as a quarterback.”

Previously, Rosier started only one game in college, the 2015 lateral-filled thriller at Duke. What did Rosier show in that win over the Blue Devils?”

“That he can do it,” Berrios (who had 3 catches for 18 yards in that game) said. “He finally had a game where he was walking in, would be the starting quarterback. He took a shot that first series in the end zone and threw a perfect ball. From then on he solidified himself where `I can do this.’ We’ve always known that.”

Coach Richt mentioned that “focus, discipline, and accuracy” set Rosier apart. The team took notice of Rosier’s mentality in leading the team, and are excited about the strides he’s made in his play compared to last year.

“I like the way his game developed,” Walton said. “He’s more calm in the pocket now, also can run, makes it complex for the defense. He’ll make it easier for me, too... He lets the plays develop, when he throws the ball it’s on the money for the receivers to catch it. Also he puts the ball in tight windows, makes it difficult for the defense to intercept the ball. I just like his game all-around.”

“His maturity, decision making (improved),” Berrios said. “He’s always had great athleticism, it was in his younger years he’d get flustered, get rushed, just make bad decisions, decisions you can’t make as a QB, turn the ball over. Really in that aspect of decision-making he’s grown tremendously. From freshman year to now, it’s a tremendous difference... He had a tremendous camp, he really did.”

Notes

• Walton bruised his hip in the first scrimmage 2 weekends ago, but said there was nothing to worry about and the injury was a minor one: he’ll be ready to go on September 2nd against Bethune-Cookman.

Today’s game is about more than this year’s team. It’s a statement game.

Much has been made of today’s Miami at Appalachian State game. There has been TONS of trash talk from the App State side of things, Las Vegas has Miami as only a 3.5 point favorite, and many national media members don’t have Miami on upset alert, they’ve outright picked the Canes to lose this game. And, for me, there’s only one reason for any of this:

Al Golden.

I spoke about this when I did a video podcast last week, but this game — on the road, against a talented but overmatched underdog, with the nation watching — is a game that Miami would have surely lost under Al Golden. Don’t believe me? Let me please direct your attention to last year’s Cincinnati Thursday night game (what an atrocity that was), or any of the losses at Virginia in recent memory, just for starters.

You know the story of today’s game by now: Miami is the first P5 team to ever travel to Boone, NC to face App State. This game, a late schedule replacement for a cancellation, has App State pumped — this is the biggest game in their program’s history (yes, even more than the FCS National Championships they’ve won) — and everybody who’s not a Miami fan is on the underdog bandwagon. I get it. People want to see David beat Goliath. That’s what we’re up against.

But, today, Miami is also up against our recent history. This proud program has fallen on tough times recently. I’ve long maintained that Miami has been, is, and will always be relevant. Look at the hype App State is putting on this game. This matters BECAUSE MIAMI is coming to town.

What Miami hasn’t been recently is good at football. Mediocrity is fine for some, but not for The U. And, that mediocrity, and the outside perception of this team, is the 2nd opponent that Miami looks to beat today.

Today’s game is going to be an exorcism, removing the demons that have plagued this program for more than a decade. Today’s game is a chance to show that Miami, while not BACK (that means winning National Championships, IMO), isn’t the ragtag outfit that many people believe us to be.

Miami is 5-12 in their last 17 road games. While wins are NOT a QB stat, teams led by Brad Kaaya are 3-9 on the road. No matter how you slice it, that’s not good performance. That is what people bring up when discussing this game. Not this year’s team, the past. And that’s the Ghost of Al Golden.

Nevermind the fact that Miami’s defense is 1st in the country with 10 sacks, and tied for first with 28 tackles for loss, and 1st in the country allowing 0.91 yards per carry, and 4th in total defense allowing 205.5 yards per game. Forget the fact that Miami has had 5 instances of running backs going for 100 yards and 1+ TD already this year, and the Canes have 2 of the 6 RBs in the country to have run for 100 yards and 1+ TD in both games this season. Forget that Miami has blocked 2 punts, returned another for a touchdown, and is averaging 7.82 yards per play on offense. None of that matters, because the last time people Nationally saw Miami, the Canes were losing to a bad Washington State team in the Sun Bowl, or some other mediocre team in some game that Miami should have won easily.

Appalachian State is a solid team. They played Tennessee tight in the season opener. But, they’re a team without the talent that Miami has, and that disparity of talent is going to be a factor today. App State is only converting 19% of 3rd downs. That’s not how you get Capone, guys. Marcus Cox, App State’s Star RB, has more than 4000 career rushing yards, and is a tough player, to be sure. But, he’s the one guy who can really hurt Miami. And you better believe that Miami will be keyed up to stop him.

Today’s game is about more than just beating a decent opponent. Today’s game is about exorcising the demons of the recent past that have haunted this program and stolen our swagger.

Every time anybody brings up Miami, it’s a short wait until the “yeah, but, last time...” or “last year” or “when Al Golden was the coach...” comes up.

That ends today. While Al Golden is gone, the damage done, the PTSD from 5 years of thinking Miami would win only to be let down time and again by underwhelming scheme and performance, lingers in the minds of Canes fans and foes alike. The Ghost of Al Golden lingers on this team, around this program, and it will continue to until Miami gives reason to put that in the past.

Today is a new day. The Canes are a reinvigorated team. And the road forward for both this season and away from the mediocrity of the recent past begins at Noon.

Look out, App State. There’s a storm the likes of which you’ve never seen coming to Boone.

Category 5 watch all day.

Go Canes

A quick look at Saturday’s game between Miami and Appalachian State.

• Miami travels to Boone, NC to play Appalachian State at noon on ESPN this Saturday.
• The Canes are currently favored by just 3.5 points according to Vegas Insider.
• App State expects to have a record crowd on Saturday, with Miami’s visit clearly ranking as one of the biggest home games in school history.
• Senior RB Marcus Cox scored three touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers to a 31-7 win over Old Dominion yesterday. App State led Tennessee for most of the night in Week 1, but lost in overtime in Knoxville.
• Miami beat FAU 38-10 last night and dominated FAMU 70-3 in Week 1. Mark Walton has five rushing touchdowns for the Canes this season.
• Miami struggled on the road during Al Golden’s tenure. This Saturday in Boone is the first road game of the Mark Richt era.
• App State will be a popular upset pick this week in the media, but I'm confident in a bounce back performance from Brad Kaaya to lead the Canes to a win.

 ***If you thought the Canes' defense was in bad shape physically, it has gotten worse. The Palm Beach Post reported Thursday that starting cornerback Adrian Colbert, a graduate transfer from Texas, tore the meniscus in his knee Wednesday "and could miss multiple weeks," and that defensive tackle Courtel Jenkins, who we knew wouldn't be playing, had surgery for a torn meniscus. Colbert had an interception that he ran back 46 yards to the FAMU 40 -- the second of his career -- in the opener. UM scored five plays later. Until now, all the injuries and/or dismissals had been among the D-line and linebackers. Sophomore Sheldrick Redwine is the player expected to replace Colbert, with other young corners available, such as Michael Jackson, the speedy Malek Young, Ryan Mayes and Terrance Henley.

   On Thursday night, coach Mark Richt confirmed to Ariz, on behalf of the Herald, and other reporters at a community park in Pembroke Pines, that both Jenkins and Colbert had medical procedures. When Ariz asked Richt about the report of Colbert "dealing with a knee issue," Richt said, "Yeah, he won't play for sure this week. Not a season-ending thing. It'll probably be a matter of days. I don't know how many days.''

Ariz: "Did he have to have a procedure?"

Richt: "Yeah, he got cleaned up.''

Ariz: "Same thing with Courtel?"

Richt: "Yeah, same thing.'' 

Then, Richt said: "Football is a contact sport... Neither one of these are too serious.''

*** Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was dismissed from UM along with linebacker Jermaine Grace for what UM said was a violation of NCAA rules in relation to a Miami Beach luxury rental car company, has surfaced at Hampton University -- an FCS school. 

Muhammad posted on Instagram a photo of a Hampton University football helmet but wrote about his former Canes.

"Sorry for the wait...'' he wrote. "...I lost a lot off people in the past couple weeks family love ones close ones friends people that I would have never thought in a million years would have turned there back on me but it is what it is guess what God and football not going anywhere every play I make I'm throwing up the U for them 305 boys S/O 2016 cane players. #AQM #8 #ALWAYSACANE #305 #973 #RichtEra.''

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

A supremely talented 2019 recruit, Diamante Howard has committed to the University of Miami

With Canes Camp in the rear view mirror, and the season opener vs FAMU just 6 short days away, the Miami Hurricanes released the first depth chart of the 2016 season.

It’s game week, friends! And with that comes something we haven’t seen since (maybe) week 6 of the 2015 season: a depth chart for the Miami Hurricanes. Here it is:

Some thoughts:

• BACK TO THE 4-3 DEFENSE!!! YAAAAAAASSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
• Brad Kaaya starting at QB. Duh.
• Malik Rosier as QB2. I didn’t think he’d hold onto that spot for this season, but apparently he’s done just that. Good for him in apparently winning that battle.
• Mark Walton starting at RB is how things should be. He’s the best back on the team, and Yearby/Edwards can round out the rotation as a starting-level duo as the co-#2 RB
• Coley, Berrios, and Richards or Harris is a nice starting WR group. If you include both Richards AND Harris, that’s a nice top 4.
• Christopher Herndon starting at TE, but I think he’ll be 1A to David Njoku’s 1B. Plus, Njoku can play in the slot as a matchup nightmare, so that’ll be fun. And, we’ll see plenty of 2 TE sets, I’m sure.
• Starting OL of Darling-McDermott-Linder-Isidora-Odogwu is the best group. Still interested to see how they’ve progressed from last year, which was abjectly terrible.
• That starting DL of Chad Thomas-Kendrick Norton-RJ McIntosh-Trent Harris is going to be good.
• I’m excited to see Joseph Jackson, the most underrated player relative to his talent in the last recruiting class, as the backup VIPER. He’ll flash at times this year, and that should be a preview of things to come.
• The starters at LB are the entire 2016 recruiting class at LB: Zach McCloud (my personal favorite of that group), Shaq Quarterman, and Michael Pinckney. The future is now. Let’s ride.
• Colbert-Jenkins-Carter-Elder is a solid group of starters at DB. The depth isn’t there yet, but the top of the rotation should be very good.
• Not pictured, but specialists are set with Vogel and Badgley, arguably the best individuals at their position in the ACC, and easily the best duo of kickers in the conference.
• Gerald Willis III, previously reported to be suspended for the opener, and Sam Bruce, potentially up for suspension (that hasn’t been announced yet), are absent from the depth chart.

That’s it. I’m ready to beat the daylights out of FAMU already.

Go Canes!