Spring Notebook: Canes Have A Need For Speed
Is there anyone out there who wants to go fast?
The premise-setting line from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, almost perfectly sums up the message that Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt had for his team at the conclusion of their sixth spring practice Saturday.
With 40 percent of spring practice in the books, Richt has seen enough of his squad to see where the team needs to head in both the immediate and intermediate futures.
They need to play fast and they need to be fast.
Need For Speed
Richt has been known for bringing in some of the country's fastest football players.
You don't even have to look too far back to see it. Georgia's 2015 roster included two blazing fast players in former Plantation American Heritage return man extraordinaire Isaiah "Joys Stick" McKenzie and running back Keith Marshall, who clocked a 4.31 time at February's NFL Combine.
But now, Richt finds himself looking for someone on the Canes' roster who wants to go fast.
"Part of what my concern is: I don't know if we're challenging [the defensive backs] enough at the wide receiver position with flat-out speed," Richt said. "We gotta get guys that can run. I don't see guys that are just blistering down the field I don't know if [the defensive backs are] getting challenged enough to really to see what reality is."
"One day they're going to get out there in the real game and be like 'whoa, where did he go?', and that's what I'm concerned about. Richt added.
Miami has had its fair share of burners in the past. Santana Moss, Roscoe Parrish, Devin Hester and others etched their names in UM lore by being so fast that they made fast people look not-fast.
UM's current receivers aren't slow by any means, but Richt feels that the group lacks that one player that can "take the top of the defense" with their speed.
Junior wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who reportedly ran a 4.52 time in the 40 coming out of high school, said the receivers have made working on their speed a priority.
"We work on our speed all the time," Berrios said. "That's something that we'll get better on. Everybody can get faster. We can get faster."
Still, Richt said he's concerned about what the dearth of speed is doing – or not doing – for his defensive backs.
"Right now I see them sitting on routes because they're not afraid of anyone running by them – that's what I see," Richt said. "If they keep in the habit of doing that because as an offense we haven't pushed them off enough, then in a game against a team that has true outside speed – it could be a rude awakening."
"We need more guys that can just flat out go at the receiver position," Richt added.
The Canes did sign four receivers on National Signing Day – Sam Bruce, Dionte Mullins, Ahmmon Richards and JUCO signee Dayall Harris – but Richt still wants more speed.
"They'll help us," Richt said of the incoming players. "When they come in, we'll have more speed. But right now, I don't think we have enough to strike fear in anybody. So we have to keep recruiting receivers, getting guys that have explosive speed – guys that can really challenge our defensive guys."
The need for speed extends to the defensive backfield too.
"Everyone in America is looking for fast receivers – so you better be able to run. If not, you better back up. And if you back up too far, they'll to throw it in front of you and you better be able to tackle and play the next down. The goal is to find guys that are long enough to handle receivers with length and fast enough to run enough to run with the fastest guys – and those are hard to find," Richt said.
Young Secondary
The job of coaching up the secondary belongs to a pair of guys.
Richt elected to split the duties of coaching the defensive backs between Ephraim Banda, who's spent three seasons working under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, and Canes alum and former NFL pro Mike Rumph.
Banda handles the safeties while Rumph coaches the cornerbacks.
"Part of it is just how coach Diaz wanted to set his staff," Richt said. "If he wanted one DB's coach and two D-line coaches – then that's what we would've done. I've done it both ways; I've seen it succeed both ways…either way, it gives us two more full-time coaches on defense."
Rumph likes the split duties too.
"It allows me to be really creative and really hands-on with six guys. I don't have a room full of guys, so I can focus in on the task at hand," Rumph said. "We have an idea and a plan for the defense so these kids can play fast. They don't have to do a tremendous amount of thinking and just flying to the ball."
Miami will be relying heavily on senior safeties Jamal Carter and Rayshawn Jenkins and senior cornerback Corn Elder to provide leadership for a group that will have at least two new full-time starters in the defensive backfield.
But it'll be the development of the young players – sophomores Jaquan Johnson, Michael Jackson and Sheldrick Redwine – that'll show where the defensive backfield is headed.
Rumph said that he's seen a lot of good things out of Redwine.
"Sheldrick Redwine has done a good job – being one of my young ones stepping it up. We're all young except Corn Elder. But Sheldrick has shown some playmaking ability – just focusing and coming out with a sense of urgency every day."
Rumph said that Elder and Redwine have gotten a lion's share of the reps with the No. 1 defense. He also said that Jackson and redshirt sophomore Ryan Mayes have been mostly playing with the two's while sophomores Tyler Henley and Taylor Murphy have been with the threes.
"The reps with between the twos and threes change at times based on productivity," Rumph added.
The youth movement will get even greater once the signees join the team in the fall. The class includes three safeties and one cornerback – Coconut Creek's 5-foot-10 cornerback Malek Young.
The number of incoming safeties has Rumph eying one backend defender to convert to a boundary guarder.
"I would love to have Jaquan Johnson at corner," Rumph said with a smile. "He is just so athletic. Right now he's learning the defense. I will work with some of the safeties on some press-coverage techniques, but there are no plans to move anyone around right now."