Camp Shannon: Day 7

Your Miami Hurricanes go into the 2010 season with three obvious question marks:

1. Will the play of the offensive line improve with several new starters?
2. Who will start at MLB?
3. Who will start at CB opposite Brandon Harris?

Tonight during the first full scrimmage (7 PM / closed to the public and the media) at Cobb Stadium those will be the positions under the most scrutiny when the lights come on and the player evaluation process really begins for head coach Randy Shannon and each of the position coaches.

Jorge Milian at The Palm Beach Post recently spoke to OL Coach Jeff Stoutland about his group of players.  After Spring practice and over the Summer Coach Stoutland began an evaluation of the offensive lineman on the UM roster.  It was then, in an effort to get his best five players on the field, that he decided to move RG Joel Figeroa to RT.

It is a move that has gone over very well this Fall.  Milian quoted Stoutland as saying:

“I watched Fig for four years. He’s such an athlete. We all know he’s explosive and we all know he’s very physical. But he’s such a tremendous athlete. I just felt like, let’s give this kid a chance. Let’s see what he can do. This was the first time to really see him (at RT) and I got to tell you, we’re all really happy right now. Very happy.”

There has been a great deal of shuffling along Miami's revamped offensive line.  The main concern for Stoutland and other UM coaches was getting all five of the starting offensive linemen familiar with each other, communicating effectively and playing together as a unit before Fall practice ends.

In case you haven't kept up with all of the changes UM has moved not only Figueroa but also Orlando Franklin from guard to tackle on the left side of the offensive line.  Brandon Washington (seen at R above) switched from left guard to right guard while Harland Gunn has moved to left guard next to Franklin.

Center Tyler Horn replaces last year's starter A.J. Trump (seen below with Javaris James at the 2009 East-West Shrine game) and will be starting his first game at Miami when the Hurricanes open the season at home against FAMU.

At middle linebacker, converted RB Kylan Robinson is penciled in as the starter for Miami going into the 2010 season.  However, some expect that SLB Colin McCarthy may eventually move to the middle or that one of the young but impressive Freshmen like Kevin Nelson or Kelvin Cain may take that spot later in the season.  Tonight's scrimmage will be very important for Robinson to show what he can do and possibly help him solidify his spot in the starting lineup.

At cornerback, DeMarcus Van Dyke is projected as the starter over Brandon McGhee and Ryan Hill.  DVD had an impressive Freshman season when he was a starter but has faded over the last two seasons and was beaten out by the speedy Sam Shields last year.  Shields has moved on to the NFLU and is now playing for the Green Bay Packers.  He was last seen doing the Lambeau Leap during a Packers' scrimmage after returning an interception 97 yards for a touchdown.

Van Dyke needs to continue to work on improving his ball skills and play with more physical toughness in run support to secure the starting CB spot opposite budding super-star Brandon Harris. 

Tonight's scrimmage may answer some questions about DVD and his role on the 2010 Hurricane squad.

Comments

[SOUP]

FOLLOW THE SCRIMMAGE LIVE HERE:

http://twitter.com/hurricanesports

[MDCane]

Season must be close!

[SOUP]

At any rate, my partner Esteban (also a Canespacer) and I will be hosting a first of its kind weekly blog Internet radio show by and for Canes fans called Hurricane Alley every Sunday at 6 PM starting August 15th.

We will be covering all things Miami Hurricanes Football from game day to recruiting each and every week, and you will be able to call in and ask questions as well as chat with me, Esteban, and our special guests. Anyone that knows us can vouch for our passion about Miami Football as well as our knowledge of current events and happenings when it comes to Miami football. We plan to bring intelligent conversation, thought, and analysis on ALL THINGS Miami Football. In fact, we already have some nice guest appearances scheduled including Manny Navarro (August 29th) of the Miami Herald and Braden Gall (Sept. 5) of Athlons Magazine.

So please join us on every Sunday at 6 PM for Hurricane Alley @ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ufrsports or http://www.ufrsports.com/

Thanks for your support U-Family! Go Canes!

Bryce aka bg1906
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ufrsports
http://www.ufrsports.com/

Posted by: bg1906 | August 11, 2010 at 05:02 PM

[SOUP]

FROM WWW.HURRICANESPORTS.COM:

Senior wide receiver Leonard Hankerson has been named to the 2010 preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation's top wide receiver by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation.

Hankerson is coming off one of the best seasons by a UM receiver since Andre Johnson in 2002. He led Miami with a career-high 801 receiving yards on a team-high 45 receptions in 2009 and was also the team leader with six receiving touchdowns. Hankerson started 12 of 13 games and was the only Hurricane receiver with a catch in all 13 games. He had a catch of 20 or more yards in 12 of 13 games which included three touchdown grabs of 20-plus yards. His 645 receiving yards in ACC games was the second-most in the league.

The Biletnikoff award is presented annually to the nation's top college receiver and is named after Fred Biletnikoff, a standout receiver at Florida State in the 1960s and a Super Bowl MVP for the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s.

[411]

Live scrimage update from Hurricane Sports .com :

–Freshman Devont’a Davis blocked a punt.

–RB Mike James has two touchdowns

–NFL scouts in attendance include reps from the Packers, Colts, Lions, Seahawks, Falcons, Cardinals and 49ers.

Posted by: 411 | August 11, 2010 at 07:45 PM

[411]

Soup: finally found a use for twitter. Info is flowing out of CG nowadays...

[SOUP]

Soup: finally found a use for twitter. Info is flowing out of CG nowadays...

Posted by: 411 | August 11, 2010 at 07:48 PM

Roger that! Credit the "new guy" Chris Freet for that.

[411]

The NCAA is planning to visit with Bryce Brown in Wichita, KS, about "recruiting practices under Kiffin," Arthur Brown said.
From ESPN

[Sebastian]

Question 1. It will be a a big improvement over last year and will continue to get better as the season moves on

Question 2. Kylan will start, by the 2nd half of the Pitt game Kev will be the new starting MLB

Question #3. DVD will start the season there Brandon McGee will finish is there

I guess thats answering them plus extra or maybe not at all

We will be trailing at Pitt and struggling against the run a bit and thats when the new #52 says the MLB is mine

U-31
Pitt-17

U-24
O$U-23

Nation beware

[Sebastian]

Congrats to both bg and Esteban on a job well done

Good job fellows

[DrewZ2]

Lots of big plays all over this scrimmage by everyone

Clements and Storm both have big returns
Spence has a sack
Jacory to Hank for 49yrds
M James has 2 TDs
2 Three and Outs

[Old Skool]

Gallagos very interesting info regarding Wilder. Thanks

[Six]

Cav - it could be the depth .... and it also could be grade related as well

Let's say that the word around here is that Wilder may be basically a JUCO type guy - meaning, his grades aren't exactly up to snuff

I like the kid, really really like him. He's a beast of a runner, relentless and will not go down without a tremendous fight

But, if he doesn't have the grades, then he's only hurting himself from being a Cane

I don't think it's a character issue at all. He's very "yes sir, no sir" type of kid

[Six]

Here's some interesting other notes as well ...

- I was off today, but, our main sports anchor & other sports reporter rolled up to Gainesville yesterday for the Crocs media day type gimmick

- They have one of the worst attentions to detail of any school I've heard or participated with

- Urban Meyer was over 45 minutes late from when he was scheduled to speak

- They didn't bring out the main players that were requested until 35 minutes later ... with only 5 minutes to ask them questions

- Matt Patchan once again is injured, I believe it's a bone in his foot

I remember going up to their NFL Pro Scout Day last year and then bringing Tebow out there for everyone to see, basically an hour late, wayyyyy after everyone else was done with their workouts

Even if people didn't like Mark Pray and Lonzo too well, at least they were pretty good in getting players/coaches to their press conferences on time

[Six]

Also, Phillip Ely, QB for Plant, gave his verbal to Alabama

So, that's 2 Plant QBs that gave their verbal to Bama .... Marve and now Ely

[SOUP]

U-31
Pitt-17

U-24
O$U-23

Posted by: Sebastian57 | August 11, 2010 at 08:07 PM

To The Vault U go!

[Sebastian]

Six
Did that leaving from 1 HS to go to Plant have any kind of effect on anything?

Im guessing all the grades would carry over and that wouldnt be a problem

I cant see his pops letting him become a character problem

JW Sr looks like he can still bring some thunder

[Sebastian]

Im becoming more convinced that he will be playing twixt the hedges next year

Ive read and heard all over the 813/727 that its F$U and FU to fight over him

I say UGA

With never a passing thought of Miami

[SuperCooper]

Reading the updates from the scrimmage just makes you even more excited. This team is loaded

[canesteeler]

Soup I got cheap tickets to Pittsburgh! I will be at the Pitt/UM game! Flying home to the Burgh tomorrow for a wedding!

[canesteeler]

If grades hold Wilder back that is a shame because he is wasting his talent. I am amazed Chris carter's son flunked out of OSU after one season!

[JCane]

Interesting blurb, Galagos, regarding Wilder Jr. I had heard months ago that the U was interested in him at RB and FU was looking more on the D side, and that Wilder might be interested in the U as a result. I had figured that the congestion at RB might be an issue, and assumed he'd likely head a different direction as a result. I hadn't heard about the other potential issues that could cause the U to take a pass on him. Interesting, and sad, if so, but prima donnas and head cases we also don't need on this team. Hopefully that's not the case for him.

[Old Skool]

If Patchan was injured it would probably be because he shot himself in the foot.

But seriously, according to AP ... Meyer says Patchan has a hairline fracture in his wrist. Patchan could be out two weeks, the latest in a long list of injuries for the junior. Patchan has missed time because of a knee injury, a concussion and a gunshot wound.

I wonder if there's a hat trick or grand slam of injuries.

[mi@mic@ne]

http://theufootball.com/

[SOUP]

Aldarius Johnson nearly had his third touchdown reception. Caught it but was out of bounds. Having GREAT day.
33 minutes ago via Seesmic for Android

I'm jus sayin...

[SOUP]

Scrimmage #1 is complete. Stay tuned to HurricaneSports.com for exclusive post-scrimmage video with Coach Shannon, plus stats & notes
less than 20 seconds ago via TweetDeck

[SOUP]

Can we score an average of 40 PPG in 2010?

[mi@mic@ne]

with the talent and depth on the field ... the speed is going to shorten the field for the youngins to have some success i think.

[86Cane]

University of Miami Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt is bringing back a former Hurricane and a proven leader to oversee the external relations efforts for the University of Miami Athletics Department.

Current University of Maine Director of Athletics Blake James will leave his post with the Black Bears to join UM as Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs.

"We are very excited to welcome Blake and his wife, Kelly, back to the University of Miami," said Hocutt. "Blake brings tremendous experience and an understanding of our market and community that will position us for continued growth and success. With five-years of experience as a Division I Athletic Director, Blake will be a tremendous addition to our leadership team."

Previously, Blake worked in athletic administration at "The U" from 1998-2001. The 41-year-old will leave UMaine, where he has been AD since July 2005, in early September.

As a part of the `Canes leadership team, James will be responsible for several aspects of athletics operations, including marketing, development, ticket sales and operations. He will also be a member of the Hurricanes' executive administrative staff.

[HersheyCane]

Aight..finally got tweets going to my celly. Who should I follow to get the scoop early? Got Manny, J12, BeastBailey and some others.

Let me know who you guys are following.

Glad nobody got injured tonight! Fumbles were happening but it is the first scrimmage.

C A N E S

[CanesCanesCanes]

I would bet Soup's McCallan that Gallagos post was tounge-in-cheek and not a real article

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Patchan Jr. is rightly snake-bitten for being such a douche, even though he was right about the Cokerites after the sacking of the Orange Bowl.

[86Cane]

Baby J update:

http://www.coltzilla.com/player-profiles/javarris-james/

[86Cane]

even though he was right about the Cokerites after the sacking of the Orange Bowl.

Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | August 11, 2010 at 09:48 PM

Sad, but TRUE.

[PhillyCane]

Hershey.. im following em all.. you gotta flow hurricane sports, chris freet, and dvd as well, also berry, hank, and i know im forgetting some others

[411]

Posted by: HersheyCane | August 11, 2010 at 09:43 PM

You can look at my account and see who I'm following, lots of players, info, etc...

@JDosterUM

[HersheyCane]

Thanks guys^^^^^^

[Drtycane]

..any word on 2011 recruits chikillo and perryman?

..and our latwan anderson?

[Montreal-Cane]

Canes Complete First Scrimmage of Fall Camp

See an exclusive interview after Wednesday's scrimmage with Coach Shannon on theufootball.com

DeMarcus Van Dyke had five tackles in Wednesday night's scrimmage.

Aug. 11, 2010

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Junior quarterback Jacory Harris threw for 106 yards and a touchdown and senior cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke sparked a fired-up defense with five tackles and a pass-break up as the University of Miami football team completed its first scrimmage of fall camp.

Miami worked through roughly a 100-play scrimmage, which for the first time under head coach Randy Shannon featured live special teams in the first scrimmage of the season. After spending the first seven possessions starting from the 35-yard line, the `Canes started series at the 50-yard line before ending the scrimmage with a couple of red-zone possessions.

In a very evenly managed scrimmage for the first one of the fall, the offense managed five touchdowns and senior placekicker Matt Bosher connected on two field goals. Miami's defense forced four punts and three turnovers on downs, an interception and recovered a bobbled hand-off.

Harris hooked up with senior wide-out Leonard Hankerson for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Hankerson, who was just named to the Biletnikoff Watch List, caught two passes for 63 yards on the night, but it was the emergence of players like junior wide receiver Aldarius Johnson, running back Mike James and safety Ray Ray Armstrong who stepped it up in the first scrimmage.

Takin' the Next Step
The 2010 season could be special for several `Canes' players. A few of those players looked like they took that next step in the first scrimmage of the season. Junior wide-out Aldarius Johnson, who missed three games in 2009 with an injury, showed flashes again of why his high school nickname "Glue Hands" is still around. Johnson hauled in three catches for 56 yards, which included a 23-yard scoring strike from sophomore quarterback Alonzo Highsmith, in the `Canes first scrimmage. He nearly had his second TD catch when he caught a 24-yard pass along the right side line, but was forced out by two defenders before he came down in bounds.

Sophomore running back Mike James ran hard and caught a few passes out of the back-field as he eased back into the tailback position. James spent most of his freshman season playing fullback - something he hadn't done much of in high school. In 2010, he will add even more depth to a very deep running back group. James scored the first two touchdowns of Wednesday night's scrimmage. He scored from two yards out on the third drive and again from three yards out on the fourth possession. He carried five times for 17 yards.

Defensively, safety Ray Ray Armstrong, linebackers Ramon Buchanan, Kylan Robinson and defensive tackle Marcus Forston continued to grow into their roles at Miami. Buchanan, who saw increased action at one of the outside linebacker spots after Sean Spence missed some games last season, led the defense with six tackles Wednesday night. Robinson continued to get himself acclimated to the middle linebacker role that he took over during spring ball. Forston, who was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List for top lineman despite only playing in three games last season, looked to be ready to go for 2010. He tallied a couple of sacks and even caught tight end Chase Ford from behind after a 15-yard gain.

A Special Twist
For the first time under head coach Randy Shannon, Miami incorporated live special teams into its first scrimmage. Kicker Matt Bosher handled kickoffs, punts and connected on a couple of PAT's and field goals from 26 yards and 42 yards out. Freshmen Darion Hall, Eduardo Clements and Storm Johnson returned a few kickoffs. Johnson broke loose for a 41-yard return but Clements' 68-yard return was the most impressive of the night. Ramon Buchanan made some big hits on kickoff coverage and true freshman Devont'a Davis blocked the second punt of the scrimmage and Johnson made the recovery.

The Hurricanes have usually waited to the third scrimmage to do some live special teams' work.

Scrimmage Highlights and Stats
- Senior cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke had a pass breakup on third down on first possession
- Big Hits: Adrew Smith on Damien Berry, Ray Ray Armstrong on Chase Ford
- Storm Johnson had a blocked punt recovery, an 11-yard run, 41-yard kickoff return and a big downfield block on Alonzo Highsmith's 23-yard TD run
- The defense opened the scrimmage with two straight three-and-outs
- Mike James carried five times for 17 yards and scored the first two touchdowns of the scrimmage on a 2-yard run and 3-yard run.
- Jacory Harris threw to Aldarius Johnson for a 26-yard gain to the 2-yard line. Johnson later caught a 23-yard TD from Highsmith
- On the fourth series, Lamar Miller ran for first downs on 14 and 10-yard runs and caught a 19-yard swing pass from Highsmith
- Spencer Whipple completed a nice pass to Tommy Streeter for 16-yard gain and a first down
- Pass break-ups: Kelvin Cain, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Jared Campbell, Ryan Hill, Devont'a Davis
- LaRon Byrd caught a pass from Stephen Morris on third-and-long for a 19-yard gain and a first down. Byrd converted another first down on an 11-yard reception from Highsmith
- Luther Robinson, McCarthy, Andrew Smith, Adewale Ojomo, Marcus Forston (2) registered sacks
- Damien Berry had a 13-yard run on fourth-and-one
- Bosher made field goals of 26 and 42 yards
- Eduardo Clements had a 68-yard kick-off return
- Ray Ray Armstrong recorded the only interception of the night
- Chase Ford gained 15 yards after breaking a couple tackles on a pass from Highsmith
- Kendal Thompkins shook defenders on a 14-yard reception and 12-yard reception from Spencer Whipple
- Darion Hall cut against the grain and broke tackles for a 35-yard run
-Quarterback Alonzo Highsmith ended the scrimmage with a 23-yard run for a TD

Passing
Jacory Harris 6-for-10 - 106 yards, 1TD
Alonzo Highsmith 5-of-6 - 76 yards, 1 TD
Spencer Whipple 3-of-12 - 42 yards, 1INT
Stephen Morris 1-of-6 - 19 yards

Rushing
Damien Berry 7 carries for 36 yards
Lamar Miller 3 carries for 27 yards
Mike James 5 carries for 17 yards, 2 TDs

Receiving
Leonard Hankerson 2 catches for 63 yards, 1 TD
Aldarius Johnson 3 catches for 56 yards, 1 TD
LaRon Byrd 2 catches for 30 yards
Kendal Thompkins 2 catches for 26 yards
Lamar Miller 2 catches for 24 yards
Chase Ford 2 catches for 20 yards

Defense
Ramon Buchanan 6 tackles
DeMarcus Van Dyke 5 tackles, 1 PBU
Colin McCarthy 3 tackles, 1 sack
Ray Ray Armstrong 3 tackles, 1 INT
Kacy Rodgers 3 tackles, 1 INT
Micanor Regis 3 tackles

[411]

^^^ I wonder where BH was back there?

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Monty you beat me to it. haha

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Six, yeah I forget about the grades thing all the time with kids. That would make sense why you're saying UGA then. haha

[86Cane]

Nice work Monty!

See U guys on the flip side...

[WindyCane1]

NFL ROLL CALL: At scrimmage are Packers GM Ted Thompson and scouts from Colts, Lions, Seahawks, Falcons, Cardinals (2) and 49ers (2).

A clear sign that the Canes have more talent now in Coral Gables - More NFL scouts at Canes practice and scrimmages than all of UM's pro days over the last three years.

[Hurri']

Mar Millz' getting 9 yards a carry......

O. K.

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

411, he was probably blanketing his man so his number didn't get called too often. But honestly the best news of teh night was the emergence of DVD. He and the DTs are really the defensive key to this season. MLB can be solved, but there's no substitute for a 2nd shutdown CB and stout DTs.

Windy, INDEED. The GM of the damn franchise?? haha He sees how Shannon transformed Sam Shields so he wants to see it at work.

[Hurri']

......and those scouts must be loving a resurrected Marcus Forston.

I am.

[CaneSniper]

Was Spence in there at all?

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Mar Millz' getting 9 yards a carry......

O. K.

Posted by: Hurri' | August 11, 2010 at 11:17 PM

>>>>>

Yeah, I was thinking about that too. I wonder how much Shannon will let him run against FAMU?

[MontrealCane]

Monty you beat me to it. haha

Posted by: Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer | August 11, 2010 at 11:10 PM

Randy said that i was flying around...Lol...