Take my advice: This is going to be one wild ride!
Another National Signing Day (NSD) is just around the corner and just like the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games every few years you never know quite what to expect. However, we can be almost certain that head games, hat games, misdirection plays, double switches and some dirty dealing and double crossing are definitely on the agenda.
The only thing that is clear is that at some designated time in the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 6 the NCAAwill declare NSD open for business at college campuses all around the Nation with what basically amounts to a loud proclamation of: "Let the Games begin!"
Fax machines will begin to whir as they spring to life with what is the life blood of any college football team: A National Letter of Intent (NOI) from high school seniors and JUCO players across the Country.
Both coaches and fans alike will alternately cheer and curse as the news of who signs where comes out in rapid-fire succession as each NOI is received and formally approved by the compliance departments at each school. Spontaneous celebrations of joy will break out and a few cell phones will be smashed in mad desperation about the one that got away.
To follow the fast-paced action, of course you can tune into Canespace as our recruiting gurus will be on hand all day to report each official "Welcome to The U!" as it is announced. In addition, we strongly encourage Hurricane fans to check out these exciting options that the University of Miami athletic department is offering Hurricane fans on NSD 2013:
Both HurricaneSports.com and ESPN3 will provide live Signing Day Coverage of the Miami Hurricanes footballprogram. The Voice of the Miami Hurricanes, Joe Zagacki, and color analyst Don Bailey Jr. will host a live Signing Day show from 8:30-10 a.m. on HurricaneSports.comas NLIs begin rolling in on Wed., Feb. 6. ESPN3 will then pick up national coverage from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Joe Z and DBJ will interview head coach Al Goldenand the Hurricanes assistant coaches in addition to Miami’s early enrollees and some of its current stars. As Miami receives each NLI, HurricaneSports.com will have video highlights, recruiting rankings and assistant coaches on camera to talk about the Hurricanes’ Class of 2013 additions.
Coach Golden will address the media for National Signing Day press conference at 4 p.m., followed by the Hurricanes’ Fan Signing Day Party from 5-7 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings in Sunset Place.
However you choose to spend your National Signing Day we recommend that you buckle up tight. It is sure to be one wild and crazy ride all day long.
Fear The Spear! That is what we always hear from the FSU faithful.
Oh yes, we are certain that it is a very proud and popular saying all around the Florida State campus in Tallahassee. That flaming, well you know, spear thing that they always like to throw around.
But probably not so much in South Florida. At least not so much anymore.
Which is exactly why University of Miami head coach Jim Larranaga and his men's basketball team sent a brief and personal message to the FSU team:
Take your spear, flaming and all, and just stuff it!
Your Miami Hurricanes confiscated and then destroyed any remaining and flaming spears that the formerly mighty Noles may have had left after losing their best recruiter and offensive coordinator James Coley to the UM football team and Hurricane head coach Al Golden just last week.
Trey McKinney Jones scored 15 points Sunday for the Miami Hurricanes, and the Atlantic Coast Conference leaders won their seventh game in a row by beating Florida State, 71-47.
The blowout victory before a capacity crowd was the second in a row for the 25th-ranked Hurricanes, ensuring a significant jump in Monday's poll. They drubbed No. 1 Duke on Wednesday.
Miami (15-3, 6-0) is off to its best start in the conference, alone atop the standings, and is 9-0 at home. Florida State (11-8, 3-3) fell to 0-3 this season against ranked teams.
The Seminoles endured repeated long scoring droughts against Miami's man-to-man defense and shot a season-low 31 percent, the fourth time in the past five games they've been under 42 percent. Their starters went 7 for 26 and totaled 19 points.
Miami has not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field this season. Michael Snaer went 2 for 5 and was held to four points, 10.5 below his average. The Seminoles went 3 for 17 from 3-point range.
McKinney Jones had three 3-pointers for the Hurricanes, who went 8 for 22 from beyond the arc. Durand Scott and Kenny Kadji scored 11 points apiece, and Shane Larkin had eight points, nine rebounds and six assists. The Hurricanes had a 44-32 rebounding edge and outscored the Seminoles 15-2 on second-chance points.
Tonight's Game News and Notes:
The attendance for tonight's game was 7,972. This is the first time in program history that there have been back-to-back sellouts at the BankUnited Center.
The starters for Miami were Shane Larkin, Durand Scott, Trey McKinney Jones, Kenny Kadji and Julian Gamble.
Miami starts conference play 6-0 for the first time in school history, dating back to the 1991-92 season when UM joined the BIG EAST Conference.
UM is on a seven-game winning streak for the first time since the Canes won eight-straight in 2009-10. That season UM went on to a 15-1 record to start the season before dropping four-straight ACC games.
Miami held Florida State to 47 points. This is the fifth time this season that Miami has held opponents to 50 or fewer points, most recently on Jan. 13, 2013 against Maryland (47).
The Canes held FSU's shooting to 30.8 percent from the field. The Canes have held 30 opponents to less than 41 percent from the field under Coach Larranaga, including 14 of 18 this season.
I began playing youth football at age eight as a defensive end and punter. I then became the youth team's starting quarterback at age nine, and completed my first competitive pass for a long touchdown. I went on to win several punt, pass, and kick competitions mainly on his passing ability.
A three-sport star at John H. Pitman High School in CA, I passed up a promising baseball career as a pitcher in order to play football. I was nominated for all-state in football, basketball, and baseball in my senior year. I was the MVP of the Central California Conference in football leading my school to its first-ever playoff victory.
In basketball I was a first-team all CCC selection at forward and led my 16th-ranked team to a near upset of the Number 1-ranked Oak Ridge Trojans in the opening round of playoffs. In that game I scored 34 points, although that was not enough as Ryan Anderson scored 50 to best the Pride.
College Recruitment
I achieved most of my accolades in high school as a baseball pitcher and received several scholarship offers in that sport, yet I desperately wanted to play football in college. I was almost 6' 5" as a senior, but he only weighed 170 pounds and my coaches generally kept me from running the ball to limit my risk of injury. I also had poor throwing mechanics, despite my strong arm.
During my junior year, Pitman's head coach at the time, Larry Nigro, made a highlight tape which my brother, Kyle, copied to DVD and then sent to about one hundred Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
I received some interest but no offers for scholarship.
Even as a senior, I received little attention from FBS schools. Although the Wolf Pack coaching staff frequently watched video of my high school team, no one from Nevada's staff came to CA to see me play during my senior football season. Wolf Pack head coach, Chris Ault, decided to offer me a scholarship after one of his assistants, Barry Sacks, saw me dominate a high school basketball game on an evening I was suffering from a fever of 102 °F.
Nevada was the only school that offered me a football scholarship, but was concerned that I would opt for baseball until I signed in February 2006.
I am now a starting QB in the NFL(U) which goes to show once again that you can't always trust the college recruiting process after all. Now can U?
This is a public service announcement to all college football coaches.
Here is an emergency warning: Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.
There is a frightening scenario coming to a town near you and very soon. The three-headed monster that now inhabits Coral Gables will definitely destroy you and your team before you can react.
These men are not just college coaches, they are the best of the best when it comes to recruiting. Everyone who knows college football acknowledges this. All of the other college coaches around them fear this.
So here we go with one of the best of the best:
James Coley, who served the last three seasons as offensive coordinator at Florida State, is in his first season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Hurricanes. He joined Al Golden's staff on Jan. 24, 2013.
Coley spent the previous five seasons in Tallahassee on Jimbo Fisher’s staff – all five as tight ends coach and the last three as the offensive coordinator.
As the recruiting coordinator at Florida State in 2008 and 2009, he was instrumental in the Seminoles landing back-to-back Top 10 signing classes and was also named the ACC’s top recruiter in 2010 by ESPN.com.
He spent two seasons as an offensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban. While with the Dolphins, Coley worked with running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown when the duo boasted the NFL’s seventh-best rushing attack.
Coley’s college coaching career began as a graduate assistant at LSU on offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher’s staff in 2003 and 2004. The Tigers won the 2003 National Championship and played in the 2004 Capital One Bowl.
Coley spent six years as a high school football coach in Miami from 1997-2002, first as quarterbacks coach from 1997-99 at Miami Senior HS, where he worked with former Hurricanes stars and current NFL standouts Andre Johnson and Roscoe Parrish.
When the bully comes to town, and constantly beats you down, eventually U have to fight back. The mighty Duke basketball team has been the ACC's big bully for a long, long time.
But on Wednesday night, Miami finally decided to fight back and gave the bully a taste of its own medicine. The Hurricanes opened one man-sized can of whoop ass and in a epic beat down of major proportions just totally trashed Duke by 27 points: Miami 90, Duke 63.
With a steady roar coming from the sea of orange and green behind the visitors' basket, No. 1-ranked Duke had a tough time making a shot.
The Blue Devils went more than 8 minutes without a field goal in the first half Wednesday night, and a sellout became a blowout for No. 25 Miami, which delighted a boisterous crowd with a 90-63 victory.
The defeat was the third-worst ever for a No. 1 team, and Duke's worst in nearly five years.
Durand Scott scored a season-high 25 points for the Hurricanes, and Kenny Kadji added a season-high 22. Shane Larkin had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Durham, N.C. native Julian Gamble had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Miami (14-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat a No. 1 team for the first time, taking control with a stunning 25-1 run midway through the opening half. The Blue Devils missed 13 consecutive shots despite numerous good looks, while four Hurricanes hit 3-pointers during the run that transformed a 14-13 deficit into a 38-15 lead.
The bottom line is that on Wednesday night, the #25 ranked University of Miami men's basketball team completely dominated #1 ranked Duke.
When your University of MIami men's basketball team squares off against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils in an ACC college basketball game on Wednesday night in Coral Gables that will almost certainly be as good as it gets.
Maybe an appropriate question to ask is: "Can it get any better than this?"
It is not often that the top-ranked college basketball team in the Nation comes to play at the Bank United Center (BUC) on the lovely, topically landscaped UM campus in sunny South Florida.
And even when they do it is not often that they will face a nationally ranked (#25) University of Miami hoops team that just might beat the devil out of a national power like Duke.
But on Wednesday night, in the crazed atmosphere of a rocking, frolicking BUC, anything can happen and it probably will.
Oh yes, we definitely believe it will. And we have never, ever been wrong.
OK, there was that one time, or maybe ten, but who is counting anyway?
Fraser, who led the Hurricanes to the 1982 and 1985 College World Series titles, coached Miami from 1963-92, amassing a 1,271-438-9 record and ended his career as the third-winningest coach in NCAA history. He was the NCAA Coach of the Year four times while at the helm at ‘The U’.
“Coach Fraser was like a father to me,” University of Miami head baseball coach Jim Morris said. “He was the most influential man in my career and a great friend who I knew I could always rely on. He played such a significant role in the history of college baseball and of this program and we will always be a tribute to him.”
During the early 1970s, Fraser developed a friendship with George Light, which forever changed the face of college baseball. Mark Light Stadium was built and was considered the best college stadium in the country, starting a trend in college baseball facilities that would change the game forever.
“Coach Fraser had a tremendous impact on the baseball program at the University of Miami at a pivotal time in our history,” UM President Donna E. Shalala said. “His love of the sport and the program can still be felt, years after this legendary tenure at ‘The U’.”
Fraser's mastery of marketing the game helped develop the sport into a major player in college athletics. From ESPN covering games in Miami to his "Dinner on the Diamond", from creating the batgirls with “The Sugarcanes” to developing a mascot, The Miami Maniac, Fraser made Mark Light Stadium the premier family entertainment spot in South Florida.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Coach Fraser,” UM Interim AD Blake James said. “The impact he had on our University, on college baseball and on the game itself worldwide is immeasurable. His legacy will live on through the lives of those whom he touched and through the innovations he incorporated into America's pastime.”
Fraser led Miami to 20 consecutive NCAA Regional berths and 12 College World Series appearances. More than 100 of his former players went on to play professionally in Major League Baseball. In 1990, he was named “Coach of the Decade” for the 1980s by Collegiate Baseball. Fraser also enjoyed international success in leading the U.S. National Team to a Silver Medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. He also served as head coach of the first U.S. Olympic baseball team in 1992.
Fraser's uniform No. 1 was officially retired on April 24, 1993, at Mark Light Field. He was a 26-time Coach of the Year and a member of 10 Halls of Fame, including the inaugural class of the College Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame in 2006.
RON FRASER WIZARD FUND
In recognition of his lifetime accomplishments and a distinguished legacy of helping others, the University of Miami has created the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund to honor the Hall of Fame coach with a bronze statue to be placed at Alex Rodriguez Park.
Friends and fans of the man nicknamed can make contributions to the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund by clicking on this link: DONATE TO THE RON FRASER WIZARD FUND. All contributions are tax-deductible.
For more information, contact Rick Remmert, UM's Director of Alumni Programs, at 305-284-9517, or by e-mail at r.remmert@miami.edu.
Last Spring UM football coach Al Golden, perhaps by fate, maybe by divine guidance, but definitely not by chance, had the brilliant idea to take his Miami Hurricane show on the road to Fort Myers for a Spring scrimmage. The idea was to reward some members of the small yet loyal and dedicated UM fan base that lived on the opposite coast with a little taste of the action.
So Golden loaded up his team on several buses and drove a few hours over to the 941 area code for a little display of some orange and green for the Hurricane faithful in Southwest Florida.
And what a great idea it was. A huge crowd turned out to welcome Golden and helmeted warriors for what turned out to be quite the exciting event.
He will not fail.
The scrimmage was played at Bishop Verot high school in Fort Myers. This particular school has a good location, a beautiful campus and a great football field. So it would seem to the casual observer that the decision on where to play the scrimmage was probably just lucky choice, right?
Well, probably not. In fact we don't think so at all.
He will not fail.
You see the opportunity to play a Spring scrimmage could really have been anywhere in South Florida from Fort Pierce south on the East coast and from Bradenton south on the West coast of the State.
Yet somehow Golden and his Hurricanes wound up at Bishop Verot high school. It just so happens that their slogan is "Non-Excidet". So now without using Google, tell me what that means in Latin?
Now, in Part II of this series we will look at other specific areas that we thought were important to the Miami Hurricanes' success and failure in 2012. So, here are some more statistical findings that we thought made an impact.
One of the main areas of contention and complaints against the 2012 Hurricane football team was their inability to get off the field on defense on third down:
Third down conversions allowed: UM allowed a 42% conversion rate on defense on 3rd down which ranked them at #80 in the NCAA. In the ACC, only Duke (83) and GT (86) ranked lower in allowing 3rd down conversions. Miami MUST find a way to get off of the field on third down IF they are to improve their defensive performance and W/L record next season.
Third down conversions achieved: Surprisingly, on offense Miami converted a lower % of third downs (39%)than they allowed on defense (42%). Another 3-5 first downs a game that would increase UM's time of possession and keeps the defense off of the field could make a huge difference in Miami's success in 2013.
One area that I feel was completely overlooked was the critical time of possession. Too many times UM would go three and out and put the vulnerable defense back on the field with little or no rest. The defense often wore down at the end of the first half or in the fourth quarter. Here is what we found:
Time of possession: Miami ranked #119 in time of possession. It is not only how much you score but when you score that matters. And for a team like Miami with a young and at times confused defense, time of possession can be a HUGE factor. Scoring is always good, but scoring with three minutes left in the half is not quite as good as scoring with :30 left in the half. Holding the ball on long, sustained drives, which limits an opposing team's offensive opportunties and gives the UM defense enough rest between series, could go a long way to seeing improvement in game results and game management.
Another area was penalties against Miami that killed drives, destroyed momentum or kept the defense on the field much longer than was necessary:
Penalties: Miami ranked #107 in penalties against in 2012. Nothing kills an offensive drive like a penalty or a sack. In 2010, Miami was one of the most penalized teams in the NCAA. When Al Golden took over for Randy Shannon in 2011 he stated that penalties was one specific area that UM must address and reduce. In 2011 the Hurricanes did make a significant improvement in correcting the the number and type of yellow hankies that were thrown against them. But in 2012 the team reverted to their old careless ways and regressed to 2010 standards. If Miami is to improve their season record this year it is essential that Golden and the entire UM coaching staff demand better execution and fewer penalties in 2013.
It could only be considered great news for Al Golden and Miami Hurricane fans everywhere that three prominent University of Miami football players announced on Monday that they would forgo the opportunity to enter the 2013 NFL(U) draft and return for their final seasons at "The U".
Offensive linemen Brandon Linder and Seantrel Henderson and defensive tackle Curtis Porter all announced that the would be back in a Hurricane uniform for the 2013 season at a press conference specifically held at UM to announce their decision.
UM Head coach Al Golden had this to say about each of the three players:
Golden on Henderson..."I'm really proud of Seantrel. He exhibited patience and self-restraint and approached this business decision with transparency and maturity. Instant gratification and leaving would have been easy for Seantrel; instead, he's accepted the challenge to become the best person and player he can be. Coach Art Kehoe, (Head Strength) Coach Andrew Swasey, Coach Jedd Fisch and I are anxious to assist him and his family achieve all of their goals and develop him into the type of player we all know he can be."
Golden on Linder..."We're blessed to have Brandon returning to our football team. He has clearly grown over the last year and has been a beacon of consistency for our student-athletes during an extraordinarily turbulent time. He's not only the most experienced Miami Hurricane having started 29 games in his career, possessing at 24 consecutive games started streak, but he is a tremendous student and one of our finest leaders. You can see in his demeanor that he has unfinished business on his mind and is excited about returning to Coral Gables for the 2013 season. Brandon will be considered among the best at his position in the ACC, if not the country."
Golden on Porter..."We're excited to have the opportunity to work with Curtis for an entire year. He's had some unfortunate injuries which have encumbered his development over the last couple of years; however, he really came on strong during the last half of the year for us. He exhibited to everyone associated with our program a glimpse of what he can become. Curtis is talented - he's smart, strong, powerful and explosive yet has room for development on and off the field. If he continues to trust his coaches, cultivates his position skills and develops consistency in his daily approach to football, he will undoubtedly develop into the type of player he wants to become."
The decision to return was not considered a surprise to most as it was widely accepted by those in-the-know that if the players made good decisions based on the their current draft status that they would return for their Senior seasons. Apparently each of the players realized that they have the ability and opportunity to improve their draft stock with another year of strength conditioning, player development and technique polishing at Miami.
Yet, some fans still openly asked: "Why hold a presser just to announce that they would return?" It is my opinion that the UM Sports Information office wants to establish consistency in the process for this and coming years. The process and format will look and feel the same regardless whether players decide to stay or leave early. We think that is a very smart idea.
If you only hold a press conference when players are leaving then it becomes pretty obvious about the intent and outcome of the presser don't you think? Also we believe that it is just as important to announce that players are getting good and accurate info on their current draft status and decide to return when it is in their best interests to do so for them individually and their team collectively.
This year's announcements were in stark contrast to last year when several UM players decided to leave early in spite of what appeared to be inaccurate and/or misleading information about their potential draft position based on the alleged promises of an particular local sports agent.
One source indicated to us that a few of the players that left early last year already had at least one foot out the door before they met with UM head coach Al Golden to discuss the issue, gather information from impartial and unbiased NFL draft experts and make a wise decision.
Simply put, that is not very wise. And here is a little fact to prove it: Of the 69 underclassmen that declared early for the NFL draft last year, 25 went un-drafted. But it is not only about the players that go un-drafted it is about those who never reach their maximum draft potential and wind up being selected much lower than some agent in their ear may have projected.
The lower initial signing bonus, less guaranteed money and a shorter term contract is often the result of dropping from a projected first-rounder to a third round pick, or from a third rounder to a sixth round selection. That money is in most cases lost forever and never recouped by the typical NFL player who's average playing career is around 3-5 years.
Which brings us back to the title of our article. It is very refreshing and encouraging to see that many of the players now at UM under Golden's leadership are not only another year older, but much, much wiser as a result of following "The Process".
With that being said, we all want to send our best wishes and a ultra-loud Canespace shout-out of respect to UM student-athletes Brandon Linder, Seantrel Henderson and Curtis Porter for their faith in Al Golden and their commitment to the University of Miami football program.
Another year older, so much wiser, and no regrets.