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UMSHOF Announces New Inductees for 2016

The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2017 inductees for the 49th Annual UMSHoF Induction Banquet this coming Spring.

 

 

The nine members of the Class of 2017 are: football's James Jackson, Jeremy Shockey and Darryl Williams, baseball's Ryan Braun and Dan Davies, basketball Steve Edwards, tennis' Audra Cohen, women's basketball coach Katie Meier and Valeria Tapiana, the first volleyball player ever inducted.

 

 "Once again, I'm pleased to introduce another great class of University of Miami Sports Hall of Famers for 2017", said UMSHoF President Gerard Loisel.   "We invite all Hurricane fans to join us this spring at our induction banquet as we welcome the newest members into the Hall of Fame". This year's class will be formally introduced at halftime of the Miami-North Carolina football game on Saturday, October 15 as part of the "Hall of Fame Game" ceremonies.

 

The 49th Annual UMSHoF Induction Banquet will be held in April 2017; for information please contact the UMSHoF at 305-284-2775.

 

 

The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization founded in 1966 by eight Dade County Circuit Court judges, all Miami alumni, who wanted to establish an organization that would recognize those student-athletes, coaches and administrators who excelled at their sport and brought acclaim to the University through their achievements and championships. With the addition of the Class of 2017, only 309 honorees have been inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

Ryan Braun                    Baseball                2003-2005

 

A two-time All American (2003 & 2005), Braun made an instant impact when he came to Miami in 2003 leading the team in batting average (.364) home runs (17) and runs batted in (76) and was named the National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America.  As a junior for UMSHoF member Coach Jim Morris' Hurricanes, he hit .396 with 18 home runs, 76 RBI's, 23 stolen bases, was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as college baseball's top player and was named the 2005 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year.  A 1st round draft pick (5th overall) of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2005 MLB Draft, Ryan was named the National League's Rookie of the year (2007) and  Most Valuable Player in 2011.

 

Audra Cohen                  Tennis                2005-2007

 

Cohen garnered four All American honors in her two years at Miami, being named as both a singles and doubles honoree in both her two years with the Canes.  In 2005-2006, for UMSHoF member Coach Paige Yaroshuk Tews Canes, she went 34-2 in singles winning the International Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Championship and was named the ITA National Player of the Year, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year.  She was ranked the ITA Number 1 College Tennis Player in the United States in both 2005-2006 and 2006-2007.  A three-time finalist for the Honda Sports Award, given to the best female athlete in the U.S. in 12 different sports, Cohen was named the winner for tennis in 2007. (Note- she spent 2004-2005 at Northwestern and was a finalist that year, too)

 

Dan Davies                    Baseball                1983-1986

 

Dan was a crafty left handed pitcher who is third all-time in victories with 41 wins.  He had his best season in 1985 leading UMSHoF member Coach Ron Fraser's Hurricanes to the 1985 National Championship by winning 15 games (including 14 straight) against only 2 losses with a 2.66 earned run average.  In 22 starts that season, second most in school history, he struck out 105 batters in 138 innings and tossed 3 shutout victories.  He led the team in victories, or was tied for the lead, in 1984, 1985 and 1986, helping the Canes to the College World Series each year.

 

Steve Edwards               Basketball            1992-1996

 

One of the most prolific long-range shooters in Miami history, he still ranks second in the record books with 265 career three-point field goals, a mark that is still the BIG EAST conference record.  Edwards, a two-time honoree as "Mr. Basketball" in the state of Florida, was named to the conference All-Freshman team in his first year for UMSHoF member Coach Leonard Hamilton.  Plagued by injuries his whole career, he still led Miami in scoring in three of his four seasons and ranks 13th all-time with 1,393 points and is 10th in career steals.  "Stevie" led the Canes to their first post-season appearance (1994-1995) since the rebirth of the basketball program and back-to-back-winning seasons.

 

 

 James Jackson            Football                1996-2000

 

Though he shared the backfield with UMSHoF members Edgerrin James and Clinton Portis, Jackson was a true workhorse for the Canes, currently the fourth leading rusher in school history with 2,953 yards, just 7 yards behind James for the third spot..  His 541 rushing attempts is the second most by a Hurricane running back and his 29 rushing touchdowns is ranked fourth all time.  His overall total of 32 touchdowns (29 rushing, 3 receiving) is tied for third place.  A second team All-BIG EAST selection in 2000, he led the Canes in rushing yards (1,006), becoming just the 5th Miami rusher to pass 1,00 yards for a season, as the team completed its comeback to national prominence by going 11-1, and finishing #2 in the polls.  Drafted in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft, James spent five seasons in the league.

 

Katie Meier                    Coaching            2005-Present

 

Entering her 12th season at the helm of the Hurricane's women's basketball program, Meier has worked tirelessly to put her mark on Miami's program and to build a winning tradition.  In 2015-2016, she guided the team to its seventh consecutive postseason, a fifth trip to the NCAA tournament in the last six years and a sixth 20-plus win season in the last seven years, all extending program records.  In 2010-2011, she led the Canes to a 26-3 regular season record, 12-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and gained their first ACC regular season co-championship, their first NCAA post season berth since 1992, and Meier was named the ACC Coach of the Year and the Associated Press Co-National Coach of the Year.

 

Jeremy Shockey           Football               2000-2001

 

 A junior college transfer, Shockey became a Miami legend with his first touchdown catch...a 13-yard pass from UMSHoF member Ken Dorsey in the final minute to defeat # 1 Florida State on national television 27-24 to cement Miami's return to national prominence.  That season, he also caught a 44-yard, tackle-breaking touchdown as the Canes beat # 2 Virginia Tech.  In the 2001 National Championship season, he led the team with 45 receptions for 604 yards and 8 touchdowns and was named a first team All American by CNNSI and second team All American by the Associated Press, CBS Sportsline and ABC Sports, and first team All-BIG EAST.  A first round pick (14th overall) by the New York Giants in the 2002 NFL Draft, he spent 10 seasons in the league winning two Super Bowls and being named to four Pro Bowls.

 

 

Valeria Tapiana            Volleyball             2000-2004

 

One of the most honored players in the history of Miami volleyball, Valeria was named the 2002 BIG EAST Player of the Year, as well as a first team all conference player in leading Miami to its first ever NCAA tournament appearance in only the school's second year of competition.  She was named second team All-BIG EAST in 2003, then was named a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member when the Canes made the move to the ACC in 2004.  That  year, she became the first Hurricane player named an American Volleyball Coaches association (AVCA) honorable mention All American.  Tapiana was the first player to pass 1,000 career kills and is still in the Top 3 in career points, kills, service aces, and digs. She becomes the first volleyball player inducted in the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.

 

Darryl Williams              Football                1989-1991        

 

A two-time National Champion (1989,1991), the safety out of Miami's American High School, Darryl was a consensus All American in 1991, so honored by the Associated Press, Kodak and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.  A first team All-BIG EAST selection, as well, he led the secondary with 84 tackles (49 solo), including 18 tackles (10) solo in Miami's 17-16 "Game of the Century" victory over Florida State.  He was a first round draft pick (28th overall) of the Cincinnati Bengals  in the 1992 NFL draft and played 10 years in NFL, being named to the Pro Bowl in 1997.

 

The King Is Gone

Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in professional golf history. He won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955.

Nicknamed "The King", he was one of golf's most popular stars and its most important trailblazer, because he was the first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s.

Palmer's social impact on behalf of golf was perhaps unrivaled among fellow professionals; his humble background and plain-spoken popularity helped change the perception of golf as an elite, upper-class pastime to a more democratic sport accessible to middle and working classes.

Palmer is part of "The Big Three" in golf during the 1960s, along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who are widely credited with popularizing and commercializing the sport around the world.

Palmer's most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major tournament victories, in four seasons.

In 1960, he won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. He built up a wide fan base, often referred to as "Arnie's Army", and in 1967 he became the first man to reach one million dollars in career earnings on the PGA Tour.

By the late 1960s Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had both acquired clear ascendancy in their rivalry, but Palmer won a PGA Tour event every year from 1955 to 1971 inclusive, and in 1971 he enjoyed a revival, winning four events.

Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1967. He played on six Ryder Cup teams: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1973. He was the last playing captain in 1963, and captained the team again in 1975.

Gators Lose As Hurricanes Strengthen

Your Miami Hurricanes spent time during this bye week getting themselves pumped and stronger, rested and recovered and then suddenly restored to their righteous place in the college football rankings.

They also took the time to watch intently and with great pleasure at seeing their arch enemy, the Florida Gators, lose in come-from-behind and humiliating fashion to Tennessee. Thank U very much Rocky Top!

With such parity in college football these days and any team literally capable of beating any other team on the opposite sideline on any given Saturday, it is no wonder why the college football world is in complete and total chaos.

The games from this Saturday show us the following results and impact:

#8 Michigan State lost to #11 Wisconsin

#12 Georgia lost to #23 Mississippi

#17 Arkansas lost to #10 Texas A&M

#19 Florida lost to #14 Tennessee behind Brock Berlin.

Auburn beat #18 LSU as Les Miles seat gets white hot once again.

But wait it gets even better...and seriously you can't make this up:

Duke beat Notre Dame by a Field Goal!

This college football thing never gets old.

Every single week is basically a playoff.

Learn it, live by it or lose by it.

Kicking The Cavs Where It Counts

For the third time in the last five years and fourth time in program history, the University of Miami soccer team defeated a top-three opponent.

Miami (6-4-0, 1-1-0 ACC) knocked off second-ranked Virginia (8-2-0, 1-1-0 ACC) Thursday night at Cobb Stadium, earning a 2-1 victory against a team that has reached the Sweet 16 each of the last 11 seasons.

The Hurricanes’ two leading scorers, forwards Gracie Lachowecki Kristina Fisher, each notched first-half goals to give Miami a lead it would not relinquish. Additionally, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce logged a career-high-tying six saves, as Virginia suffered its first loss to an unranked team in over six years.

“What a great night, coming in here and playing a program that’s [one of the best] in the country,” Miami head coach Mary-Frances said. “We know every game in our conference is going to be a competitive game and anybody can win any game. We just went into it with the same mentality that we had to play our A-game, all over the field, not one person could slack off tonight.”

The Hurricanes found the back of the net first, scoring in the 21st minute on their opening shot of the evening.

Junior forward Ronnie Johnson played a nice ball to Lachowecki and the senior dribbled into the box, cut back and slipped it past Virginia senior goalkeeper Morgan Stearns, low to the near post.

The goal for Lachowecki, a 2015 Second Team All-ACC selection, was the 19th of her career, moving her past Ashley Flinn for sole possession of sixth place on the Hurricanes’ career list.

“We’ve been working on that with Gracie. She gets in, she has the speed,” Monroe said. “We had so many opportunities against Florida State the same way and we really committed ourselves this week to finish those opportunities that we get, and Gracie did it.”

Miami doubled its lead in the 42nd minute after freshman forward Bayleigh Chaviers was taken down in the box to earn a penalty kick for the Hurricanes.

Fisher then calmly stepped to the spot and buried the ball in the back of the net, giving her a team-leading seven goals in her freshman campaign, two of which have come on penalty kicks.

“Bayleigh did a wonderful job of trying to get that ball and fighting for it. She is the one who helped us get that PK, so she did a fantastic job,” Monroe said. “Having ‘Fish’ just step up to take that shot—we didn’t tell people who take the PK. I want to see who’s confident, who gets up there. I think she really needed . . . to score a goal in this game today and that really is going to build her confidence going into the next game.”

Buoyed by four first-half saves from Tullis-Joyce, the Hurricanes took its two-goal edge into the locker room at the break.

The Miami defense held strong until the 86th minute, when Virginia finally got on the board. Senior midfielder Alexis Shaffer sent a superb cross to freshman midfielder Zoe Morse and she finished it to give the Cavaliers their lone goal.

We Got Some NFLU Canes Over Here...

Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) - five catches, 122 yards, 78-yard touchdown

Trailing 10-7 to San Francisco in the second quarter Sunday, the Carolina Panthers needed a spark in a home matchup with the 49ers. Enter Greg Olsen. Quarterback Cam Newton found the Pro Bowl tight end  wide open in the middle of the field, and connected on a career-long 78-yard, go-ahead touchdown to take a 14-7 lead. Olsen, who made five catches for 122 yards, led all tight ends in yardage for Week 2, guiding Carolina to a 46-27 win.

Travis Benjamin (San Diego Chargers) - six catches, 115 yards, two TDs

In need of an explosive option for its offense this past offseason, the San Diego Chargers signed wide receiver Travis Benjamin to a four-year, $24 million contract. Benjamin came through in a big way in Sunday’s 38-14 blowout of Jacksonville, totaling a game-high 115 receiving yards on six catches with two touchdowns. Benjamin pushed San Diego’s early lead to 14-0 with a six-yard TD in the second quarter, and hauled in a 45-yard TD from quarterback Phillip Rivers in the third to help put the game away.

Clive Walford (Oakland Raiders) – six catches, 50 yards, one touchdown

Many experts predicted Oakland Raiders second-year tight end Clive Walford to have a breakout year in 2016. Walford displayed that potential in Sunday’s disappointing 35-28 loss to Atlanta. Walford caught six passes – double his Week 1 total of three – including a 31-yard touchdown from quarterback Derek Carr to open the second-half scoring. Walford, who caught 28 passes for 329 yards in his rookie season, is on pace for a big season with the Raiders.

Andre Johnson (Tennessee Titans) – game-winning 9-yard touchdown

With the game clock ticking down to under 90 seconds in the fourth quarter, the Tennessee Titans turned to their most player for a big play. As he has done on countless occasions through his 14 seasons in the NFL, Andre Johnson came through. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota lofted a pass into double-coverage and Johnson came down with the ball, scoring a nine-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 16-15 win over Detroit. The touchdown reception was the 69th of Johnson’s illustrious career.

Ladarius Gunter (Green Bay Packers) – six tackles, one forced fumble

Making his first career start in the NFL on Sunday Night Football, Green Bay Packers’ second-year defensive back Ladarius Gunter enjoyed an impressive performance in a 17-14 loss to host Minnesota. Gunter totaled a team-high and career-best six tackles (all solo) and also forced a fumble in the second quarter. Gunter, who had just two tackles in his rookie season of 2015, figures to be an impact player in the Green Bay secondary in 2016.

Hurricanes Blow Through Boone

Pregame festivities for what locals had dubbed “The Showdown in Boone” included paratroopers dropping onto the field holding the United States' colors in front of a Kidd Brewer Stadium-record crowd of 34,658.

Running back Mark Walton took the first offensive play from scrimmage 80 yards for a touchdown, and No. 25 Miami used a 21-point first quarter to take early control en route to a 45-10 win over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon.

"I saw him break a tackle and I almost immediately put my hands up like, 'Touchdown,'" Kaaya said of Walton's opening touchdown run. "The red sea just parted and he just hit it."

The victory kept Miami (3-0) undefeated on the season as the team heads into its bye week. Miami outgained the Mountaineers 211-51 in the first quarter, including 114 passing yards on mostly successful bubble screens thrown by junior quarterback Brad Kaaya.

Kaaya finished the afternoon 21-for-27 for 368 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, moving past Miami legends Gino Torretta, Steve Walsh and Vinny Testaverde into a tie for third-most touchdowns in Miami history (49). The performance marked the eighth 300-yard game of his career.

Walton continued his torrid start to the season with his third straight 100-yard performance. The Miami native totaled 130 yards on 16 carries and recorded two touchdowns to bolster his team-leading total to seven through just three games.

Two of senior wide receiver Stacy Coley’s five receptions went for touchdowns, while freshman Ahmmon Richards exploded for 142 yards on four receptions.

Not to be outdone, Miami’s defense largely dominated the Appalachian State offensive attack. The Hurricanes accumulated 12 TFLs and three sacks, paced by a career-high nine from junior defensive lineman Chad Thomas and seven from senior defensive back Corn Elder.

Kaaya found David Njoku from nine yards out to double the Hurricanes lead with 5:46 to go in the first quarter, and connected with Coley on a 55-yard touchdown on the next drive to push Miami's lead to 21-0 before the game’s first 15 minutes had elapsed.

Trailing 24-3 at halftime, Appalachian State (1-2) enjoyed a brief swing of momentum when a fourth-and-goal pass from Kaaya was intercepted and returned 60 yards on the first drive of the third quarter.

But the Hurricanes would respond, as Kaaya led a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The big play came on a 61-yard completion to Ahmmon Richards on a 3rd & 10 play that put Miami inside the Appalachian State 10-yard line.

Junior running back Joseph Yearby scored on a tough run from 12 yards out to cap the drive, putting Miami ahead by three touchdowns halfway through the third quarter.

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Miami at Appalachian State

King Kaaya

Love For Larranaga

The University of Miami men’s basketball team will play a game broadcast on ESPN’s Big Monday and host three teams that played in last season’s NCAA Tournament, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced with its league schedule release Monday.

"The ACC, from top to bottom, is the best basketball conference in the country and will provide our players a tough test every night against the most talented teams in the nation," Head Coach Jim Larrañaga said. "Whether we are at home or on the road, we will need to play at our best because nearly every night we are playing against nationally-ranked opponents."

Miami will play at Virginia on Feb. 20 as part of ESPN’s Big Monday schedule, and will have four other games on ESPN networks: vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 12), at Duke (Jan. 21) and at Louisville (Feb. 11) all on ESPN or EPSN2, and at Virginia Tech (Feb. 27) on ESPN2.

The Hurricanes will also be showcased nationally on CBS twice this season, Jan. 28 against North Carolina and Feb. 25 vs. Duke. Five games will be broadcast on the ACC Network and six will be on regional sports networks.

Hurricanes fans will see six home opponents that played in the 2016 postseason, including three teams that finished in the NCAA Sweet 16 or better, in North Carolina (Runner-up), Notre Dame (Elite Eight) and Duke (Sweet 16). On the road, the Canes will face four teams that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, in Syracuse (Final Four), Virginia (Elite Eight), Duke (Sweet 16) and Pittsburgh (First Round), as well as Florida State and Virginia Tech, both of which were in the NIT.

"We need to defend our home court again this year, just like we did last season," Larrañaga added. "Our fans helped create an electric atmosphere and we are looking forward to having that home court advantage again this year."

Miami opens its ACC slate at home against NC State on Dec. 31 at 4:30 p.m. The Canes then hit the road for a Jan. 4 matchup at Syracuse before returning to Coral Gables, Fla., for a 7 p.m. game against Notre Dame on Jan. 12.

The Hurricanes make a three-game road swing at Pittsburgh (Jan. 14), at Wake Forest (Jan. 18) and finish at Duke (Jan. 21), then come back to The U for a trio of home games. UM starts the stretch against Boston College (Jan. 25), then hosts North Carolina (Jan. 28) and Florida State (Feb. 1).

Miami’s second game against NC State is in Raleigh on Feb. 4, which is followed by the home matchup against Virginia Tech on Feb. 8, the first of two against the Hokies. Three days later, Miami travels to Louisville for a Feb. 11 game at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Canes next host Georgia Tech (Feb. 15) and Clemson (Feb. 18) in Coral Gables before the ESPN Big Monday matchup at Virginia on Feb. 20.

Miami wraps up the home portion of the schedule on Feb. 25 against Duke, then hits the road for the final two games of the regular season, playing at Virginia Tech (Feb. 27) and at Florida State (March 4).

The ACC Tournament will be held at the Barlays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., March 7-11, 2017. Fifteen teams will take to the hardwood for five action-packed days, concluding the day before NCAA Selection Sunday with a battle for the ACC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Some people want to talk about sports on a sports blog.

Some people want to talk about race wars on a sports blog.

Some people are dumb, some are stupid and some are just idiots.

Either way I don't care.

Disrespecting your Country for your own racial agenda is dumb.

Using a private sports blog to talk about racial issues is stupid.

Spewing selfish hatred anywhere at anytime is just plain idiotic.

Either way I don't care.

In the middle of football season some of you dumb, stupid and idiotic people decided you wanted to ruin a good thing on a good sports blog. Well that's fine by me, you now have a three totally FREE choices:

1. Attend the games
2. Tailgate at E5
3. Or just move right along to another site 

Either way I don't care.

So get comfy, then snuggle up with your favorite haters and try to get warm.

It's going to be a long, hard, cold Winter.

Either way I don't care.

I have way better things to do with my time.

I am going to choose to love life and my Miami Hurricanes.

So goodbye Canespace, it has been good to know you.

Miami Beats FAU Unconvincingly

Miami beat FAU 38-10 Saturday in the most unconvincing fashion at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes looked hungover from their FAMU blowout last week.

The beautiful, expensive, newly renovated stadium sprung a serious leak in the East end zone during the brief but heavy downpour in the second half.

And, so did the over-inflated balloon of over-confidence kept aloft by UM fans' over-exuberance (or over-indulgence?) after the rout of the Owls last week.

On a positive note the UM defense absolutely rocked "The Rock" with an aggressive game plan, RB Mark Walton was simply brilliant all night long and the Hurricane special teams once again were very solid if not special.

However, the Miami offense in general was extremely inconsistent and at times looked anemic in what was clearly QB Brad Kaaya's worst game to date as a Hurricane. To be honest the OL didn't help much, but still, it was not good.

Kaaya looked off his game, lost and hurried most of the evening as the FAU defense continuously stacked the box with eight men, played tight, press coverage and virtually asked the UM QB to beat them all by himself.

Kaaya has gone from great (NFL first round pick), to really good (beat FAU convincingly) to just average (confused and inaccurate) in a span of about three weeks. He will definitely need to get his act together rather quickly as one more sub-par performance next week against Appalacian State could suddenly ruin Miami's season in very short order.

Here is what I do know: The teams left on the 2016 schedule don't really care what you as fans of the Miami Hurricanes think "The U" is entitled to.

And from here on forward as the competition gets tougher, Brad Kaaya, and his University of Miami teammates, will have to actually deserve victory.

Yeah, I said it, and convincingly.

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U Must Respect Your Elder

UM cornerback Corn Elder has a special place in Canespace lore and in the hearts of all Miami Hurricanes fans. Here is an excellent article we found at www.hurricanesports.com just confirming what most of us already knew:

Corn Elder is a very special player...

On the gridiron, University of Miami defensive back Corn Elder showcases a strong athletic ability that keeps wide receivers in check on Saturdays. It is that same athletic ability that made Elder into one of Tennessee’s best basketball players coming out of high school in 2013.

“My situation was kind of weird, being recruited for both basketball and football. There was a lot going on,” Elder explained. “A lot of times during my basketball season I was still getting recruited by football teams and I would try and get some visits in during my basketball season, so it was fun. I definitely enjoyed it.”

During his days at The Ensworth School, in Nashville, Tenn., Elder was named both the 2013 boys’ basketball and football player of the year by The Tennessean while leading both teams to state championships.

“I was still contemplating basketball,” Elder recalled. “During signing day, I was still in my [basketball] season and honestly at that time I was leaning towards going to college to play basketball. On signing day, I wasn’t really thinking about playing football, but I was still getting recruited for football, so I ultimately wasn’t sure yet.”

Overall, a very tough decision was placed on Elder’s young shoulders as his final high school basketball season began, having the option to sign with a college football team or wait to respond for basketball.

Even with highly recognized schools in Georgia Tech and Purdue recruiting him to play basketball once his senior season ended, Elder ultimately decided to play football at Miami.

“Growing up I always liked the Hurricanes, so once I got the opportunity to come here and play football, it was obvious because it had been my dream ever since I was a kid,” Elder said.

Despite moving on from his basketball career to play defensive back for Miami, Elder still takes pride in being the best basketball player on the football team. Channeling his high school glory days, Elder often takes to the courts during the offseason, rubbing in his teammates faces on why that statement is the truth.

“I am definitely the best basketball player [on the team] and everybody knows that.”

As Elder begins his senior season with his dream school, he still does not have an answer for what he personally believes is his best sport.

“I’m probably a better football player but I would really have to say it’s a toss-up.”

The Hurricane may never have the answer to that question, although his talents on both the gridiron and court cannot be overlooked by his opponents and spectators.

Entering Saturday’s matchup against FAU, Elder hopes to build upon a successful junior campaign that served as his breakout year. In 2015, he totaled a career-best 41 tackles and two interceptions, while also leading the team with 11 broken up passes.

The 2016 season already opened with a bang against Florida A&M when he sent the 60,703 in attendance into an early frenzy picking off Rattlers quarterback Kenneth Coleman on the opening drive of the game.