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CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Mark Whipple, who helped Ben Roethlisberger win his first Super Bowl and coached Massachusetts to a Division I-AA (now known as the Championship Subdivision) national championship in 1998, was hired Tuesday as Miami's new offensive coordinator.

 

Whipple, 51, most recently was an offensive assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were in this year's NFC championship game.

 

He accepted the job on Monday, and the hiring process was completed Tuesday morning.

 

His first task will focus on recruiting: Signing day is Feb. 4, meaning Whipple will have about a week to get to know the players Miami is targeting.

 

"Aside from being innovative at his craft, Mark is a tremendous individual who will positively impact our student-athletes on and off the field," Miami coach Randy Shannon said.

 

Whipple replaces Patrick Nix, who was fired after two seasons with the Hurricanes. Miami was 7-6 this past season, falling in the Emerald Bowl to California.

 

His hiring was well-received quickly in the Hurricanes' football circle.

 

" 'The U' is going to be back," Arizona Cardinals running back Edgerrin James -- a former Miami star and a cousin of current Hurricanes running back Javarris James -- said shortly after the announcement in Tampa, Fla., where he was taking part in Super Bowl media day.

 

Nix, after he was fired, said he had had a different philosophy than Shannon.

 

So Shannon spent much of the past month searching for someone he'd be in sync with, and ultimately decided on Whipple, whose reputation in the college game -- albeit at the Championship Subdivision level -- is an impressive one.

 

Miami is returning several of its top offensive players, including quarterback Jacory Harris, both starting running backs, most of the offensive line and its top six receivers.

 

"I feel like we're going to be a great team," Whipple said. "Coach Shannon and I have been on the same page from Day 1. Our goal is to win a national championship. The one thing I haven't done is win one at the I-A level. It's been a goal of mine for a while now. I couldn't think of a better place to work toward that goal than the University of Miami."

 

Whipple was the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterbacks coach from 2004 through 2006, helping to develop Roethlisberger, who was the youngest starting QB to win a Super Bowl four seasons ago, when the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks.

 

He spent 16 years as a head coach at Massachusetts; Brown, his alma mater; and New Haven, going 121-59.

 

 

Whipple's 1998 team at Massachusetts set school records in points scored (524); touchdowns (73); total yards (7,074); passing yards (4,050); completions (306); and first downs (354). He also had record-setting offenses at Brown during four seasons there, as well as at New Haven -- which led the nation by averaging 50.5 points and 588 yards per game in 1992.

 

Whipple has also coached at St. Lawrence and Union in upstate New York, as well as with the USFL's Arizona Wranglers and at New Hampshire.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3863810

i like it.

I always think people with last names that end in "ipple" are awesome.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

man, that would be awesome....

 

let's hope so

  • Author

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

I like our chances next year also if Shannon and company can keep Bryce Brown from jumping ship at the last minute.

 

Jacory Harris as the full time QB

Graig Cooper, Javarris James, Bryce Brown, Lamar Miller all at HB(wow)

Allen Bailey on the D-line

Collin McCarthy coming back to form a very talented LB unit with Sean Spence and Marcus Robinson

Ray Ray Armstrong(who I think will be a starter from day one and an absolute beast) at Safety

Matt Bosher at K/P

 

It isn't what we use to be back in the early 2000's but it's getting close. We just need a go to WR to step up.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

 

It's a good hire, but that's pushing it...

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

I like our chances next year also if Shannon and company can keep Bryce Brown from jumping ship at the last minute.

 

Jacory Harris as the full time QB

Graig Cooper, Javarris James, Bryce Brown, Lamar Miller all at HB(wow)

Allen Bailey on the D-line

Collin McCarthy coming back to form a very talented LB unit with Sean Spence and Marcus Robinson

Ray Ray Armstrong(who I think will be a starter from day one and an absolute beast) at Safety

Matt Bosher at K/P

 

It isn't what we use to be back in the early 2000's but it's getting close. We just need a go to WR to step up.

 

1. Bryce Brown isn't going anywhere

2. Marcus Robinson is a DE, I see our LB core hopefully being McCarthy in the middle, Arthur Brown on the strong and Spence on the weak

3. I really don't want Ray Ray to be a safety here and I don't think he will be. He is too freakin big, he'd make the highlight hits, but with our corners being our biggest weakness we need a guy to back them up and be able to cover, IMO. He'd rather he play TE, DE or LB.

4. Laron Byrd, AJ, and Travis Benjamin were outstanding as true freshman and I am not worried at all about the WR position.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

 

It's a good hire, but that's pushing it...

 

Why? Miami has the best pure talent in the ACC and we know have a great guy to teach the offense to go along with one of the best defensive teachers in the country. We could have beaten Florida last year with a halfway decent OC, Nix was so bleeping horrible.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

 

It's a good hire, but that's pushing it...

 

Why? Miami has the best pure talent in the ACC and we know have a great guy to teach the offense to go along with one of the best defensive teachers in the country. We could have beaten Florida last year with a halfway decent OC, Nix was so bleeping horrible.

 

 

1. It's highly unlikely for a team to win the ACC when you have a new OC and DC, who are just adapting to the new system.

 

2. I'm pretty sure Whipple was never even an OC, just an offensive assistant, so his talent is unproven.

 

3. Cooper and James have not lived up to the hype, and the Canes receiving core is weak.

 

4. Miami's D can't stop the run.

 

5. The Cane's depth needs some work.

 

6. Nix was far from the greatest, but he wasn't THAT bad. I think he got too much of the heat after the last two minutes in the Emerald Bowl.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

 

It's a good hire, but that's pushing it...

 

Why? Miami has the best pure talent in the ACC and we know have a great guy to teach the offense to go along with one of the best defensive teachers in the country. We could have beaten Florida last year with a halfway decent OC, Nix was so bleeping horrible.

 

 

1. It's highly unlikely for a team to win the ACC when you have a new OC and DC, who are just adapting to the new system.

 

2. I'm pretty sure Whipple was never even an OC, just an offensive assistant, so his talent is unproven.

 

3. Cooper and James have not lived up to the hype, and the Canes receiving core is weak.

 

4. Miami's D can't stop the run.

 

5. The Cane's depth needs some work.

 

6. Nix was far from the greatest, but he wasn't THAT bad. I think he got too much of the heat after the last two minutes in the Emerald Bowl.

 

 

Miami has the most pure talent in the ACC.

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

 

It's a good hire, but that's pushing it...

 

Why? Miami has the best pure talent in the ACC and we know have a great guy to teach the offense to go along with one of the best defensive teachers in the country. We could have beaten Florida last year with a halfway decent OC, Nix was so bleeping horrible.

 

 

1. It's highly unlikely for a team to win the ACC when you have a new OC and DC, who are just adapting to the new system.

 

2. I'm pretty sure Whipple was never even an OC, just an offensive assistant, so his talent is unproven.

 

3. Cooper and James have not lived up to the hype, and the Canes receiving core is weak.

 

4. Miami's D can't stop the run.

 

5. The Cane's depth needs some work.

 

6. Nix was far from the greatest, but he wasn't THAT bad. I think he got too much of the heat after the last two minutes in the Emerald Bowl.

 

 

Miami has the most pure talent in the ACC.

 

 

 

 

I don't know about that, but even if they did, so what? Pure talent barely gets a team anywhere. You still need good coaching, good play calling, etc.

  • Author

I love the hire. This guy was considered a brilliant DII head coach who won a National Championship at UMass, probably could have gone to DI but instead goes to the NFL to hone his offensive skills. He is going to be awesome as an OC at Miami and I'm calling it now: Miami will win the ACC next year and if he stays they will win the MNC title in 2010 and return to their rightful state as best team in Florida.

 

I like our chances next year also if Shannon and company can keep Bryce Brown from jumping ship at the last minute.

 

Jacory Harris as the full time QB

Graig Cooper, Javarris James, Bryce Brown, Lamar Miller all at HB(wow)

Allen Bailey on the D-line

Collin McCarthy coming back to form a very talented LB unit with Sean Spence and Marcus Robinson

Ray Ray Armstrong(who I think will be a starter from day one and an absolute beast) at Safety

Matt Bosher at K/P

 

It isn't what we use to be back in the early 2000's but it's getting close. We just need a go to WR to step up.

 

1. Bryce Brown isn't going anywhere

2. Marcus Robinson is a DE, I see our LB core hopefully being McCarthy in the middle, Arthur Brown on the strong and Spence on the weak

3. I really don't want Ray Ray to be a safety here and I don't think he will be. He is too freakin big, he'd make the highlight hits, but with our corners being our biggest weakness we need a guy to back them up and be able to cover, IMO. He'd rather he play TE, DE or LB.

4. Laron Byrd, AJ, and Travis Benjamin were outstanding as true freshman and I am not worried at all about the WR position.

 

I didn't see too many Hurricanes games last year in New Mexico so I wasn't sure if Robinson was a DL or LB and went with what they had on the athletics website.

 

 

Sam Shields and Lance Leggett had solid Freshman years.. If Aldarius or whomever posts 45+ receptions and 600+ recieving yards next year then I will feel good about our WRs untill then I'm in wait and see mode.

To say Miami's receiving core is weak is about as far from reality as you can possibly get. If there is any area at which Miami has depth, it's the receiving core.

 

Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Laron Byrd, Thearon Collier, Leanord Hankerson, Davon Johnson 5 of which are highly touted true freshman who have been making plays.

 

Not to even mention Tommy Streeter.

 

Also keep in mind guys like Aldarius, Streeter, and Davon Johnson have been playing with Jacory for what, 5 years now?

 

 

The receiving core is stacked with play makers, it's the least of my concerns

To say Miami's receiving core is weak is about as far from reality as you can possibly get. If there is any area at which Miami has depth, it's the receiving core.

 

Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Laron Byrd, Thearon Collier, Leanord Hankerson, Davon Johnson 5 of which are highly touted true freshman who have been making plays.

 

Not to even mention Tommy Streeter.

 

Also keep in mind guys like Aldarius, Streeter, and Davon Johnson have been playing with Jacory for what, 5 years now?

 

 

The receiving core is stacked with play makers, it's the least of my concerns

 

 

Miami doesn't have a go-to-guy though. Byrd, Hankerson and D. Johnson practically did nothing last season. Benjamin is only a great playmaker in open space, and A. Johnson and Collier are nothing more than slightly above average players. Point is, is that Miami does not have a dominant receiver that has the ability to consistently make plays, which most good teams have.

To say Miami's receiving core is weak is about as far from reality as you can possibly get. If there is any area at which Miami has depth, it's the receiving core.

 

Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Laron Byrd, Thearon Collier, Leanord Hankerson, Davon Johnson 5 of which are highly touted true freshman who have been making plays.

 

Not to even mention Tommy Streeter.

 

Also keep in mind guys like Aldarius, Streeter, and Davon Johnson have been playing with Jacory for what, 5 years now?

 

 

The receiving core is stacked with play makers, it's the least of my concerns

 

 

Miami doesn't have a go-to-guy though. Byrd, Hankerson and D. Johnson practically did nothing last season. Benjamin is only a great playmaker in open space, and A. Johnson and Collier are nothing more than slightly above average players. Point is, is that Miami does not have a dominant receiver that has the ability to consistently make plays, which most good teams have.

 

You can really make the argument that either Aldarius or Laron Byrd are "go-to-guys". You still have to keep in mind that these kids are TRUE freshmen. The deceptive thing is that the ball was spread around a lot last year, to the point where you have 16-17 TD's between a handful of freshmen. It's not that there's an absence of a playmaker, it's more of an issue of there being more than one.

 

Aldarius is my bet for emerging as THE go-to guy next season. Highly touted 5 start recruit out of high school, ranked in the top 10 at his position in his class... I wouldn't really call him slightly above average. He's got the skill sets and athleticism to be great. I've heard many comparison to Andre Johnson, who he works out with in the off-season. For what it's worth, Andre Johnson didn't have nearly as good a freshman season as Aldarius did.

 

While you can say that consistency may not be there yet...again, they're TRUE freshmen...consistency comes with experience, you can't say that Miami isn't stacked with receiving talent.

To say Miami's receiving core is weak is about as far from reality as you can possibly get. If there is any area at which Miami has depth, it's the receiving core.

 

Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Laron Byrd, Thearon Collier, Leanord Hankerson, Davon Johnson 5 of which are highly touted true freshman who have been making plays.

 

Not to even mention Tommy Streeter.

 

Also keep in mind guys like Aldarius, Streeter, and Davon Johnson have been playing with Jacory for what, 5 years now?

 

 

The receiving core is stacked with play makers, it's the least of my concerns

 

 

Miami doesn't have a go-to-guy though. Byrd, Hankerson and D. Johnson practically did nothing last season. Benjamin is only a great playmaker in open space, and A. Johnson and Collier are nothing more than slightly above average players. Point is, is that Miami does not have a dominant receiver that has the ability to consistently make plays, which most good teams have.

 

You can really make the argument that either Aldarius or Laron Byrd are "go-to-guys". You still have to keep in mind that these kids are TRUE freshmen. The deceptive thing is that the ball was spread around a lot last year, to the point where you have 16-17 TD's between a handful of freshmen. It's not that there's an absence of a playmaker, it's more of an issue of there being more than one.

 

Aldarius is my bet for emerging as THE go-to guy next season. Highly touted 5 start recruit out of high school, ranked in the top 10 at his position in his class... I wouldn't really call him slightly above average. He's got the skill sets and athleticism to be great. I've heard many comparison to Andre Johnson, who he works out with in the off-season. For what it's worth, Andre Johnson didn't have nearly as good a freshman season as Aldarius did.

 

While you can say that consistency may not be there yet...again, they're TRUE freshmen...consistency comes with experience, you can't say that Miami isn't stacked with receiving talent.

 

 

I know they are true freshmen, and I have no doubt that by the time they are juniors and seniors, they will be great players. Miami, however, did not have that much depth for receivers last season, and they may still have a bit of trouble next year.

 

Miami is a very young team, they just need a little bit of time.

  • 1 month later...

To say Miami's receiving core is weak is about as far from reality as you can possibly get. If there is any area at which Miami has depth, it's the receiving core.

 

Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Laron Byrd, Thearon Collier, Leanord Hankerson, Davon Johnson 5 of which are highly touted true freshman who have been making plays.

 

Not to even mention Tommy Streeter.

 

Also keep in mind guys like Aldarius, Streeter, and Davon Johnson have been playing with Jacory for what, 5 years now?

 

 

The receiving core is stacked with play makers, it's the least of my concerns

 

 

Miami doesn't have a go-to-guy though. Byrd, Hankerson and D. Johnson practically did nothing last season. Benjamin is only a great playmaker in open space, and A. Johnson and Collier are nothing more than slightly above average players. Point is, is that Miami does not have a dominant receiver that has the ability to consistently make plays, which most good teams have.

 

You can really make the argument that either Aldarius or Laron Byrd are "go-to-guys". You still have to keep in mind that these kids are TRUE freshmen. The deceptive thing is that the ball was spread around a lot last year, to the point where you have 16-17 TD's between a handful of freshmen. It's not that there's an absence of a playmaker, it's more of an issue of there being more than one.

 

Aldarius is my bet for emerging as THE go-to guy next season. Highly touted 5 start recruit out of high school, ranked in the top 10 at his position in his class... I wouldn't really call him slightly above average. He's got the skill sets and athleticism to be great. I've heard many comparison to Andre Johnson, who he works out with in the off-season. For what it's worth, Andre Johnson didn't have nearly as good a freshman season as Aldarius did.

 

While you can say that consistency may not be there yet...again, they're TRUE freshmen...consistency comes with experience, you can't say that Miami isn't stacked with receiving talent.

 

 

I know they are true freshmen, and I have no doubt that by the time they are juniors and seniors, they will be great players. Miami, however, did not have that much depth for receivers last season, and they may still have a bit of trouble next year.

 

Miami is a very young team, they just need a little bit of time.

 

How can you say LaRon Byrd did nothing last season? I don't really think you've seen enough Miami games last year to have a credible opinion. The guy was a complete beast at times.

 

Kendall Thompkins is having a pretty good spring. Streeter is going to be a beast and a huge red zone threat from everything I've read. Aldarious (Glue Hands) Johnson was at least an above average possession receiver. His catching ability and route running were very unfreshman-like this past season. HE slimmed down a little bit this spring to try to regain some of the quickness he feels he misses from high school.

 

I actually think this wide receiving core will do great under Whipple's new west coast offense. You have a nice variety of receiver types. Byrd and Johnson are your bigger more possession type receivers who can still make a play. You have your YAC guys like D. Johnson, Collier, Thompkins and Benjamin. Hankersons been having some trouble holding on to the ball. But overall WR isn't a problem for us.

 

I actually believe Cooper just isn't what alot of people thought he would be. Although quick and fast twitch, he doesnt have top end speed, and he isn't strong enough to fight through most arm tackles. He gets caught dancing around in space too much.

 

I think if Javarris James stays healthy he can still contribute here. He's a powerful runner, who has great hands for a bigger receiver and is a surprisingly good router playing for a much more receiving friendly offensive scheme for the running backs under Whipple. Lee Chambers showed some signs of light late last season but I don't think hes the future RB here. Lamar Miller was arguably the best running back in Florida last season at Killian. Another big recruit Mike James, has been lighting up the spring practice and its starting to look like hes going to get a lot of playing time come next season. He may have the best hands as a true freshman as well.

 

The O line has been suspect for years now. Our best lineman LT Jason Fox comes back but the rest of the line is going to shuffle around a lot. A lot of kids are going to get PT next season.

 

About the coordinators... Nix was horrible. Period.

 

I like the Levitt signing. There's a good chance their interest in him had something to do with his ability to stop Georgia Tech like he did last year with NC. He supposedly hasn't changed Young's schemes that drastically, just added in a little more variety with blitzes and coverages. A lot of people thought he would come in a run a basic cover 2 but he's actually shown even more variety and deception than Young.

 

Jacory Harris has said the offense is light years ahead of the progress they were making while under Nix at the same time last season. Its a complex offense, so sometimes the offense is learning 40 new plays in one day; but almost all the players are VERY exciting about the way the offense has been run and aren't having major problems remembering the plays during spring.

 

We have a little depth problem concerning the the corner backs and linebackers. It's going to be Arthur Brown and Daryl Sharpton fighting for the middle linebacker position. Spence and Buchanan and Futch weakside. McCarthy and Kylan Robinson strongside. Spence-Brown-McCarthy have potential to be a crazy LB core. Cookie Buchanan is one of our prize possessions from the 2008 draft class. He was switched from safety before spring; should make an impact in 09.

 

At corner, DeMarcus Van Dyke gained some bulk to try and not get bullied around so much and to help on the run. Miami's really relying on DVD to step this year. Brandon Harris has been sick so far already this spring, there's no doubt I think he'll become a stud corner at the U. Chavez Grant has been shaky and the Canes might be forced to giving talented but true freshman Brandon McGee and Jamal Reid a lot of early playing time. Neither of them have a huge amount of corner back experience in high school. But they are oozing with play making ability unlike a lot of the corners we've had here in a while. Ryan Hill and Sam Shields were actually switched to corner this spring. With the good WR depth, his speed, and the way he played on special teams as a gunner last season, Shields may be a cool experiment at corner. The kids also not afraid to hit.

 

The safety situation at the U is actually going to look pretty exciting again. Randy Shannon's been making Ed Reed comparisons about Vaughn Telemaque since he's been here. Shannon plucked him from Carrol's hands in 08 out of Cal Poly. Carrol really wanted this kid and hes going to be a stud free safety here. Randy Phillips is going to give some experience at strong safety and Ray Ray Armstrong could see a lot of time as a freshman, the kids got some ball hawking skills and can really hit.

 

In my opinion or Defensive line is our strong point going into Spring. Allen Bailey's moved over to DT and Marcus Robinson's bulked considerably. Forston and Bailey together in the middle and Ojomo and Robinson on the end is sick. We get our best end from two season ago Moncur, who got a medical redshirt for last season. Wesley also returns, who was more than solid last season. Don't forget about Dyron Dye, the other kid from the Seminole high school team that beat Miami northwestern. (The SS Ray Ray Armstrong was the other).

 

The canes have a pretty exciting future IMO.

 

FSU has alot of players leaving and a lot of holes to fill. All new starting RB, and huge depth problems at WR. They lose all but Watson at linebacker who's hurt and going to miss spring. Bradham has to step up. They lose Everette Brown who was huge. They lose starting corner Robinson and Carter who were a big art of the D in 08. Not to mention Garvin, his special teams play will be missed to.

 

My opinion, Miami looking in better position than Florida State.

To say Miami's receiving core is weak is about as far from reality as you can possibly get. If there is any area at which Miami has depth, it's the receiving core.

 

Aldarius Johnson, Travis Benjamin, Laron Byrd, Thearon Collier, Leanord Hankerson, Davon Johnson 5 of which are highly touted true freshman who have been making plays.

 

Not to even mention Tommy Streeter.

 

Also keep in mind guys like Aldarius, Streeter, and Davon Johnson have been playing with Jacory for what, 5 years now?

 

 

The receiving core is stacked with play makers, it's the least of my concerns

 

 

Miami doesn't have a go-to-guy though. Byrd, Hankerson and D. Johnson practically did nothing last season. Benjamin is only a great playmaker in open space, and A. Johnson and Collier are nothing more than slightly above average players. Point is, is that Miami does not have a dominant receiver that has the ability to consistently make plays, which most good teams have.

 

You can really make the argument that either Aldarius or Laron Byrd are "go-to-guys". You still have to keep in mind that these kids are TRUE freshmen. The deceptive thing is that the ball was spread around a lot last year, to the point where you have 16-17 TD's between a handful of freshmen. It's not that there's an absence of a playmaker, it's more of an issue of there being more than one.

 

Aldarius is my bet for emerging as THE go-to guy next season. Highly touted 5 start recruit out of high school, ranked in the top 10 at his position in his class... I wouldn't really call him slightly above average. He's got the skill sets and athleticism to be great. I've heard many comparison to Andre Johnson, who he works out with in the off-season. For what it's worth, Andre Johnson didn't have nearly as good a freshman season as Aldarius did.

 

While you can say that consistency may not be there yet...again, they're TRUE freshmen...consistency comes with experience, you can't say that Miami isn't stacked with receiving talent.

 

 

I know they are true freshmen, and I have no doubt that by the time they are juniors and seniors, they will be great players. Miami, however, did not have that much depth for receivers last season, and they may still have a bit of trouble next year.

 

Miami is a very young team, they just need a little bit of time.

 

How can you say LaRon Byrd did nothing last season? I don't really think you've seen enough Miami games last year to have a credible opinion. The guy was a complete beast at times.

 

Kendall Thompkins is having a pretty good spring. Streeter is going to be a beast and a huge red zone threat from everything I've read. Aldarious (Glue Hands) Johnson was at least an above average possession receiver. His catching ability and route running were very unfreshman-like this past season. HE slimmed down a little bit this spring to try to regain some of the quickness he feels he misses from high school.

 

I actually think this wide receiving core will do great under Whipple's new west coast offense. You have a nice variety of receiver types. Byrd and Johnson are your bigger more possession type receivers who can still make a play. You have your YAC guys like D. Johnson, Collier, Thompkins and Benjamin. Hankersons been having some trouble holding on to the ball. But overall WR isn't a problem for us.

 

I actually believe Cooper just isn't what alot of people thought he would be. Although quick and fast twitch, he doesnt have top end speed, and he isn't strong enough to fight through most arm tackles. He gets caught dancing around in space too much.

 

I think if Javarris James stays healthy he can still contribute here. He's a powerful runner, who has great hands for a bigger receiver and is a surprisingly good router playing for a much more receiving friendly offensive scheme for the running backs under Whipple. Lee Chambers showed some signs of light late last season but I don't think hes the future RB here. Lamar Miller was arguably the best running back in Florida last season at Killian. Another big recruit Mike James, has been lighting up the spring practice and its starting to look like hes going to get a lot of playing time come next season. He may have the best hands as a true freshman as well.

 

The O line has been suspect for years now. Our best lineman LT Jason Fox comes back but the rest of the line is going to shuffle around a lot. A lot of kids are going to get PT next season.

 

About the coordinators... Nix was horrible. Period.

 

I like the Levitt signing. There's a good chance their interest in him had something to do with his ability to stop Georgia Tech like he did last year with NC. He supposedly hasn't changed Young's schemes that drastically, just added in a little more variety with blitzes and coverages. A lot of people thought he would come in a run a basic cover 2 but he's actually shown even more variety and deception than Young.

 

Jacory Harris has said the offense is light years ahead of the progress they were making while under Nix at the same time last season. Its a complex offense, so sometimes the offense is learning 40 new plays in one day; but almost all the players are VERY exciting about the way the offense has been run and aren't having major problems remembering the plays during spring.

 

We have a little depth problem concerning the the corner backs and linebackers. It's going to be Arthur Brown and Daryl Sharpton fighting for the middle linebacker position. Spence and Buchanan and Futch weakside. McCarthy and Kylan Robinson strongside. Spence-Brown-McCarthy have potential to be a crazy LB core. Cookie Buchanan is one of our prize possessions from the 2008 draft class. He was switched from safety before spring; should make an impact in 09.

 

At corner, DeMarcus Van Dyke gained some bulk to try and not get bullied around so much and to help on the run. Miami's really relying on DVD to step this year. Brandon Harris has been sick so far already this spring, there's no doubt I think he'll become a stud corner at the U. Chavez Grant has been shaky and the Canes might be forced to giving talented but true freshman Brandon McGee and Jamal Reid a lot of early playing time. Neither of them have a huge amount of corner back experience in high school. But they are oozing with play making ability unlike a lot of the corners we've had here in a while. Ryan Hill and Sam Shields were actually switched to corner this spring. With the good WR depth, his speed, and the way he played on special teams as a gunner last season, Shields may be a cool experiment at corner. The kids also not afraid to hit.

 

The safety situation at the U is actually going to look pretty exciting again. Randy Shannon's been making Ed Reed comparisons about Vaughn Telemaque since he's been here. Shannon plucked him from Carrol's hands in 08 out of Cal Poly. Carrol really wanted this kid and hes going to be a stud free safety here. Randy Phillips is going to give some experience at strong safety and Ray Ray Armstrong could see a lot of time as a freshman, the kids got some ball hawking skills and can really hit.

 

In my opinion or Defensive line is our strong point going into Spring. Allen Bailey's moved over to DT and Marcus Robinson's bulked considerably. Forston and Bailey together in the middle and Ojomo and Robinson on the end is sick. We get our best end from two season ago Moncur, who got a medical redshirt for last season. Wesley also returns, who was more than solid last season. Don't forget about Dyron Dye, the other kid from the Seminole high school team that beat Miami northwestern. (The SS Ray Ray Armstrong was the other).

 

The canes have a pretty exciting future IMO.

 

FSU has alot of players leaving and a lot of holes to fill. All new starting RB, and huge depth problems at WR. They lose all but Watson at linebacker who's hurt and going to miss spring. Bradham has to step up. They lose Everette Brown who was huge. They lose starting corner Robinson and Carter who were a big art of the D in 08. Not to mention Garvin, his special teams play will be missed to.

 

My opinion, Miami looking in better position than Florida State.

 

 

I'm not worried about RB at all this year for the Noles. We have a very talented junior RB in Jermaine Thomas and another decent one with Pressley. We also have some good replacements for LB, so my two main concerns going into next season are WR and the secondary, especially after losing Preston Parker. If some of the younger receivers step up though and actually perform well then FSU could easily have one of the best offenses in the ACC, since we didn't lose anyone but Smith or Carr on offense. I expect the O-line to be dominant with all of them coming back, and Ponder will have a year of valuable experience under his belt. Losing EB will hurt, but if our offense is good, that will take a lot of pressure off of the defense. Plus, we also have the best kicker recruit in the country to fill in for Gano.

 

Overall, if we're talking about next season and maybe the season after that, then it's extremely hard to agree with you that Miami will have a better team than FSU. A team that is still relatively young, loses both their OC and DC, has an unproven QB, and has a HC that's under a ton of pressure will struggle without a doubt. If you're talking about a few years from now, then it's a toss-up, because I expect both FSU and Miami to be winning ACC championships soon.

I like the decision as well.

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