Miami-Fla Hurricannes

Head Coach

Randy Shannon	2nd year
07-08	5-7
ACC	2-6
FCR	78

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Randy Shannon led the Hurricanes to a 5-7 mark in his 1st season at the helm, he’s get the first year break but rest assured the fans will not have the same amount of patience this fall. Miami has numerous holes to fill as they must replace seven starters on both sides, but they’ve recruited well the past two years and you can expect a number of the incoming freshman to be in pads when the season begins.

Quarterback - Whomever is under center when the season starts the one thing certain will be that it’ll be his first collegiate snap. It will be a battle between redshirt freshman Robert Marve and true freshman Jacory Harris, they both played this spring and Shannon claims the battle will continue at the fall camp. Marve appears to be the front runner; he’s not big but has a live arm, quick feet and showed the poise of a veteran this spring. Harris is the bigger body but needs to fill out and gain some weight, but that said the coaches were pleased with his performance this spring and his potential.

Running Backs - The Canes’ are in excellent shape at running back with junior Javarris James and sophomore Graig James. James’ production slipped last year due in part to injuries as he rushed for only 582 yards compared to the 802 he gained as a freshman, but this gave Cooper the chance to contribute and he responded with a team leading 682 yards and 4 TD’s. James is the better of the two inside while Cooper gets to the second level quickly, both showed this spring that’ll be ready and Miami has the best 1-2 attack in the ACC in James and Cooper. Looking to upgrade the fullback position the Hurricanes have brought in JUCO Patrick Hill, he’ll be used primarily as a blocker.

Receivers - On the outside the are led by junior wide receiver Sam Shields, he has 4.24 speed, he’s a great athlete but has yet to put it together. Last year he caught just 27 passes for 346 yards and three TD’s, Shields needs to be a much bigger contributor this fall. Senior Khalil Jones will also start on the outside and look for true freshman Aldarius Johnson to be in the mix. At tight end a pair of juniors Richard Gordon and Dedrick Epps will both see action.

Offensive Line - The O-Line returns two starters but has the pieces to fill in the holes and this should be a strong unit when the season begins. Returning will both tackles, on the left junior Jason Fox and at right tackle senior Reggie Youngblood, and at center transfer Xavier Shannon will be immediately eligible and will start. The two new starters will be sophomores at the guards, with Orlando Franklin on the left side and on the right Joel Figueroa; they’re both extremely big and look for a big upgrade in the running game at Miami.

Defensive Line - Only one starter returns upfront but in senior defensive end Eric Moncur the Canes’ have a player to build around he had 6 sacks last year and he explodes of the edge. On the opposite side will be sophomore Allen Bailey, he was at linebacker but his size is more suitable upfront and if his spring is an indication he’ll put up solid numbers. Starting at the defensive tackles will be seniors Antonio Dixon and Dwayne Hendricks, Dixon has a ton of talent and needs to make better use of his size and athletic ability.

Linebackers - Returning on the strongside will be junior Colin McCarthy, he is the teams leading returning tackler with 74, he’s got good size and covers the entire field. On the weakside will be senior Glenn Cook, he missed last season but was a starter in 06’ and in the middle is junior Darryl Sharpton, who had 57 tackles last year despite not starting. A couple of true freshman, Arthur Brown and Sean Spense will be in the rotation very quickly, don’t be surprised to see Spence will his size and speed move to safety.

Defensive Backs - Both corners return in senior Bruce Johnson and sophomore DeMarcus Van Dyke, both possess good ball skills but could improve their pass coverage. At safety look for a pair of seniors in Lovon Ponder and Anthony Reddick, Ponder excels against the run and Reddick has battled injuries throughout his career but if healthy could be the units’ leader.

Special Teams - placekicker punter Sophomore Matt Bosher appears set to handle both kicking jobs for the Canes’ this fall, he averaged 40.2 yards on his punts a year ago and has good leg strength, incoming freshman Jake Wieclaw will be his competition. The returns will be in the hands of sophomore Graig James and junior Ryan Hill, with the overall team speed that Miami possess this should be an area of strength but wasn’t last season.

Schedule - Only six home games and Weeks 2&3 will see the playing at Florida and Texas A&M, and they close the season with two road dates. They avoid Clemson and get North Carolina, Wake and Va Tech at home and if they expect to play for the ACC title they’ll need to defend their home turf. Too many starters to replace, but lots of young talent, they’ll get over .500 and will contend next year, look for 8+ wins this fall.