Miami 2012 Recruiting

Miami Hurricanes 2011 ... Head Coach: Al Golden

Miami Hurricanes

2011 Record: 6-6

Sept. 5 at Maryland L 32-24
Sept. 10 OPEN DATE
Sept. 17 Ohio State W 24-6
Sept. 24 Kansas State L 28-24
Oct. 1 Bethune-Cookman W 45-14
Oct. 8 at Virginia Tech L 38-35
Oct. 15 at North Carolina W 30-24
Oct. 22 Georgia Tech W 24-7
Oct. 27 Virginia L 28-21
Nov. 5 Duke W 49-14
Nov. 12 at Florida State L 23-19
Nov. 19 at South Florida W 6-3
Nov. 26 Boston Coll. L 24-17

2010 CFN Prediction: 9-3
2010 Record: 7-6

Sept. 2 Florida A&M W 45-0
Sept. 11 at Ohio St L 36-24
Sept. 18 OPEN DATE
Sept. 23 at Pitt W 31-3
Oct. 2 at Clemson W 30-21
Oct. 9 Florida State L 45-17
Oct. 16 at Duke W 28-13
Oct. 23 North Carolina W 33-10
Oct. 30 at Virginia L 24-19
Nov. 6 Maryland W 26-20
Nov. 13 at Georgia Tech W 35-10
Nov. 20 Virginia Tech L 31-17
Nov. 27 South Florida L 23-20 OT
Sun Bowl
Dec. 31 Notre Dame L 33-17
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Miami Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. CB Tracy Howard
6-0, 175, Scout.com 4th ranked, five-star cornerback. Howard is an elite cover corner. He has very good feet, his back pedal is very smooth, and he can change direction with the best of them. He is more of a finesse coverage guy at this time and he needs to improve the use of his hands at the line and his ability to play press coverage. He has the ability to play very early on the next level. He is sound fundamentally, he plays hard, and he has the skills to slide right in and play.-

2. RB Duke Johnson
5-9, 188, Scout.com 5th ranked, five-star running back. Johnson runs bigger than his listed 5'9 and 188 pounds. He is blessed with great acceleration, balance and vision. He uses his off hand as a weapon to fend off would-be tacklers as well as any running back in the nation. He can push a defender to the ground with his hand, turn, and accelerate all in one motion. Johnson also has terrific hands, lining up at times as a wide receiver and is a threat out of the backfield.

3. DE Jelani Hamilton
6-5, 245, Scout.com 15th ranked, four-star defensive end.

4. LB Raphael Kirby
6-2, 218, Scout.com 17th ranked, four-star outside linebacker.

5. S Deon Bush
6-1, 185, Scout.com 18th ranked, four-star safety. Bush finished his junior season with 55 tackles, three interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns. Bush can bench 295-pounds, squat 400 and claims a 37-inch vertical jump.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Apparently, someone forgot to tell the excellent Miami recruiting class about the Nevin Shapiro situation. While this might not be a special haul, it’s looking like a strong job done by Al Golden to keep bringing in enough NFL caliber prospects to keep the expectations high. Golden wants to upgrade the passing game, and it shows with a load of receivers coming in of all shapes and sizes. At least three quarterbacks are going to be signed, and they’ll be expected to be the main backups behind Stephen Morris sooner than later.

Team Concerns For 2012: The NFL bus left with several key underclassmen on it, and now Golden needs to find veteran playmakers early on who can win the close games that last year’s team couldn’t. Three starters are gone off the offensive line, RB Lamar Miller will be missed, and targets Travis Benjamin and Tommy Streeter are done. The defense has to replace Sean Spence in the middle and pass rusher Olivier Vernon on the outside.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: What’s going to happen over the next few years after the Nevin Shapiro findings kick in? There was a mass exit of juniors to the NFL, but head coach Al Golden has a loaded recruiting class coming in with the promise that all the top prospects will get a shot to start right away. QB Stephen Morris shoukln’t have to look over his shoulder, but he won’t have Lamar Miller to hand off to or Tommy Streeter to throw to. Only two starters are back up front and there aren’t any proven players to get the attack rolling. The defense that was shockingly mediocre at everything but allowing points loses end Olivier Vernon and MLB Sean Spence. Two starters are back in the secondary and four starter return to the front seven, but it’s going to be a work in progress.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Defensive linemen. New head man Al Golden only brought in four defensive line prospects, but two are among the best in America with Jalen Grimble a shocking get out of Las Vegas, taking him away from any big-time program you can name, and snagging pass rushing terror Anthony Chickillo for one end. The receiving corps got some help with Phillip Dorsett and Rashawn Scott two good-sized speedsters who can stretch the field. Kevin Grooms has No. 1, lockdown corner potential, while Dallas Crawford and Thomas Finnie aren’t far behind.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 18. That Class Was Heavy On ... The defensive back seven. Randy Shannon signed a ton of defensive back talent last year, and there wasn't much of a need for too many safeties. Instead, Shannon upgraded the cornerback talent with four fantastic prospects taking Keion Payne away from Florida, Florida State, and Ohio State, and getting Kacy Rodgers out of ... Texas?! As if Miami doesn't have enough talent in its own backyard, it went and got a ready-for-right-now defender away from Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State. There weren't any superstar linebacker prospects, but the five brought in can run. Offensively, Eduardo Clements is the speed back who'll be a weapon early on.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 18. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive backs. Never at a shortage for quality defensive backs, Randy Shannon is making sure it stays that way with this class. All four of this year’s additions are ranked no lower than No. 40 nationally at their position. S Ray Ray Armstrong is a 6-3, 210-pound beast in the mold of former ‘Cane Sean Taylor. Corners Brandon McGee and Jamal Reid are a couple of top 10 talents, who were hotly pursued by schools in the ACC and SEC.

Nov. 25 Boston College 24 … at Miami 17
CFN Analysis: After all he has gone through, Jacory Harris is going to be haunted by ending his career with a four-pick performance. Every time he came up with a good throw and a good play, he took three steps back with a misfire. … Sean Spence did his part for the defense with 14 tackles and a broken up pass. … Lamar Miller tore off a 79-yard run, but he only finished with 12 carries and was held in check the rest of the time. This game was Harris’s to lose. … Would anyone be that upset if Miami had decided to go bowling? As long as you’re not Penn State, everything else is fine by comparison. For a team with so much young talent and in need of figuring out several spots going into next year, the extra 15 practices would’ve been a plus.

(AP) MIAMI -- Luke Kuechly ran an interception back for a touchdown and became Boston College's all-time tackles leader, and the Eagles picked Jacory Harris off four times in his final college game en route to beating Miami 24-17 on Friday.

For Miami, the biggest news wasn't the outcome in the season finale for both teams. It announced during the fourth quarter that coach Al Golden has agreed to a four-year extension through Feb. 1, 2020.

Chase Rettig threw two touchdown passes to Chris Pantale for Boston College (4-8, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference). Kuechly also topped his single-season ACC record for tackles, passing the mark of 183 he set last year.

Lamar Miller had a 79-yard touchdown run for Miami (6-6, 3-5), the longest carry by a Hurricane since 2000.

Kuechly is widely considered to be a first-round lock if he decides to leave school early for the NFL draft, and he added to his impressive resume Friday.

He became Boston College's all-time tackle leader in the first half with the 525th stop of his career. Kuechly's 45-yard interception return with 14:48 remaining -- he read Harris perfectly, jumping in front of the pass and sprinting down the right sideline to the end zone -- essentially wrapped up the win for the Eagles.

Harris had thrown five interceptions all season entering the day. He matched a career-worst with the four on Friday, hardly the way the Miami Northwestern product wanted to see his career end.

Miami's day was tinged with emotion, with a few players tearing up on the pregame "Hurricane Walk" through the crowd. JoJo Nicholas, whose son died shortly after being prematurely born earlier this season, walked particularly slowly to soak the scene in, while receiver Tommy Streeter shook hands with two well-wishers and tousled one boy's hair.

Linebacker Sean Spence and Harris were the last two seniors to be introduced in a pregame ceremony, and once the game started the tributes continued. Harris found classmate Travis Benjamin for a 60-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage, and that drive ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass to LaRon Byrd, another senior who got into the end zone for the first time this season.

Pantale caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Rettig on the ensuing Boston College drive, tying the score. Less than a minute later, Miller waited for a hole to open on the right side of the line, bounced through and sprinted free on a 79-yard touchdown run -- Miami's longest play of the year and the longest carry by a Hurricane since Clinton Portis' 82-yard scamper against McNeese State on Aug. 31, 2000.

Eventually, the defenses settled down.

Kuechly was credited with his second tackle early in the second quarter, his 184th stop of the season -- one more than the ACC single-season record he established in 2010, and one more than what had been the Boston College all-time record of 524 by Stephen Boyd from 1991-94.

Pantale put the Eagles on top for good with a 32-yard touchdown catch with 12:08 left in the third quarter. Jake Wieclaw's field goal with 14 seconds left got the Hurricanes within seven, but Boston College took possession after the ensuing onside-kick attempt went out of bounds.

Nov. 19 Miami 6 … at South Florida 3
CFN Analysis: Jacory Harris was beaten up all game long thanks to a rough day from the O line and the great play from the USF defensive front, but he came up with the game-winning drive when the team needed it. He finished completing 27-of-35 passes for 259 yards. He had to throw with Lamar Miller and the ground game going nowhere. The Bull defense dominated. … The Miami D didn’t get into the backfield, but it only allowed three points and it stuffed the run all game long. The defense only let USF convert 2-of-12 third down tries, while the offense hung on to the ball for over 38 minutes. … The Canes are voluntarily choosing to not go to a bowl, so the Boston College game is it. 

Nov. 12 at Florida State 23 … Miami 19
CFN Analysis: Florida State committed ten penalties, but it didn’t turn the ball over and it didn’t make a whole slew of mistakes. However, it played just well enough to not get beat, and it almost got beat. The offense struggled in the second half managing just two field goals. … E.J. Manuel had an efficient game, even if he wasn’t making things happen on third down conversions. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 196 yards and a score. … Nigel Bradham was all over the field with a team-leading ten tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. … The Noles are on a five-game winning streak. Virginia might be a tougher battle than the regular-season finale against Florida. 

Nov. 5 at Miami 49 … Duke 14
CFN Analysis: With a tough couple of road dates ahead at Florida State and South Florida, and after the loss to Virginia, the Canes needed the layup against a Duke team that hadn’t been playing poorly. Jacory Harris came up with a strong, efficient game, completing 14-of-20 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns, but it helped that he didn’t have to force things thanks to the running of Lamar Miller and his 147 yards and two touchdowns. With no turnovers and just five penalties, the Canes didn’t make a slew of mistakes to give Duke any sort of a shot, and while the defense gave up a few yards, the game was over by halftime.  

Oct. 27 Virginia 28 … at Miami 21
CFN Analysis: It was a strange game for the Canes. Jacory Harris didn’t screw anything up, throwing for 311 yards and three scores without throwing a pick, but Lamar Miller and the running game didn’t go anywhere. The Canes were outcoached and outplayed on their own field, and even though they had a shot to get back in the game late, the drives fizzled. At some point, Miami has to get out to a hot start and put the game away early on. Time and again, the team has to play with a sense of urgency. After winning three of four games and looking good enough to get back into the ACC title chase, now that’s over. With road games against Florida State and South Florida up soon, not blowing the layup against Duke is a must. Again, though, the team has to come out roaring and the running game has to be far more effective. 

Oct. 22 at Miami 24 ... Georgia Tech 7
CFN Analysis: The defense came up with its best performance of the season holding the dynamic Georgia Tech offense to just 134 rushing yards and 211 yards total. It all started by dominating the at the line, and then the linebackers cleaned everything up with Sean Spence coming up with a team-leading eight tackles and with Denzel Perryman getting a sack and three tackles for loss. Jacory Harris had his first rocky game in a while, completing just 8-of-23 passes for 140 yards with a pick, but Lamar Miller helped pick up the slack with a hard 93 yards and a score. But this game was about the stifling defense that never let Tech in the game. With home games against Virginia and Duke coming up, there’s a chance to go on a nice run before dealing with Florida State, and for a defense that’s had problems, now it has something to build on. 

Oct. 15 Miami 30 … at North Carolina 24
CFN Analysis: It’s amazing what happens when the turnovers are kept to a minimum. Jacory Harris didn’t throw a pick, he was on his game completing 20-of-30 passes for 267 yards with three scores, and the Canes might have just turned their season around. The defensive front wasn’t a brick wall, and the O line didn’t do enough for a running game that was shockingly stagnant, but coming off the loss to Virginia Tech, and with Georgia Tech coming up, this was a nice road win over a good, athletic team. To beat the Yellow Jackets, Lamar Miller has to do more than run for 29 yards on 16 carries; he needs more room to move.

Oct. 8 at Virginia Tech 38 … Miami 35
CFN Analysis: It might have taken a while to get going, but the Miami offense came to life with Jacory Harris finishing with 267 yards and three scores and Lamar Miller going wild running for 166 yards and a score and catching a touchdown pass, but the rally wasn’t enough. The defense couldn’t come up with a key stop early and couldn’t hold on late, with the secondary having major problems slowing down Logan Thomas and a Hokie passing game that’s not nearly as good as it looked. At 0-2 in the ACC there’s no margin for error, but there’s still time. With North Carolina and Georgia Tech up next, though, it’ll take a steadier effort with both sides of the ball playing sharper and better. Harris has to be great for a full sixty minutes. 

Oct. 1 at Miami 45 … Bethune-Cookman 14
CFN Analysis: Miami came up with big play strikes to make up for a lazy effort from a defense that gave up 422 yards to a team that shouldn’t have moved the ball a lick. Jacory Harris threw for 175 yards and two scores and Lamar Miller blazed away for two scores and 102 yards, but it took too long for the Canes to show up and try. The Kansas State loss might have taken some of the wind out of the sails, but something is missing. The run defense hasn’t been nearly as good as it should be, and the offense isn’t consistent. Maybe the team was looking ahead to Virginia Tech, but soon, it has to show that it really can play at a high level for a full sixty minutes. The game was far, far worse than the 45-14 score might indicate. 

Sept. 24 Kansas State 28 … at Miami 24
CFN Analysis: Oh come on, Miami. The win over Ohio State should’ve been a difference maker and should’ve been the trigger for a huge run, but instead the team came out flat, the defense got shoved around, and the offense had to scramble and rally. It shouldn’t have come down to a last second rushing attempt into the end zone. Sean Spence was terrific, making 15 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble, but the rest of the D fell flat. Beating up Bethune-Cookman next week will help ease the pain, and then its showtime going to Virginia Tech and North Carolina in back-to-back weeks. Miami has to be a whole bunch better, and a whole lot more consistent, to have a shot in either game. 

Sept. 17 at Miami 24 ... Ohio State 6
CFN Analysis: The defense did its part against a struggling Ohio State attack, but no matter what the problems were on the other side, to dominate that much against a passing game, any passing game, is impressive. Jacory Harris was fine outside of the two bad picks, and Lamar Miller was terrific with 184 yards and setting the tone early, but the real key was the play of the defense that didn’t let the Buckeyes do a thing. Getting into the backfield a bit more would be nice, and the passing game needs to find more pop and production, but it was a huge home win to kick the Al Golden era off with a bang. Beating Kansas State and Bethune-Cookman shouldn’t be a problem before the road showdowns against Virginia Tech and North Carolina. 

Sept. 5 at Maryland 32 … Miami 24  
CFN Analysis ... Miami played well despite all the problems and all the controversy, but it didn’t have enough horses to keep up with a Maryland offense that was humming. Stephen Morris might have established himself as the starting quarterback even though Jacory Harris is eligible, completing 19-of-28 passes for 195 yards. However, he threw two picks. The offensive line is supposed to be a major strength, and it needs to be against Ohio State in two weeks after struggling a bit to get much of a consistent push. The Canes were close, and soon they’ll get to show what they can do when all the parts are in place.  

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Defensive linemen. New head man Al Golden only brought in four defensive line prospects, but two are among the best in America with Jalen Grimble a shocking get out of Las Vegas, taking him away from any big-time program you can name, and snagging pass rushing terror Anthony Chickillo for one end. The receiving corps got some help with Phillip Dorsett and Rashawn Scott two good-sized speedsters who can stretch the field. Kevin Grooms has No. 1, lockdown corner potential, while Dallas Crawford and Thomas Finnie aren’t far behind.

Five Miami Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DE Anthony Chickillo
Chickillo finished his senior season with 127 tackles and 18 sacks. He finished his junior season with 80 tackles and 12 sacks, but he only played in six games due to a broken collarbone. He says he can bench 315-pounds, squat 445 and has a 33-inch vertical jump.

2. DT Jalen Grimble
6-3, 255, Scout.com’s 7th ranked defensive tackle. A blocker occupying end in a 3-4 or a defensive tackle in the 4-3, Grimble runs extremely well for a big man, enabling him to chase down plays from the back side and make an impact on plays going away from him. Has a good change of direction which helps him finish plays in the backfield. Needs to do a better job of fighting off blockers, because he'll likely see two in front of him most of his career whether at tackle or end.

3. LB Denzel Perryman
Perryman is a linebacker that may be a little undersized in the height category, but he can make big plays on the next level. He's a very aggressive linebacker, he delivers big hits, and he moves very well. His pass coverage is not something he has shown a lot of, but he has to work on taking better angles to the ball and showing better tackling technique. He is a good inside backer and that is where he should make a lot of plays at.

4. CB Kevin Grooms
5-10, 170, Scout.com’s 16th ranked cornerback

5. DE Dallas Crawford
Crawford is an elite play-maker at QB and DB. He is a three year starter at QB, but projects to DB or WR at the next level. He has a tremendous natural ability to break on the football and can elevate to go get it (with great hands). His instincts are second to none and he has excellent pop as a tackler. Crawford lacks ideal height at 5'10, but is very strong on that frame.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
DALTON BOTTS Punter 6-3, 198 Taft, Calif. Moorpark CC Bakersfield College Taft Union
ANTHONY CHICKILLO Defensive End 6-4, 248 Tampa, Fla. Alonso
DALLAS CRAWFORD Cornerback 5-9, 193 Fort Myers, Fla. South Fort Myers
PHILLIP DORSETT Wide Receiver 5-9, 170 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. St. Thomas Aquinas
THOMAS FINNIE Cornerback 5-10, 168 Miami, Fla. Miami Central
TAYLOR GADBOIS Offensive Tackle 6-7, 292 Dallas, Ga. East Paulding
MATT GOUDIS Kicker 6-0, 160 West Hills, Calif. Chaminade
JALEN GRIMBLE Defensive End 6-2, 280 Las Vegas, Nev. Bishop Gorman
KEVIN GROOMS Athlete 5-9, 165 Hollywood, Fla. South Broward
EDDIE JOHNSON Athlete 6-1, 230 Atlanta, Ga. North Atlanta
ANTONIO KINARD Linebacker 6-3, 215 Youngstown, Ohio Hargrave Military Academy Liberty
GIONNI PAUL Linebacker 6-0, 230 Lakeland, Fla. Kathleen
DENZEL PERRYMAN Linebacker 6-0, 217 Coral Gables, Fla. Coral Gables
OLSEN PIERRE Defensive End 6-4, 256 Rahway, N.J. Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy
RASHAWN SCOTT Wide Receiver 6-2, 198 Melbourne, Fla. Melbourne Central Catholic
RICARDO WILLIAMS Defensive End 6-5, 220 Homestead, Fla. Homestead Senior