Miami Hurricanes LIVE 372 / SPRING PRACTICE UPDATE

time to talk K's here at the voice of college football we do this each and every Wednesday night 7 o'clock Eastern time we appreciate Brad to ha to being here of course Kane's Insight you already know that is a place to be and if you don't come on uh so we will lock it in with Brad you will see his contact info on the banner we will drop the link to Kane's Insight in the chat as well that's got to be a daily stop for all Miami fans Brad how's it going tonight mark thank you as always for having me a part of the show man it's always good to talk some Hurricanes football with you and uh you know we got about five more practices left toh wrap up Spring football and we got some big decisions uh to make here in this next wave of transfer portal so I'm excited to see uh what this team can add on to this roster comments and questions folks we will get to those the super chats available as well appreciate you all being here pull it up for the next 60 or so something in that range and of course bring some friends with you well from practice uh reports thus far you said five to go that means there's been about uh 10 10 or so so 15 yeah just like bull practice 15's the number so what has stood out to you you know there's been quite a few things right Mark I think first and foremost I think all eyes point to cam ward in the quarterback position right I think with Cam Ward the big biggest thing that I think everyone has either been hearing or seeing firsthand whether it's players on the team coaches or just people you talk to in the media is just the Charisma and the attitude that camard carries um the leadership qualities he brings to the table um I think a lot of people were you know for the most part expecting a lot of the highlights and things that we've been able to hear about practice as far as from a physical standpoint of what he brings to the table because you got to remember this is a guy that at one point declared for the NFL draft draft decided to take his name out of the draft and come to the University of Miami um so this is a big opportunity for him he's putting a lot on his shoulders in particular for himself in order to propel himself to the next level in the NFL so I think it's the mentality I think it's the leadership of what he's able to do bringing these guys together a little bit more closer than the last quarterback did uh being able to get a lot more guys involved um and this is going to be an offense that is really gonna go vertical this year I know that was a a thing of the past where we thought we would go vertical um but with some of the weapons we're starting to see and hear in practice and you got a guy in cam Ward you got to seize every opportunity in front of you and this being Mario Chris bal's third year we're gonna have to get it done with the easy schedule we have ahead of us this year so with them going more vertical most likely with them being hopefully based on that more explosive do you think that they're going to just flat out throw the ball more or it's just going to be more vertical shots when they do throw the ball I think it's going to have to be a little bit of both right Mark um first and foremost you know Mario Chris ball in the past he likes to keep a Balan offense usually 5050 or in most cases you're GNA primarily run the football when you have a guy at the head coach who is specific with the offensive line like Mario and then you got a right-hand man and Alex mirall your offensive line is going to be your strength and a lot of times you're going to want to rely on that running game well when you bring in a guy like cam Ward you don't necessarily have to do that anymore and then when you look at that one running back room uh we we'll talk a little bit more in depth with this later on but that running back room is a little bit more depleted than it was last year um you have guys like Don Cheney um who ended up transferring to Louisville you have a guy in a j Allen who transferred from another program who is currently injured and has not been a part of spring you have your number one running back last year in markk Fletcher um who is also coming off an injury who also hasn't been a part of spring so for the most part all these running backs that you're hearing through Spring right now playing with your first team offensive line playing with your star quarterback in cam Ward and your receivers are mostly true freshman guys that have literally only been with the program this spring um so there's going to be a lot of opportunity there um and it's going to be a running back by committee um and I think for the most part when you have a guy like cam Ward you're going to want to bring as many Arsenal and weapons that you can possibly for the guy and once we talk a little bit about more in this transfer portal I expect possible another wide receiver and definitely a big time running back if if they end up hitting the portal because we just don't have that dominant veteran leadership running back uh guy that we are used to having in the past and you can never be too deep at running back we've seen time and time again in the last three or four years that when we think we are deep at running back before the season starts it quickly gets depleted and we're down to our third and fourth guy um but I do think a guy like Elijah Lofton who has probably been the name um that has been talked about the most other than cam War throughout spring he's going to be a young man to look out for in that position not only at running back uh but at you know tight end split out at wide receiver this is a young man that's going to be playing multiple positions for Miami and I think he could definitely um help the role of the running back room at times here is the timeline folks in 12 days the transfer portal opens on Monday April 16th as Brad has outlined five more Miami football practices uh the depth chart is out the two deep we'll give it a look and we'll start there because let's set up the roster the two deep how it looks how players are progressing what rooms are a little bit full what positions are a little bit thin and need Improvement and make some projections out toward what could be happening here in the next two or three weeks once the portal opens so that too deep roster for you that depth chart what stands out to you whether you want to take us through both sides of the football or however you want to do it Brad yeah we can um you know we could kind of start from the top and kind of go with the the current guys on the team and also look at each position group and kind of figure out who are some guys that could possibly lead the program and I want to kind of start by throwing out a number before we get started just so fans could kind of keep up and if you know they got a pen and paper want to jot this down we could kind of get an idea where we are at roughly when we're all done with all this but the number I'm gonna throw out there is seven to 10 so the reason why I'm throwing out seven to 10 Mark is because when you look at this current roster when we gear up for the transfer portal and some of these guys we're going to be talking about position by position Miami needs seven to 10 guys currently on this roster to lead the program when April 16th comes in order to bring anybody into the program so as we know Miami fans and Mario has you know FL flat out said you know in multiple interviews we are not going to be afraid to go in the portal heavy and get who we need to get to take this team to the next level um and in order to do that you have to get rid of at least seven to 10 players currently on this roster to bring anyone in so just to start with the quarterback position right you got a pretty big crowded room this is the first time in a very long time we can say this as Miami Hurricane fan you got cam Ward as your starting quarterback you know he's not going anywhere you have a young freshman and Jud Anderson who um 67 has is probably one of the biggest players on the roster right now as a true freshman at quarterback I see him you know cementing himself and kind of getting comfortable of just the atmosphere of college football so I don't see him going anywhere but then that's where it leaves three other guys you got emry Williams you got Ree poffenberger and you got Jakari Brown Rees poffenberger obviously a transfer portal guy that we got as well before we landed cam Ward is a guy that um from anyone you talked to has the mentality to want to be great um he's a guy that even when you did at land a guy like cam Ward isn't afraid of competition um from an athletic standpoint he does a lot of similar things to a baker Mayfield Johnny Menzel type of guy um if any Miami Hurricane fans remember Tate Martell kind of the hype that we had around Tate Martell that's kind of what Reese poffenberger hoping to be like you know right but at the end of the day he still has competition and that's where Jakari Brown comes in um this is a guy that's been in the program for over two years um he's had prior interviews with other you know spaces and places to where you know he has been very vocal about this is wanting to be his year to kind of show what he can do um and this spring especially the spring game is going to be a lot for those two guys um I think between Ree and Jakari um one or two those guys I think is possibly going to lead the program maybe even Emy Williams who's still coming back from an injury he's full go right now but he's also another guy that understands the current situation he's in and if he wants to stay at Miami and develop and wait his turn he could definitely do that or he may want to see other options and see if he could possibly be a starting quarterback elsewhere but I would say one of those three guys is definitely leaving the program right I think you're too crowded at quarterback so that's already one guy you you you know as a fan you figure out who you want that guy to be but we already got one under our belt right so now we got one quarterback that's possibly going to leave the program when you get to running back like I mentioned before we're pretty depleted when it comes from an injury standpoint right now most of your Healthy running backs are incoming freshman guys like Chris Wheatley Humphrey who is currently at the program um you also got Chris Johnson um who has been getting a lot of the carries right now also a freshman um you got trante citizen who has never healthy at the University of Miami but was the number one running back coming out of Louisiana over Trevor Ian who was once a former Florida running back transfers to Georgia and is competing for that number one spot so that gives you an idea from a talent standpoint what citizen could bring to the table um from everything I've been hearing in practice he is starting to finally get comfortable with him as a true football player of really relying on that knee and that leg that was injured in the past two years it seems like he's starting to get to that next game here and really cement himself comfortably in the running back room so citizen I I I have a lot of good expectations for and then as we know Mark Fletcher our number one running back from last year is nursing an injury and he hopes to be back for the fall um that brings you only Jordan Lyle next who should be coming in for the fall Camp uh big time running back out of St Thomas acquaintance who we ended up flipping from Ohio State uh I don't see any running backs in my opinion leaving um to hit the transfer portal like I said at the beginning of all this I personally believe Miami is going to go very hard after another running back in the transfer portal so any big-time running back that hits the portal by you know April 15 16th when that officially opens up I expect Miami to be a heavy uh favorite in one of or two of those guys um there have been fans that have said maybe a guy like AI Allen may possibly leave the program and go elsewhere but me personally I I don't see that um I can't I can't imagine seeing Don Cheney uh and Henry Parish who also left the program going back to Old Miss I can't see three running backs essentially your three running backs that were veteran guys last year all Le the program um but that's just me personally so you're still stuck with the one uh let's see here what we got what tight ends now Mark yeah let's go to the tight ends all right so with the tight ends position this is obviously one of the the most exciting position groups as a Miami Hurricane fan as we know we are tight in you it's either us or Iowa you know in the last 10 15 years you got to probably give the nod to Iowa but I like where we stand overall and we are going to continue that motto hopefully in the next five to 10 years with some of the guys that we currently have on the roster and guys that we're recruiting currently trying to bring into the program but you got to start right at the top with Elijah Royo um this is a young man that when we first brought him into the program we had a lot of expectations from right off the bat as a true freshman unfortunately with football as we know injuries is a big part of that and unfortunately with Elijah he's been a player that's never really been able to get his feet wet because any times he's about to get on that field and feel like himself he ends up getting injured again this is the first spring that he's been able to come through be fully healthy and he's looking and sounding like that guy that we need at tight end and I think Elijah Royo and Elijah Lofton the two Elijah at tight ends those are going to be two very key important players for this offense to really take it to the next level in my opinion if both of those guys stay healthy all year and you're able to use both of those guys on the field at once it's really going to be a mismatch for a lot of different um defenses in in the country in my opinion uh you also got Riley Williams out of IMG um who's slowly trying to get a little bit more comfortable with the call College atmosphere in the Playbook uh this is now his second year uh in a spring college program so that should help a little bit um he still needs to get a little bit of baby baby weight off and get a little bit more muscular in my opinion but he's a guy from athleticism standpoint Talent standpoint he does everything you want at the tight end room and then of course you got Jackson Carver um who's only been playing football for a year um he's a guy that I think is still trying to slowly find his way into college football program and I think he's okay and he's very comfortable where he's at um I know a lot of fans as well when we bring up transfer portal guys possibly leaving uh Jackson Carver is another name um I I hear a lot but me personally just based off what I know people I've talked too close to the situation I don't see Jackson Carver leaving the program unless it's something on our side uh but from a Jackson Carver standpoint I don't think he wants to lead the program I think he's okay exactly where he's at let's see um we got your tight ends got to go with wide receivers next right that's probably one of the most exciting position groups this year uh especially during spring I and it's a lot of big opportunities for some guys right obviously as we know Xavier Restrepo um is at the top of the list he's a guy that had over a thousand yards last year with a Tyler Van Dyke at quarterback and when you bring in someone like cam Ward I think the opportunities and the the limit of where he can go is even further than what it was last year so you got to be pleased with someone like Xavier stpo and that's going to lead you to a guy like jacobe George um this is this is going to be a very big important year uh not only for us hurricane fans Not only for the program but for jacobe George personally to really prove to himself prove to his teammates and prove to a fan base that he can really you know keep his head on on the right way and show what his talent could really do and he's got to capitalize on that with a great great quarterback in cam Ward and I think you're really going to see um jacobe George really flourish this year in this offense and Isaiah Horton is is the big- time Target that cam ward has been going to a lot this spring um if I if I actually had to say the the the favorite Target for cam Ward so far in Spring it would probably have to be Isaiah Horton right now I know we hear a lot of Jojo Trader a lot of Ray Ray a lot of nikar and obviously um Xavier RPO has been making some great catches but Isaiah Horton seems to have that very good bond with Cam Ward um they seem to hang out a lot on and off the football field and Isaiah Horton is a guy with big Body and Frame I'm very similar to guy in Colby young who ended up leaving in C in Georgia you really need that big big body frame wide receiver who's a possession wide receiver who could go up at the highest point and catch that football and I think Isaiah Horton can really fit that role um but if you don't you do have other guys um in there that could definitely try to push him for that spot JoJo Trader nikar are two guys um that are incoming freshman that have really been making a name for themselves um as well you also got Shamar Kirk another transfer from auko um that was here last after last season he's starting to really get comfortable um I've heard actually the last few practices he's actually starting to stand out as one of those wide receivers that can really make some plays for this offense and I will I will be honest um I would say if you would have asked me a week or two ago Mark um who are some possible names that would hit the portal Shamar Kirk is probably one of them but as of right now I would actually backpedal off of that I think Shamar Kirk is probably one of those guys that will stay uh with the program um you got Robbie Washington as well who's a young guy that they're trying to transition into the secondary because like I mentioned you have a lot of names especially young guys that are pushing for the same particular spot that Robbie Washington would play at that wide receiver so they got to find a way to get him out there on the field because if not he may get buried on the depth chart I and as crazy as that sounds a guy like Robbie Washington could be a name to watch um I know Michael reading is another name that people throw out there but again you you heard it from me I know I'm not as trustworthy as some people may think but uh I think possibly Michael reading is going to feel very comfortable at Miami and if he doesn't play on the football field I think he's going to stay and uh take on that third degree that he's chasing for he's really focused in in the books and really wanting to you know take his degrees to as fur as Miami will let him so if he doesn't play football um he may at least stay for an academic scholarship so I I want to see how Miami kind of does that if they are able to do that without taking him in as a football scholarship then that is a possibility to have M Michael reading but other than that I don't see other wide receivers that may leave the program but you got a guy in chance Robinson who's the last wide receiver left to join in the from St Thomas aquinus and uh you know I have some close relationships with the Robinson family and this is a young man that as soon as he gets on campus uh he's gonna look like a guy that's been there for two years uh from a physical standpoint um so I'm very excited to see what chance Robinson can do so Brad before we get to the offensive line let's check out some of these uh super chats coming in we appreciate Falconer TRX with a super sticker thank you so much for that uh falconer TRX always gets us started with a red super sticker that's just kind of tradition here we got Norman thank you appreciate you being here Norman thank you for that 10 spot then we got to Falconer so inside joke here Brad Falconer and and I going way back uh with a with a few barbs about Turf you know it's a long long story but uh how will Miami Turf affect cam Wards play we're with you there Falconer okay Falconer coming back with this one cam slinging pills like a shady pharmacist nice there we go Falconer thank you for that Norman as well appreciate you all being here comments questions we'll take them as we work through the depth chart with Brad toah from Kane's Insight we know how good the offensive line was last year uh where did we stand this far in Spring practice Yeah you know with the offensive line um there's a few guys that are out currently um first and foremost your starting right tackle and Francis minoa who obviously came in as a as a true freshman and was one of the best offensive lineman in the country in my opinion and the sky is a limit for someone like him who's had every school in the country want him um he's coming off an injury along with his brother um so both of the man noas have not been uh practicing throughout spring but it's okay they they've obviously healed fine it's more of a precautionary thing and just getting them uh right but from a mental aspect uh when you hear you know player interviews or when you talk to coaches or players on the team Francis is really you know biting at the bit ready to get back out there um but from a mental standpoint the guy is keyed in he does everything on and off the field that you'd want in a future first round pick at the offensive line uh so sky is the limit for him at right tackle when you look at the Right Guard the center and the left tackle position Mark those are the three spots that have seemed like have been very consistent not only last year but also this year in Spring um with Jaylen Rivers at left tackle you bring in a transfer uh from Indiana and Zack Carpenter at Center and then Your Right Guard is ANZ Cooper um who in my opinion may be the most athletic most overall talented offensive we have um and it's very underrated in my opinion but with those guys have been doing great all throughout spring Jaylen Rivers at time has been going from tackle to guard uh just to help excuse me just to help someone like marel Bell who was the 69ine massive transfer J that we ended up getting um who's playing tackles well for the University of Miami anytime they want to get him first team reps with the rest of the unit and just get him a lot more comfortable they'll slide Jaylen Rivers inside just so he has someone is able to help him on a play to-play basis on knows where to go um because as we know Jaylen Rivers can play both tackle and guard but that left guard position has been the one to watch Mark um Lou chrisal and Samson OK canola who um came off at injury this past season obviously one of the most highly covered tackles out there last last recruiting cycle between Samson and loue chrisal those have been your primary left guard guys going in and out um throughout spring practice ice and if I had to guess I would probably say Samson is going to end up getting that left guard spot but I I wouldn't be surprised if maybe we we look into the portal for another offensive lineman um I I don't know if we possibly do that or not but it wouldn't shock me um because again you know I brought it up at the beginning of the show the numbers seven through 10 and We've ran through quarterback running back wide receiver and tight end and in my opinion you only have one to possibly two guys through those position groups that may hit the portal well you got to find other position groups right now Mark that you can cut that dead weight and this is where the offensive line comes in right this is where guys like Zion Nelson who has not been healthy in the past two years um currently he is actually running with the with the team you know he's able to do normal drills that you would expect the offensive lineman to do but he is not full go um in my opinion he is someone that may possibly medically retire uh but I think that's more of a approach I think the staff is doing everything in their power to let Zion give it a full go um but at the end of the day I think he may be a possible guy uh that you may have to end up cutting ties with from a football scholarship standpoint so that's where you know another scholarship gets freed up um you also have guys like Chris Washington Logan Saga Polo um Jonathan Dennis and Ryan Rodriguez so before between those five guys um I would say maybe three to four guys leave the program and go elsewhere um because you have Tommy kinsler's of the world you have Frank Frankie tinola you have Antonio trip um I I think the the four or five names I just mentioned I think you could probably say two to three at least leave so you're around five guys that leave the program after we've gone through the whole offensive side of the football so I think from a number standpoint where we're right where we need to be uh you haven't gotten to the other side of the football and you're at the halfway mark of your s to 10 right there so we're at a good spot right so now you go to the defensive side of the ball and you look specifically at the defensive line the pass rushers right this is where it gets very interesting in my opinion because this is a LoveHate relationship that I've been able to established in the last 48 hours because 48 Hours yeah 48 hours there's a reason why there's a reason why Mark so the reason why is because most fans would say you know you had a Keem eador that was injured last year you had an Nigi Kelly that was injured last year you have a guy in Ruben Bane and you brought in a guy in Elijah Austin from Marshall between those four in pass rushers you got a pretty good group why need another guy you even got young guys like Booker picket mares Lightfoot and others that will definitely throw their name in the mix as as well so why would you need another Passover well this is where things get a little interesting right well Mark in the last 48 hours a name by the name of romelo height from USC he was once a big-time recruit for the University of Miami when Mani Diaz was the head coach a lot of fans were expecting romelo height to be a Miami Hurricane he ended up trolling Manny Diaz and the fans a lot of people remember the the ultimate feet on the chair picture H he ends up trolling Miami commits to Auburn doesn't do anything at Auburn transfers from Auburn to USC has played at USC this past season and is now in the portal again and is going to be making a visit to Coral Gables this weekend for a visit with the University of Miami and a lot of fans are very upset right now because all they can think of is when romelo Heights spurned the Miami Hurricanes when Manny Diaz was the head coach and we don't need him because he spurned the canes and we have too many pass rushers well guess what mark this is where numbers really come in play in my opinion I was really looking at this and first and foremost we don't know how healthy NJ Kelly is he hasn't practice all spring we're hoping he gets back for fall and is fully healthy but that's a guy that you can't 100% count on yet right then you have a Keem mesidor who again has never been fully healthy as a University of Miami Hurricane he is currently healthy now but he's not even practicing full go mark because he's waiting on Adidas cleats specially made for him because he had foot surgery on both of his feet this past off season and he needs special cleats from Adidas in order to literally play on the field currently so even though he is fully healthy right now he can't do any football drills against someone else because he doesn't have any cleats that fit his feet currently so so he's got 30 more days to wait from Adidas to get cleats in so that's another guy that has not really been practicing spring and from a recent interview when he is able to play football that would be a full calendar year of him not playing football Mark so that's another key guy that we are relying on heavy to contribute right away especially first game against Florida that you want to rely on so between n Kelly and AEM eador you still don't know if those guys are going to be fully 100% ready to go if they're going to be the guys that you expect them to be against Florida week one and that's a game that you really have to capitalize and make sure you win and that's where Romo hype comes in and if you really look at his numbers Mark you look at last season and I mentioned aim mesidor and I mentioned n Elite Kelly we had two guys on the roster last football season that had more sacks than romelo height last year so romelo height give you in his stats as a USC Trojan last year he had 21 total tackles and he had four sacks okay and from a Miami Hurricane fan base from a fan that's salty about the situation that happened romelo and saying hey we don't need him well let's just go take a look at what Miami's defensive line guys did this past season and when you do that unfortunately Ruben Bane is the only defensive lineman on our team that has better numbers than romelo height Francisco NOA who was our starting middle linebacker this past season had more tackles and more sacks than romelo height our next guy up in Branson Dean who was a transfer who is no longer part of the program only had two and a half sacks and 18 tackles so from a number standpoint that gives you an idea of what type of guy romelo he High could possibly contribute to this team do I expect rote height to be you know a dominant guy that we're going to lean on heavily no I think he is more of a rotational type of player that can definitely help contribute to this team do I expect him to be a hurricane maybe maybe not but the fact that he's visiting the program and he's a guy that's been linked to Miami for several months now should tell you a lot um and just from a number standpoint Leonard Taylor yeah see number 13 right there the big-time five star that all of us loved at the universe Miami he did not do as good as romelo height this past season so romelo height Leonard Taylor you know it it's kind of a tossup and you're not really paying much for him in my opinion from an nil perspective so I'm Sorry Brad after Hurricane Bane at seven and a half sacks who did you say is back that has any kind of production rushing so Francisco magoa who was our starting middle linebacker he also had he also had seven and a half sacks yeah yeah so other than him as far as from a defensive line standpoint it would be Jared Harrison hunt who has two sacks yeah yep other than that Branson Dean who has two and a half right there he is no longer with the team so you really don't have any returning production um to really capitalize to really say you don't need a guy like Romo height um I think Elijah Austin is gonna be a guy heavily relied on on this football team this year and I have a lot of high expectations for him but you can never get enough pass rushers um and Mario has made it very clear that when that third fourth quarter hits you want to bring in fresh guys that can constantly be able to create pressure on that quarterback and romelo hey even if he's only playing 10 to 15 20 snaps a game and you're able to bring him in in those crucial moments that could definitely help a football team um so that is a guy to watch out for good stuff with Brad Taha breaking down the roster for us going through the two deep on both sides of the football offense and now the defensive line Y and again this uh maoa number with not just the seven and a half sacks but the the 18 tackles for loss that's a crazy number that's usually a pass rush Edge guys number and that's a serious number for those guys as well so he obviously was amazing last year and that's and and mark That's a transfer that's a transfer linebacker that really had to get equated with the Miami atmosphere the Miami defense and now he changed his number to number one the first player under Mario Chris Ball on the defensive side of the ball to wear that number and he is finally getting comfortable with where he's that and now he's a leader of the defense he's not a guy that is you know a quiet guy that has to come in and just kind of lead by example on the football field he's kind of cemented himself as a guy that a lot of people in the program can look up to him um and I think he he's really taking on that leadership role and I think that was one of the key things that made him really want to come back to the program because from a number standpoint and what he did over at Washington State and now at Miami he is a guy that could have definitely went into the NFL draft but this is one key guy that we really were able to bring back that I think would have bit us you know in in the butt you know years ago um so being able to keep a guy like Francisco was very key for Miami and this is also a young man that was able to play with starting quarterback in cam Ward these guys were teammates over at Washington state for a lot of people that don't remember so in sizing up the rest of the linebacker core what do you see there you know from a linebacker core standpoint you lost Corey flag who ended up transferring to Missouri um and then when you look at currently the guys that are currently there uh KJ Cloyd obviously ended up leaving the program um you have Wesley Bain who in his third year coming out of Miami Central this is a linebacker that I think from a a fan base standpoint a lot of people have some expectations for him this year I think him and Francisco go um will probably be your Mike and will to start the season um but I also think we have the flexibility to put other guys in rotation you have Ru popo Agera who has been playing Mike and will um he's a guy that's has the flex ability to play either position but because Francisco has been out all spring um popo has been getting all the first team reps at that mic position um which should definitely help throughout the you know without it should really help throughout the football season um when we do need to give you know Kiko some rest we're able to bring a guy like popo in and he has the athletic ability to run sideline to sideline um and so do all these linebackers that we're going to bring up I think Chase Smith is another name to watch out for this is a guy that's been at Miami for several years and he's finally fully healthy um he is going to be a player to watch because I think he's wanting to prove that he can end his career at Miami and be a a very good contribution to the linebacker room um and he's another guy that is very athletic he's probably the most athletic linebacker in the room um and from a sideline to sideline standpoint I don't think you could find anybody better than Chase Smith and in last practice on Saturday he made the biggest hit of practice from people at heard around the program so he's really lighting it up in practice as well and that's what you want to see from a guy that's been battling injuries and has been kind of buried behind the depth chart um but you also got marcelis pulum Bobby Washington uh cam puit is another name that you need to watch out for he's a young incoming freshman uh that has been balling all throughout spring he's a guy that can be used at safety at linebacker um he's going to be a guy that's going to be a lance gidy chess piece in this defense and cam Pro is going to you know be able to play right away um and contribute very early to this defense but from a transfer standpoint Mark I think linebacker wise um I don't really see any linebackers leaving um I think maybe the only one that would be a shock to me is maybe Bobby Washington um again I mentioned Robbie Washington so maybe both of them may want to go elsewhere just because there's other guys ahead of them but I personally don't see that happening um but I did skip the defensive line position and I just want want to mention two guys uh Thomas Gore and Anthony Campbell um if I had to think of two names on the defensive line position that may go elsewhere just because you know the opportunities of other guys coming into that position group those would be two names I would look out for just so if we're trying to get closer to that seven to 10 Mark like I mentioned we were at five on the offensive side of the ball going to the defensive side of the ball that adds another two so now you're at your seven um and we haven't even gotten to the secondary yet so we right where we need Brad to ha is here everyone from Cane's Insight uh we have dropped a link in the chat so it's easy just to click on that get on over to K's Insight instantly there you see the uh the X handle and the URL right there for Kane's Insight on the screen as well we appreciate Brad filling in this week Brad knows he's welcome anytime so you just don't even need the invite for a Wednesday night Cam couldn't make it tonight but Brad you know uh we will talk college football we will talk Miami with you anytime absolutely man it's it's a pleasure to always talk some ball with you guys and um yeah man over at kan's Insight we're doing some great stuff anyone that's not aware um we are now one of the official Partners um with Kane's connection which is the official nil uh program for the University of Miami and our student athletes so we do you know personal player interviews um with the current players on the team we'll have have some coach interviews we'll also have some special events for our K's connection members uh during and after the spring game on April 13th so we're constantly bringing in U new and hot content every single day so make sure you check out you know everything me D Money Peter re and and the rest of the team are doing at canesinsight.com and also on our YouTube channel Falconer coming back with this one I missed George where's George well uh George was in the Florida state show the previous hour so he threw out some 63 to3s so you guys would have enjoyed that uh Falconer coming back with this one love Brad he is the goods in the stats can he sing are you a singer Brad not a singer I got I got I got a few bars every now and then I can I can sure rap a little bit when whenever I get get into the move but n no singing no singing for this guy all right well in the secondary uh they hope that they won't be hearing uh the opposing teams striking up the band too often uh coming up this fall so let's start at corner yeah so the secondary is going to be a very uh key position group to watch not only at the end of the spring on these last five practices but also entering fall and possibly who we go after in the transfer portal uh me in my opinion besides the running back position this is going to be a very key position group that I think Miami needs to be very picky at um with guys that enter the transfer portal um I don't think you need to get another rotational guy um I think we have plenty of those type of players and guys that can easily uh fit in the mix I think you need a standout defensive player whether it is a corner boundary corner or nickel corner or safety you need a player that can literally be the quarterback of the defense and really you know be timid uh to that quarterback on the opposite side of the ball um when you lose a guy like Cam kitens and James Williams you have to make sure that the next guys that come in really could Implement and and seiz that opportunity you've already brought in multiple transfer portal guys and Savon Riley uh out of vanderbelt and also meech pal out of Washington um those were two labeled safeties that came into the University of Miami that you would think that would you know just fill in those role of James Williams and cam kitens are had has done for the program but actually now that spring has been upon us and 10 practices are under our belt it seems like in particular Mech pal out of Washington is a guy that has really cemented himself at that nickel spot for Miami um as we know with Lance G he likes to run a lot of multiple defensive fronts but for the most part that guy at the nickel spot is going to be a key guy that they're going to want to use as a chess piece all throughout the defense and me pow has really found him found himself very comfortable in that spot and I think most of the time you're going to want me pow at that nickel spot um and when that does happen your safeties currently is Sav On Riley vanderbelt transfer and Jaden Harris um who is in his third year now and is really gonna have to take himself to the next level to really establish himself as that next starting safety spot and then you also have zaquan Patterson who's a true freshman at of Shaman Madonna who's really turning a lot of heads but I think you still need one more guy in that room I would prob look more at the safety position um Than The Corner Spot because looking at the corners currently you got darl Porter Jr on one side you got Jas Richard another vanderbelt transfer on the other side of the ball and you also got uh Devonte Brown as well um who was a big-time recruit out of American Heritage who has a freshman last year really did some good stuff for Miami and I think this will be a good opportunity for for him to really submit himself and possibly being a starter quarterback cornerback on this football team this year so between those three guys I think you actually have a good solid foundation of guys that you can Mo maneuver around at the cornerback spot it's that safety position in my opinion where I think it really gets a little interesting because guys like Brian balum Mar Keith Williams um even a guy like Isaiah Thomas who's an incoming freshman that's been battled through injuries um and jadden Harris who I mentioned um those are going to be guys that are really going to have to take themselves to the next level in order to get some playing time this year um and that's not even to mention a guy like Isaiah Taylor who I think someone asked about earlier Jason Taylor's son um who's really getting himself established at Miami as well but at the end of the day I think you need another safety in my opinion um and that's going to be a position to look out for in the transfer portal but we were at seven names you know I think someone like Brian balum marke Williams uh Demetrius Frey who's a cornerback auke guy that we got last cycle I think between those three guys maybe two guys lead the program even a guy like Caleb Spencer maybe possibly um so out of the four names maybe two leave so now you're at nine to 10 players right there so you're right at the number of what I talked about at the beginning of the show what you're trying to hit and that allows you mark to go into the transfer portal and at least get three key contributors to bring on this football team to really elevate it to the next level and me personally I think it's got to be a running back a wide receiver and a safety okay so much to look out for here in 12 days everyone April 16th is the date uh which is I actually think it's the 15th Mark I could be mistaken but I thought it was the 15 15th I think it's the 15th oh you know what yes yes it is the 15th the 15th is I was thinking the 15th is Sunday the 15th is Monday day so it is Monday April 15th absolutely and um that's about halfway through of course the month of April and the spring games are all in the month of April across college football so it creates this very odd situation with not most teams but there will be players that are going to be entering the transfer portal while they're still in Spring practice absolutely and and I'm we're already starting to see you know we're what 12 days away from it officially opening and we're already starting to see guys you know through third party sites and others already write articles of some guys already entering the transfer portal and visiting other programs so when you're able to do things like that just like the first wave of transfer portals when it hit you saw about a week week and a half before it officially opened these names were already starting to come out that they were going to enter the portal so that's where back channeling and having a good staff in place that is very good at communication and being able to be upfront and honest and having a specific Board of needs of what you're looking for really comes in handy and that's where Miami and Mario are really good at capitalizing you also have a coach and Andrew Rogers who is known for getting good transfer portal guys you saw what he did a few years ago at Michigan State that one season of really getting in a big Powerhouse of guys to come into to Michigan State so I expect something very similar with Miami but they're they're going to be very specific and piy on who they bring um which is why I'm very surprised about the r height situation but again from a numbers and stats standpoint and guys that we are hoping to contribute to the program it does make sense to possibly look at another pass rusher this year because you can never get enough pass rushers just like offensive lineman and running backs we've got about 160 folks online and some of you are watching on Facebook and Twitter so just keep in mind that you can jump on YouTube in future weeks if you catch us on X or on um Facebook let's say um to ask questions and make comments you got to join us on YouTube We love you checking us out wherever but just keep in mind comments and questions you got to be here on YouTube and we've got our guy Demetrius who wants to know if you have any clue as to whether either side of the line of scrimmage looks more impressive through 10 workouts here you know the the o line dline has been very similar to the wide receiver cornerback battles all throughout spring it's really iron sharp sharpens iron there's been some key you know matchups I think um someone like Ruben Bane you know going head-to-head against Zack Carpenter in practice at times is really helping Zack Carpenter um you know I iron and sharpen his game because he's a guy that transferred from Indiana um who has not played in the ACC yet and having a guy like Ruben Bane to go up against him in practice every single day um is going to be something to watch you also have you know Jaylen Rivers who has obviously been our one of our best offensive lineman at the University of Miami and has really cemented himself at that left tackle position you have some young guys like you know Maris light foot Elijah Austin the transfer I brought up from Marshall those are two guys in particular who's really able to get that iron sharpen iron with someone like Jaylen Rivers who is probably going to be the best tackle they face all football season so that's another good battle to watch out for um and then ANZ Cooper ANZ Cooper has probably had one of the most consistent Springs of this football season and he he just continues to reshape his body I mean it's it's incredible the night and day um not only statistic wise but from just a body frame uh standpoint of how he really transformed his game and body from his freshman year to to now um it really goes to show you the commitment that a guy like ANZ Cooper has really been able to bring but um on the defensive line I would say some other guys that probably have stood out at times other than Elijah Austin um Harrison hunt um has had a couple practices as well that has been pretty good um Marley cook a transfer um as well from midle Tennessee he's a young man that I've uh been able to talk to several times um he is an incredible young man off the football field but he's been doing a lot of good stuff on the football field uh I expect him to be one of the the top three Tech defensive tackles we have on this program this year uh so I think he's been doing well um but I'm also excited for some other guys that will be coming into the program very shortly uh guys like Justin Scott um artavius blunt um is another one between those two guys um you're really bringing in I'm sorry Armando blunt and artavius Jones I put the two names together so those three guys right there um have not entered the program yet and when those three get in there you're really going to see from a measurable standpoint these are three guys that we just don't have in the in in the in the D tackle room uh most of our guys that from a physical standpoint look like the three guys I just mentioned they they don't have it height-wise they're either they're either short and stocky or they're tall and not as big these three guys they got the both uh both of best Best of Both Worlds and they're all true freshman and guys that every school in the nation wanted um so I think those three guys I think one or two can easily be key contributors right away maybe a Justin Scott um or amond blun we've had viewers throughout the years think that um I should make myself available to take on all comers when it comes to college football trivia so we're going to do that for the first time uh on Thursday that's going to be over in the Big 12 Channel and I have no idea I'm just going to show up somebody else is running the show I'm just going to show up at noon and whoever wants to challenge me on college football trivia have at it um this is probably the time to get me I probably know less about college football right this second than I have in years so this is the time to to see if you can uh knock me off in college football trivia folks so we'll see you Thursday at noon all right okay Brad uh one more time anything there at uh Kane's Insight uh that people need to lock in on no not at all man like I said we we continue to bring out great content um you know D money and Peter re have have gone Full Throttle uh with the web page lately especially on YouTube so we're we're bringing out content every single day now so make sure you check in on Kane's inside on YouTube um we're constantly either bringing you up to dat um on on the recent practices we have you know personal player interviews that you can't find anyone anywhere else and then any fans that will be uh able to make the spring game we also have a special event that will be going on right after the spring game with some more players on the football team and some special guests as well but you know that's about it man Kane's Insight we we try to do our best to give you the best coverage of each and every single day Falcon are taking us home with this one go to U ofm and go to the NFL or make it in Miami there I like it I like it Brad so much appreciate you being here for us uh making this work anytime anytime I some someone asked about commitments I I didn't really talk any recruiting on the show um I know a lot of people like when I talk recruiting um just to give you idea I would say a few nuggets so first and foremost Alvin at train Henderson a young man that I've talked to several times off air um he was flirting around possibly making a commitment around April 1st um that obviously didn't happen um it's a Auburn Florida State Miami battle but if I had to not really guess but I'm really confident in this and I think Alvin Henderson's probably gonna end up picking Auburn um we ended up Landing Gerald Pringle who out of arm mod is one of the best running backs in the nation in my opinion it was really a big home run for us getting someone like Pringle in our running back room very early uh I think the staff is going to probably go after a running back with a little bit more size and weight under them so with that being said some other names to look out for is obviously Byron Lewis um out of American Heritage who Miami has done an excellent job keeping you know close relationship with that's more of a Florida State Miami battle uh you also have uh Shai Mills Knight um out of Tennessee who is um who was once a Canadian um whose uncle was Usain Bolt um so this is a guy that is 61 over 20000 pounds and can run with speed and drop the shoulder um the only problem with him him is he hasn't played much American football so I think the staff is going to continue to to do what they can to keep that relationship close and see how this senior year really works out for shakai up in Tennessee to really pull the trigger on him and then you have osme kruma um I believe he's from Le uh Georgia um he's another guy that's over 6' 200 pounds um he is trying to get to Miami this weekend it's not 100% certain that he is going to be here this weekend but he is a guy that Miami is continuously to look out for so as far as the running back position those are some names to look out um other than that there isn't really other names um I could say at this moment um um Gavin Nicks another linebacker from IM G is going to be visiting this weekend uh you ended up not Landing TJ Alfred out of Vero Beach who ended up committing to Ohio State last week um so that's gonna bring in some other linebacker opportunities to really focus on but again as we know recruiting is never over especially with guys that are committed to Ohio State so I wouldn't say that that Alfred commitment to Ohio state is 100% locked in we've been able to flip guys from Ohio State in past recruiting cycles and it wouldn't shock me if this happens again so just watch out for that uh to the end of of recruitment for him but man recruiting is going to continue to pick up I think the loafers will get put on probably once or twice in the next three weeks um you have a couple guys that I think they're going to really uh lock down some under the radar guys that will end up with time getting more rating you know to Luke nickel Derek plaz and some of these other guys we were able to lock down um so we'll see what happens man but as we know with Mario Chris ball at the head coach position you can never count us out in recruiting man so uh gear up and it's going to be a big one gear up for another show next Wednesday appreciate you all being here make it a point to be with us each and every Wednesday talking college football talking Miami football with all of you and uh yeah next show is uh any Challengers that want to take me on in trivia that's uh Thursday at noon eastern time over on the Big 12 Channel and uh otherwise check out the schedule we post it each and every day I can't keep up with it so I can't even remember what else is going on the rest of this week but we post the schedule uh each and every day Brad appreciate you being here man hope you have a great rest of your week and uh things are going well awesome man thank you as always Mark and uh we'll talk soon go kanes