Competition Brewing And Young Players Stepping Up At Miami Hurricanes Spring Practice
Competitive battles have taken place between a veteran Miami cornerback and an early enrollee wide receiver.
When speaking to Miami recruiting target Jaylen "Hollywood" Bell this week, he told me what stood out to him most from Miami's practice last Friday were the battles between freshman receiver Joshisa "JoJo" Trader and veteran cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. "Iron sharpening iron" is the way he described it.
Porter was Miami's top cover corner last season. He earned an excellent 80.6 grade from Pro Football Focus and only gave up 9 receiving yards in 104 coverage snaps. Trader, meanwhile, was one of the top prospects in America out of Chaminade-Madonna HS in Hollywood, FL. In his first week of spring ball, JoJo has looked difficult to cover thanks to his quickness and variety of moves. Porter, for sure, gives him the toughest matchup. Seeing them go head to head in practice will make them both better. Competitions like this have not been frequent enough at Miami in recent years.
On my Locked On Canes Podcast, I sat down with Brad Tejeda from Canes Insight to talk about these and other notable standouts.
Others discussed:
-Early enrollee linebacker Cameron "Bobby" Pruitt is already earning praise from defensive coordinator Lance Guidry.
-Second year defender Malik Bryant, recruited as a 4-Star linebacker, might be shifting into more of an edge-rusher role. He excelled as a pass-rusher at Orlando Jones HS.
-In addition to JoJo Trader, other young receivers like Nathaniel Ray Ray Joseph, Robby Washington, and Ny Carr are also impressing in practice. Carr, like Trader, is an early enrollee freshman.
-Even though Miami is on spring break this week and there are no official practices, several players have made it clear on social media that they are still in the facility working. The next practice will be Tuesday, March 19th.
More: Miami's Offense: Three Objectives Through The Rest Of Spring Practice
