1.  Jacoby Brissett – QB (4 Star)

6’ 5”

225 lbs.

4.5 40 Yard Dash

The Hurricanes have not technically missed out on Brissett who will announce his decision on Friday at halftime of his school’s basketball game.  Brissett has narrowed his choices down to Wisconsin, Miami, and Florida and the fact that the Hurricanes have no quarterbacks committed may bode well for them landing Brissett.  Also Brissett’s mom has said it will be difficult on her in Jacoby picked anywhere else other than Miami, so that could be the tipping point for the Hurricanes.

2. Bryant Dubose – DE (3 Star)

As of a few days ago the Hurricanes seemed to have a commitment from Dubose locked up, but at the last minute he switched his commitment and decided to attend Louisville.  He said that Miami was great, but that he was more comfortable at Louisville and it just felt right.

As a senior, Dubose was the Class 6A-5A-4A Defensive Player of the Year for Northeast after finishing with 60 tackles, 11 sacks and an interception.  As a junior he had 55 tackles and 13 sacks.  Considering his mom pushed hard for him to go to UM, and he is coached by former Hurricane Donnell Bennett it’s a bit of  a shocking loss.

3. Byron Moore – DB (4 Star)

6’ 1”

205 lbs.

4.5 40 Yard Dash

Moore was to be a Juco transfer, and visited the UM campus on 1/21/2011.  After the visit there was a strong indication that the Hurricanes would have a good chance to land Moore, but a few days before signing day Moore decided to commit to Tennessee.  Defensive back was a big need for the Hurricanes and they were counting on Moore to come in and compete for playing time early.

4. Marcus Jackson – OL (4 Star)

6’ 2”

315 lbs.

Jackson was a Hurricanes commit and even commented that his visit to the Miami campus on 12/19/2010 went really well.  Jackson opened his commitment back up after Randy Shannon was fired by the Hurricanes administration, and Al Golden spent a lot of time trying to bring Jackson back into the fold.  It did not work and Jackson ended up committing to the Tennessee Volunteers, the Canes are solid on the offensive line so it does not sting as much losing this recruit.

5. Eli Rogers – WR (4 Star)

5′ 10″

180 lbs.

Eli Rogers was a Miami commitment for months under coach Randy Shannon, but once Shannon was fired Rogers opened up his recruiting again.  That’s when the Louisville Cardinals made a hard push at Rogers and were able to land him and another former Miami commit Teddy Bridgewater out of the Hurricanes backyard.

Al Golden reviewed film of all the games last season and noticed over 60 dropped passes, he wants to change that and bring in play making wide receivers.  Losing Eli Rogers put a kink in those plans, but Golden was able to still get a few good ones.  This class would have been much better with Rogers in it rather than him over at Louisville under Charlie Strong.

6. Devin Lucien – WR (4 Star)

6′ 1″

189 lbs.

4.49 40 Yard Dash

When Al Golden took over he made a hard late push to obtain the services of Devin Lucien, and the former Michigan commitment was strongly considering the Hurricanes.  But being that Lucien lives in California he eliminated the Hurricanes because he did not want to stray too far from home, which is interesting because he was initially a Michigan commitment.

“It was getting that degree,” Lucien said. “It was also location, location, location.”  He eventually committed to UCLA who is getting a player in Lucien who had an outstanding senior season and lived up to his reputation as one of the West Coast’s best wide receiver prospects.

7. Kevin Sousa – QB (3 Star)

6′ 2″

213 lbs.

4.69 40 Yard Dash

Al Golden and company made a hard late push on Orlando, Florida Lake Nona High School quarterback Kevin Sousa.  Sousa originally committed to Michigan, and when Rich Rodriguez was fired he decided to commit to Wake Forest, and the Hurricanes felt they could convince Sousa that coming to the University of Miami was a better option for him.

In the end Sousa seemed to like the coaches at Wake Forest better, and gave a strong commitment to the Wake Forest community.  Sousa vowed that he will have Wake Forest competing for ACC Championships and that he would work harder than any quarterback to every play the school.  Sousa must really like the Demon Deacons he seems like he really wants to be there.

8. Ray Drew – DE (5 Star)

6′ 5″

243 lbs.

The Miami Hurricanes always had interest in Drew, but it was unclear where they really stood with him as time went on.  Drew prided himself on being unpredictable and moving to the beat of his own drum with his recruitment, that’s the way he liked it.  Drew, the state of Georgia’s best player and the nation’s ninth-ranked player, chose the Bulldogs over Auburn, LSU, Clemson and Miami. The Thomas County Central five-star defensive end, a 6-foot-5, 250-pounder.

The Hurricanes felt they made a good sell to Drew when he took a visit to Miami in January, but it was not enough to overcome the home state edge that the Georgia Bulldogs enjoyed with him.  Miami is okay with depth on the defensive line, but adding a player like Drew would have been huge.

9. Rashad Greene – WR (4 Star)

6′ 0″

175 lbs.

4.42 40 Yard Dash

Miami made jumped into the process of recruiting Greene hard in the weeks leading up to signing day, even after it seemed he was a strong Florida State commit.  The work almost paid off for the Hurricanes as Greene left his official visit and said that Miami gave him a lot to think about with his decision.  In the end Florida State was able to keep Miami from stealing Greene from them, and I think the allure of being in the #1 recruiting class in the nation has some sway in it.

10. Josue Matias – OL (4 Star)

Another Florida State commitment Josue Matias was recruited by current Hurricanes coach Al Golden when he was at Temple, and Matias was not interested.  When Golden became the coach at Miami Matias opened his ear to listen a little bit more, but was a strong Florida State commitment throughout the entire recruiting process.  Once Matias switched his commitment from Rutgers to the Seminoles he never wavered after that, he seemed to really click well with their coaching staff.

When Matias took a late trip to the University of Miami some thought that maybe he was going to be swayed at the last minute.  Many people knew that Matias was only visiting Miami to escape the frigid cold weather in New Jersey by taking a free trip to South Beach.

The Miami Hurricanes displayed a lot of potential and hope during the conference tournament last year, grabbing two upset wins and getting out to an impressive first half start against Duke before eventually going down to the Blue Devils. Miami only lost two starters from last year, and have quite a few new players that look to be sound contributors for the team this year.

The key for the Canes this season is to win more match ups against ACC opponents, as they finished with an ACC-worst 4-12 record in conference play last season. While the ACC is one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, Miami has the potential to finish high enough in the league to make a trip to the NCAA tournament this season.

Miami only plays one non-ACC game versus a foe that is ranked in the preseason, and that game comes early in the schedule on Nov. 16 at 19th-ranked Memphis. The Hurricanes could definitely use a victory in this game, but the most important thing for them is to not slip up against their other non-conference opponents. The ‘Canes finished last season with a 16-1 record in non-conference play, but most of those wins came against weak teams and led to them getting beat up in conference action.

Coach Frank Haith will look to Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant to help lead his inexperienced team in an effort to improve from last year. While they may not be in contention to win the ACC this season, they should play some fairly exciting basketball, as they have some of the most athletic players in the conference.

Front Court: Julian Gamble and Reggie Johnson will be depended upon pretty heavily this season when it comes to defense and rebounding, as they look to fill the void that was left with the departure of Dewayne Collins when he left for the NBA after last year. At 6’9″ and 6’10″, respectively, the duo is tall enough to match-up favorably against most of their opponents at the five. Both players need to make more of their shots this season, however, as Johnson shot 52% from the field last season, while Gamble only made 48% on his attempts.

DeQuan Jones is an extremely explosive forward with remarkable speed and athletic ability. He is best known for his ability to finish and his dunking skills, but he will need to improve on his outside shooting this season. He shot a horrid 23% from beyond the arc last season, making only 6 of his 26 attempts from long range.

Miami has Eric Swoope and Raphael Akpejiori joining their team this season. Swoope is another highly athletic small forward that will be competing with Jones for minutes all season at the three. Akpejiori, at 6’9″, should be a strong contributor when it comes to hitting the glass, and at 230 lbs, should be a fairly sound force down low against smaller interior players.

Donnovan Kirk will also be coming back to the ‘Canes after being receiving a medical red-shirt last year when he only played in four contests. He will need to help pick up some of the slack with rebounding on both sides of the court this season.

Back Court: Miami’s success this year largely depends on their back court, which is headlined by Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant. Both players are coming off brilliant performances in the ACC tournament, and the hopes are fairly high for them this year as they will be looked upon as leaders on the court.

Scott, a very impressive guard who is extremely athletic and very good at finding open shooters, will be the floor leader for Miami. Averaging 10.3 points per game last season, and scoring in double figures in eight of their final nine contests, Scott should raise his scoring average this year. Their success will not only ride on his scoring abilities, but also on how well he distributes the ball and his effectiveness at getting his team involved.

While Grant is smaller and shorter than Scott, he plays most of his minutes at the two. Although he was tops on the team with 3.5 dimes per game last season, he will need to concentrate more on scoring this season after putting up just under 10 points per night last season. If he can be a consistent point producer this season, the ‘Canes definitely could be one of the surprise teams to over-achieve their expectations.

Rion Brown will also play a key role in the Hurricanes back court. The freshman shooting guard from Georgia is a Top 100 prospect and should be extremely productive for the Canes if he can get on the court enough this season.

Predictions: The ‘Canes have some extremely talented players on their roster, but unfortunately for them they play in a very deep conference that features last year’s national champions, the Duke Blue Devils, who they go up against twice this year.

If they can get strong contributions from all of their players, they could move up the standings a position or two. However, I can’t picture Miami being able to make a jump into the top level of the ACC and finishing ahead of any of the four teams currently ranked in the Top 25 . While Miami could potentially be a bubble team late in the year if they have an impressive run during conference play, it is unlikely they will actually land a spot in the tournament when all of the smoke settles.

For your chance to beat the NCAA basketball lines this year be sure to visit our site often for the top college basketball picks from our expert handicappers.

By: Terrance Jackson

We all remember the look on LeBron James’ face when he walked off the court while shedding the Cleveland Cavaliers jersey for the last time after a 4-2 series loss to the Boston Celtics.

LeBron would then go on to make one of the most anticipated free agent moves in NBA history as he held his one-hour “decision” and told the world of his relocation to Miami.

After months of harsh criticism, the Akron native finally had the chance silence all the critics as the Heat opened their much awaited season with the “Perfect 10″(Wade 3, Bosh 1, James 6) against the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

This is the same team that caused the season to end for two of the Heat superstars when they beat D-Wade in the first round, then LeBron and his Cavs next.  This was the stage for the trio to flex their newly acquired muscle and shut up all the doubters in one fell swoop.  LeBron and Heat fans only wish that were the case, as the Heat lost to the Celtics 88-80 and looked bad doing it.

The game could not have started any worse for the Heat as they mustered only nine points in the first quarter and just 30 for the half.  Though the Heat cut the lead to just three with a little over a minute to go, the C’s proved to be more than enough to handle the Heat.

LeBron did have 31 points, but he also had eight turnovers and the other two superstars had terrible games as they combined for 21 points on 7-of-27 shooting.

LeBron quickly cited the fact that the Heat still have a long way to go to being a dominant team and D-Wade echoed the same point. So lets hold off the 72-win season talk for right now.

And what about the Cavs?

They were basically left for dead as they had no LeBron or Shaq and were left holding the bag. Cleveland, with new coach Byron Scott and highly motivated owner Dan Gilbert, looked to pick up the pieces.

I’m sure seeing the Heat taken down by the Celtics was better than a cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer day to the Cavs and their fans, but that same Boston team was coming to Cleveland and would, in all likely hood, do the same to the Cavs.

But that’s why they play the game.

The Cavaliers thanked the Celtics for sticking it to LeBron, then proceeded to shock the C’s by handing them a 95-87 loss.

The Cavs were lifted by the young and talented J.J. Hickson, who poured in 21 points as the Cleveland fans rejoiced.

I think this was the most important regular season win by any sports team since the 2006 Saints with the reopening of the Superdome.
Which game was more significant?
The Heat loss The Cavaliers win Submit Vote vote to see results

With all of that being said, reality will bring Cleveland and its fans back to earth in the near future. This was a great two days, but the fact of the matter is they will not be a great team this season.

Yeah, they may make the playoffs (which is not that hard to do in the East), but they will not be around come June. As much as the fans in Cleveland want it to be true, no team that loses LeBron James gets better or stays just as good.

They will lose many more games than they are used to and the Heat, despite their loss to the Celtics, will win a ton of games and be first or second in the East.

LeBron James will most likely get the last laugh in this game, as the Heat are much better than what they showed against the Celtics and will be a force in the East and challenge for a title.

The Cavaliers will not be as good as they were against Boston, and will be around the bottom of the East fighting for a playoff spot.  The Celtics were sick of hearing about the Heat and their superstars and LeBron James, so they were extra hyped to shut up the Heat and gave them their playoff best.

On the other hand, the Celtics were not expecting to have trouble with the Cavs and looked to sleepwalk through the game.  Cleveland was looking to make a statement as the crowd was cheering like it was Game 7 in the NBA Finals.  They wanted to prove they did not need LeBron and gave the zombie-like Celtics all they had.

The Heat bounced back with a win vs. the 76ers and look to be fine. Common sense tells you that the Cavs will not be winning 60 games again this season.

So one game, as big as it may have been, will not tell the story for the rest of the season. And reality will hit the Cavs like a heavyweight prize fighter and hurt some feelings. But if I was a Cavaliers fan, I would feel good about what happened.

It’s funny, LeBron left Cleveland to join the Heat to beat teams like the Celtics and even with his new superstar teammates loses to the same team that knocked him out last year.

Meanwhile, the team James left gets a win against the same Celtics team without him.  Call it poetic justice, irony, karma or just luck.  Bottom line, the city of Cleveland hasn’t had much to smile about these past months, so I say enjoy it, Cleveland.

When you go to bed tonight you should rest easy because your team, for however short a period, is No. 1.

This Saturday, the Florida State Seminoles will host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons—a team that has handed the ‘Noles three losses in the past four years, including the last two in Tallahassee (30-0 in ’06, 12-3 in ’08).

The Wake Forest offense employs a complicated misdirection scheme that forces defenses to play assignment football—the precise type of defense that the ‘Noles haven’t been able to play this decade.

The real threat to FSU’s defense is senior running back Josh Adams.  He’s had a very slow start, rushing for only 69 yards on 18 carries.  He’s also been overshadowed by the play of redshirt freshman running back Josh Harris (139 yards, two touchdowns).

Adams seems to show up and play the game of his life when it’s against FSU.  Adams had two rushing touchdowns last year versus the ‘Noles.

The Demon Deacons weakness thus far has been the pass defense.  They’ve given up 882 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air.

Worse, their red zone defense has been embarrassing.  Wake’s opponents are a perfect 13-for-13 inside the 20-yard line, including 12 touchdowns.

It looks like FSU should cruise to an easy win.  Season statistics, however, never seem to equate to victories in this series.  Wake Forest has won their last two meetings against the Noles in what were horrible performances by the Seminoles offense, one a 30 – 0 drubbing and the other a 12 – 3 win over the Seminoles.  Florida State will look to change that pattern, and for all intents and purposes they should.

Final Score – Florida State 42, Wake Forest 24

Pitt Panthers vs. Miami Hurricanes

The No. 19 Miami Hurricanes blow into Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA to take on the Pitt Panthers in an ACC versus Big East matchup this Thursday night with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Miami Hurricanes (1-1) are coming off of a bye week in which they had time to recover from a very physical 36-24 loss to No. 2 Ohio State on Sept. 11 which saw a mistake filled performance from the Hurricanes. They will look to clean up their act against a Pitt team that does not present nearly as many challenges as the Buckeyes did.

Pittsburgh (1-1) are coming off a bye week as well after pounding out a 38-16 win over New Hampshire two weeks ago. This game followed a bitter opening day 27-24 OT loss to Utah that knocked the Panthers from the ranks of the top 25. Pittsburgh was an underdog coming into the Utah game despite being ranked No. 15 at the time.

The Panthers are led by QB Tino Sunseri, who has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 459 yards and three TD’s this season.  Running Back Dion Lewis has been the workhorse for the Panthers, leading the team with 35 carries for 102 yards.  Expect Pitt to try and establish the run early in this game in order to open up some opportunities for Sunseri to take a few shots deep downfield.

The Hurricanes and Panthers are old conference rivals from their days in the Big East, but they have not met since 2003 because of Miami’s move to the ACC.  In their last meeting Miami came away with a 28-14 win against the Panthers.  The Panthers defense will have to keep this game close by keeping pressure on  Harris, and may find some success early with one of Miami’s offensive lineman Joel Figueroa possibly not playing on Thursday.  Expect the Hurricanes to bottle up Lewis and force Tin Sunseri to beat them with his arm, and the Miami offense will break through in the second half to put this game away.

Final Score – Miami 31, Pitt 20

Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats

The ninth-ranked Florida Gators have won the last 23 meetings with the Kentucky Wildcats and they will try to continue that run in SEC play this weekend in Gainesville.  The Gators enter the weekend a perfect 3-0 and that takes into account a 31-17 victory at Tennessee in last weekend’s SEC opener.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, are also 3-0 on the young season, as Joker Phillips is the first Kentucky head coach to capture his first three contests on the job since Bear Bryant did so in 1946. Kentucky hasn’t exactly been tested yet, but the team has taken care of business, including a 47-10 victory over Akron last weekend. The Wildcats, though, now turn their attention to an always tough SEC schedule and they are seeking their first league opening win since 2007.

Kentucky has gone over 200 rushing and 200 passing yards in each game this season, so balance has played a big part in this group’s success.

Defensively, the Wildcats have also been good, although they could use a little more turnovers, having forced just four. The unit, though, has limited opponents to just 257.7 total ypg and that includes only 109.7 ypg through the air.

The Gators haven’t been all that impressive on offense this season, averaging a modest 319.0 total ypg, but they have come up with the big plays when needed. QB John Brantley hasn’t exactly flourished and has thrown for a mere 452 yards through three games. He has yet to be picked off though and has a string of 140 consecutive passes without an INT dating back to 2008.

The defensive side of the ball is where Florida has really stood out, limiting challengers to 276.7 total ypg, including just 92.3 ypg on the ground. The unit has also been opportunistic, forcing 12 turnovers, with 10 coming on INTs.

The Gators came up with three takeaways, including two INTs, in the win over Tennessee, which managed only 11 first downs. Florida stuffed the run, allowing just 29 yards on 23 carries, while bringing the pressure with six sacks.

The Wildcats are enjoying a nice start to the season, but they have yet to face an opponent that is close to the level of Florida. The Gators should be able to control the game with their defense, while the offense comes up with enough key plays to take the victory.

Final Score Florida 31, Kentucky 13

The Miami vs. Ohio State game is fast approaching, the months of debating are about to come to an end.  Fans of both teams have been going at each other for nearly a year over this game, and there have been very good discussions along with heated ones on both sides.  One of the biggest discussions has been which team has the better quarterback between Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor and Miami’s Jacory Harris. This match up could be the deciding factor in the game.

Let’s break down both quarterbacks and let the fans of each debate state the reasons why their guy is superior, or why they are even.  This game is going to come down to which guy can control the other team’s defense, so it is probably the single biggest factor in determining the outcome of the game.

Terrelle Pryor, 6’6” 240 lbs.

2009 Statistics:

Cmp/Att Cmp% Yards TD INT Rating

167/295       56.6     2,094   18    11    128.9

Terrelle Pryor is the fastest player on the Ohio State football team, and he is not a bad weapon to have running your offense.  Pryor runs a 4.33 40-yard dash and is 6’6”, 240 lbs. He is a formidable opponent to deal with.  Looking through all of Pryor’s game stats over the last two seasons, what stands out the most is his completion percentage in 2009. It ranged from a low of 38.5 percent to a high of 82.4 percent, with many games hovering in the 40 to 50 percent area.  That is a large range that shows why people knock Pryor, but at the same time why they see potential for him to do big things.

Pryor is safe with the ball, does not turn it over much, and was very efficient managing the offense last season.  Pryor’s biggest asset is his ability to run with the football, where he totaled over 700 yards on the ground last season.  Some would bring in the Michael Vick argument: Is he a running back moonlighting as a quarterback?  Doug Flutie said on ESPN Radio that Pryor is good, but he is not convinced that Pryor can make tough throws when the receiver is not wide open.

OSU fans point to the definitive game against Oregon as proof of Pryor’s newfound passing abilities. He did have a decent game against the No. 44 passing defense in the nation, but is that enough combined with his performance against Marshall to prove that he has taken the next step?

Jacory Harris, 6’4” 200 lbs.

2009 Statistics:

Cmp/Att Cmp% Yards TD INT Rating

242/406       59.6     3,352    24    17    140.1

Jacory Harris is listed at 200 lbs., but he is probably closer to 190 pounds when he steps on a scale.  He is not physically imposing like his counterpart on Saturday, and this leads some to question his durability as a player.  Looking at Harris’ statistics from 2009, his completion percentage ranged from 36 to 80 percent with an average sitting in the 50 to 60 percent range.

The eye popping stat with Harris is his 17 interceptions. He led the nation in that category, but Harris had four 300-yard passing games while Pryor had none.  Harris does not run with the ball, nor does he have any inclination to run with it. On the flipside, running is a major part of Pryor’s game.  To illustrate that fact even more, Harris posted negative rushing yards in every game except one last season, and in that game he had zero yards rushing.

Harris is a passer, and will string out a play to the last minute in an attempt to make that last-minute throw down field.  While that may be a redeeming quality in many situations, it has worked to his detriment at times as well.  Harris’ refusal to scramble when it is there in front of him has caused defenses to adjust and stay back on receivers knowing Harris will try to force it in there at times.  This is an area where Harris will need to improve if he is to limit the number of interceptions to an amount lower than he had last year.

Based on the statistics you could say Harris is a better quarterback, but if you take everything into account then you can make the argument that Pryor has won more games and his running ability makes him more dynamic.  Miami fans believe Pryor has made no progress, and the Oregon game was an aberration against a weak defense.  Ohio State fans believe that Jacory Harris will throw the ball to the other team, and that Miami’s offensive line lacks the ability to protect him.

We have two good quarterbacks here, and reasons why both could be considered better than the other one.  Rather than laying everything out on the table here, the fans can debate the finer points between the two.  Everything should be revealed on Saturday after the head-to-head matchup and the argument can be settled then, but spirited debate is what makes sports great.

Beason played his college football at the University of Miami. He began his career at fullback but shifted to linebacker as a red shirt freshman. During his career he collected 187 tackles, three-and-a-half sacks, and one interception. He majored in sports administration.  Beason also garnered the nickname “The Beast” from his playing days at Miami, and his exploits as a part of the “7th Floor Crew” who were best known for taking in the full college experience on the 7th floor of Mahoney Hall at the University of Miami.

He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1st round of the 2007 NFL Draft with the 25th pick. He still plays for the panthers today and has accumulated over 400 tackles during his NFL Career.  In 2008 Beason was selected to his first pro-bowl and was also an NFL All-Pro selection; he recorded 138 tackles and three interception during that season.

Here are a few excerpts taken from (www.beason52.com):

The NCAA banned college coaches from text-messaging recruit back in 2007 because of the potential cost to a student athlete who did not have an unlimited text messaging plan.  This has become a growing problem because the NCAA was asleep at the switch when text messaging became a primary means of communication in this country.  The Miami Hurricanes have self reported several texting infractions in several sports, Football, Track, and possibly baseball.

Personally the fact that a team can be put on probation for text messaging is fairly dumb; these kids should not be communicating with coaches directly in the first place.  This is no different than a player giving his cell phone number to a girl that is pursuing him and she texts him until he is out of messages, he gave her the number so it is his responsibility to tell her to stop.  In most of these cases the parents of the recruit are paying for the phone anyway, so why would the parents not pick up the phone and say “coach Shannon the text messages need to stop we can’t afford them anymore.”

It should stop right there Randy Shannon like any other coach does not want to piss of a potential recruits parents, instead though the NCAA makes a monolithic rule with unrealistic expectations.  What if the recruit initiates contact with the coach via text message is it permissible then?  What if the recruit has an unlimited texting plan, and prefers the text communication over talking on the phone?  When you make a blanket rule it leaves almost no flexibility for those who do want to take advantage of the technology.

I am sure Ohio State and Florida fans are waiting for the opportunity to jump on this topic, especially Florida with their $100k scandal several months ago.  This is a non issue; yes there were a few teams who landed on probation for text messaging, and another team gave up one scholarship and reduced a few campus visits.  In the end it’s all one big smoke screen the NCAA does not have a handle on anything these days, and they know their only weapon is making examples out of big time programs and hope that everyone else falls in line.  That is why there are so many schools self reporting violations now, almost every day you see another school mentioned.  When the NCAA put the screws to USC it put every other school in panic mode.

Miami still has hardly had any players arrested under Randy Shannon, and if Florida, or any other school’s fans want to compare “transgressions” over the last four years then that’s a challenge we can take.  I saw another ignorant comment from a Florida fan on the article,

“Funny. Reading UM fans’ posts on here through the last couple of years one would think that Randy Shannon’s program is the cleanest in all of college football.

Go figure.”:

Is he serious?  “Text messaging” is considered dirty?  I am sorry last time I checked $100k was not being sent over text to prospective or current players.  This is the dumb game schools have to play with the NCAA, this is just another example of the bigger problem in college football.  That is a different article for another day.  Back to the NCAA’s verbiage on this rule, “The NCAA website notes that “evolving technology presents unique challenges in recruiting. . . . Schools cannot text prospective student-athletes at any time, but they can e-mail during permissible contact periods. Schools can do so even from social media platforms such as Facebook. . . . All other electronically transmitted correspondence including, but not limited to, text messaging, Instant Messenger, chat rooms or message boards [e.g. a user's wall] within a social networking Web site or through other services or applications remain impermissible. . . . Tweeting is permissible as long as coaches are not using it to contact individual prospective student-athletes and are abiding by the standard recruiting rules.” (www.miamiherald.com)

That is the one of the vaguest explanations of a rule I have ever read in my life.  They say emailing even through Facebook is okay, but posting on the athletes Facebook wall is not okay?  That makes absolutely no sense at all, if the NCAA had a clue they would realize that many people have smart phones and emails to their Facebook or email accounts show up on their phones.  Theoretically this is texting, and tweeting is okay as long as they do not contact the student athlete.

Okay, so I am Joe coach I setup a Twitter account, and I ask Rob Blue Chip to follow me on Twitter.  He sets up his smart phone to receive Tweets as text messages, and once he follows me I Tweet “boy Rob Blue Chip would look great in a Hurricanes uniform”.  This message was posted to my Twitter account, and since the recruit is following me he gets a TEXT on his phone.

I can sit here and shoot holes in the NCAA’s texting rule all day, but I won’t.  As for the Miami Hurricanes they know that the NCAA and other schools would love to see them get in trouble.  People feel that Miami is making a comeback, and another set of violations could set the program back several years.  That is not going to happen these are mostly considered secondary violations unless they sent thousands of text messages to prospective recruits, which does not seem to be the case.  This only made news because it was Miami, no money exchanged hands and no bounties were paid the Hurricanes will self impose new policies and the NCAA will be pacified enough to leave them alone.  If the Hurricanes do slip up and get caught texting recruits again, then they may not be able to put off the NCAA next time.  The school has imposed tougher internal polices although it has not been disclosed exactly what those are.

There have been many conversations about how the Miami Hurricanes will finish this year, and the lines are fairly well divided.  Hurricane fans are very optimistic about the potential this upcoming season will bring, but of course all the other naysayers seem to doubt what the has been assembled down in Coral Gables.

The Atlantic Coast Conference preseason picks were voted on by media members, and they picked the Hurricanes to finish second in the Coastal division.  The Media members of course picked Virginia Tech to win it’s fourth ACC title in only it’s seventh year as a member of the ACC.  I think these media members felt that they can’t go wrong by picking Virginia Tech, they always have a solid team and have a very good team returning led by Tyrod Taylor.  The Hokies have never been able to win the big game when it counted, the Hurricanes on the other hand have slowly been returning to form and media members are not ready to jump on the bandwagon yet.

When you break it down the Coastal is really a two horse race this year.  Miami and Virginia Tech are the only two teams with a “Viable” chance to win the Coastal Division.  Duke and Virginia we can go ahead and toss out of the race those teams are still behind the curve in talent and ability to make any ripples in the conference.  North Carolina was not that good last year, going 4 – 4 in the ACC, and 8 –   5 overall the Hurricanes had no business losing to the Tar Heels last year.  I think Miami gets it right this year, plus with all the shady business hanging over North Carolina’s football program right now they may be in for a long season.

Georgia Tech lost Demaryius Thomas and Jonathan Dwyer, so the only returning player from their big three is Josh Nesbitt.  He won’t have an explosive receiver like Thomas on the outside to make enough big plays to keep teams honest against the options.  Couple that with   losing the speed and power of a Jonathan Dwyer and  giving ACC defenses a third year to look at this offense, and they will have a hard time threatening for the Coastal Division title.

It has been well chronicled why Miami is going to have a good season, so we will talk about why the Hokies will finish in second place.  People will look at Miami’s loss to Virginia Tech last year and say there is no way they beat the Hokies this year.  You can’t blame it on the weather or anything like that, Miami just failed to show up for that game.

Pride will win out this year, and comparing the two quarterbacks Harris is a much better passer than Tyrod Taylor which will help provided the Hurricanes stick to the running game.  The Hokies defensive line won’t have the same success they had last year, they will still be able to pressure Harris somewhat.  Miami will play smarter this time, and have a game plan to account the pass rush.  Looking at the stats Taylor only threw for 98 yards on four completions, Virginia Tech ran the ball well, but that was really it.

Most of their points came off of Miami mistakes, if the Hurricanes limit the turnovers and run the ball with authority.  The defense will be more than sufficient to shut down Taylor, they just need to worry about stopping the running game.  Looking at it closely if Miami takes care of the ball I do not see where the Hokies are going to get enough points to beat them.

Miami should win the Coastal Division without much of a fight, if they get past Virginia Tech none of the other teams are really built to win right now.  Unless Paul Johnson comes up with replacements who are Dwyer and Thomas’ caliber they won’t’ have enough to win it either.  Miami should have been the team voted to win the Coastal, but let the Hurricanes play the underdog role where they have always been successful.

Miami quarterback Jacory Harris has brought a winning mentality from his High School program, and you can start to see his influence positively affecting the team. There is still a lot of work to do, and Harris needs to solidly make this “his” team next season at all costs.  Harris is now fully recovered from a thumb injury that plagued him all season last year, the problem was fixed with off season surgery.  Harris is now ready to participate in all practice drills in preparation for the 2010 season.

Miami made strides last year, but still under performed based on their schedule. Jacory Harris is one of the key parts of this team, and will have to perform if the team is to be successful next season. The Hurricanes have lofty goals, ACC championship, and an outside hope at playing for a National Championship. With Harris on many preseason Heisman watch lists, expectations could not be higher.

Continuing with the list of the 50 Greatest Miami Hurricanes, we have Kenny Phillips up next at #49.  Phillips ultimately chose to attend the University of Miami over Tennessee, Florida State and North Carolina State.

In his freshman year, Phillips was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team after starting 11 games at free safety. He ranked third on the team with 93 tackles (58 solo), recovered two fumbles, broke up four passes and recorded one interception. Phillips interception came against the Clemson Tigers in triple overtime and sealed the win for the Hurricanes.

As a sophomore, Phillips was named to the All-ACC 1st Team and 2nd team All-American by Rivals.com. He started 10 games out of 10 at strong safety, missing only three games due to a torn ACL. He ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 71 total, broke up six passes, and recorded four interceptions. Phillips earned “ACC Defensive Back of the Week” honors for his play against Duke in which he tied a University of Miami record with three interceptions in one game.

Phillips was also named to the 2006 All-ACC Academic Football Team.  As a junior, Phillips was named to the All-ACC 1st Team for a second straight year, and 2nd team All-American for a second straight year. He started 12 games out of 12 at safety. Phillips ranked second on the team with a career high, 95 tackles(69 solo), made 6.5 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles, broke up five passes and intercepted two passes.

Phillips played during a “down” time at the University of Miami, Larry Coker was driving the program into the ground at the time.  Phillips was one of the bright spots that showed Miami could still get the top talent in the country, and have them actually live up to expectations on the field.  Phillips was drafted in the first round with the 31st overall pick by the New York Giants in the 2008 NFL Draft, he is currently still playing for the Giants.