NFL Draft

Everyone ready for round two?

No surprise, Cam Newton was snatched up in the first round, along with other standout players and a total of four quarterbacks in the first 12 drafts.

Now about halfway through round 2, the Hurricanes have their first drafted player, with offensive guard Orlando Franklin going to the Denver Broncos.

Who will go next? Miami has 12 players left, including kicker Matt Bosher, wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, and inside linebacker Colin McCarthy, who recorded 106 tackles in the 2010 season.

JIM LARRANAGA TO THE U?

George Mason’s Jim Larranaga- who gained nationwide attention for his pregame speeches during their magical run to the Final Four in 2005- is considered a serious candidate for the Miami men’s basketball job.

Larranaga is 61, and has been at George Mason since 1997.  This year, he led the Patriots, of the CAA, to a 25-5 record, an eight-seed in the NCAA tournament, and a first-round win over Big East powerhouse Villanova.

In his career, Larranaga is 470-334.  Before coaching at George Mason, Larranaga coached at Bowling Green for eleven seasons, and at American International, a D-2 school, for two years.

Personally, I think this would be a great signing.  My top choice is still Frank Martin, but Larranaga is a fiery guy, who knows how to get the most out of his players.  He’s incredibly experienced, and flat out knows how to win basketball games.  I’d be very happy with the hire.

Canes hold 2011 Spring Game

By DAVID FURONES 

The University of Miami football players received their final opportunity to compete and impress in the 2011 Spring Game on a cloudy, yet humid, Saturday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale’s Lockhart Stadium. 

The Green team defeated the Orange team 30-17 in the intra-squad scrimmage, but the final score was not what the Miami faithful took away from the game. 

For fans, it was a chance to grasp a lasting impression they will carry into the fall after an offseason that completely remodeled the coaching staff following the forgettable 2010 season. 

Several position battles, highlighted by the duel for the starting quarterback position between senior Jacory Harris and sophomore Stephen Morris, were proven to be highly contested Saturday. 

“I’m just going to keep working,” Harris says, “It’s like anything else in life. You have to compete for everything.” 

“It makes you go hard, makes you work hard in the weight room,” says Morris, “competition only brings good.” 

Offensively, Miami was most effective in the running game, particularly Lamar Miller. Miller utilized his 10 carries to total 166 yards and three touchdowns. In the passing game, Jedd Fisch drew up plenty of check down passes to get his quarterbacks comfortable and mixed in the occasional deep ball.

 The two quarterbacks, who were down wide receivers LaRon Byrd, Aldarius Johnson and Travis Benjamin, compiled decent completion percentages, but reminiscent of last season, did turn the ball over. 

Harris went 18 of 30 for 149 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions while Morris completed 14 of his 22 passes, threw a touchdown pass to Kendal Thompkins and also tossed two picks. 

“I thought the quarterbacks struggled,” says first year graduate student and Hurricane fan Brad Kenin. “They didn’t display good pocket presence.” 

Head coach Al Golden attributed the turnovers of the quarterbacks, who defenders were not allowed to make contact with, to the solid play of the defense. He did not name a starter for the fall.

 “That’s too far in advance. I just want to see them compete,” says Golden. “We’ll let them compete for the next 140 days and see who’s going to start.” 

“I think the coaching staff’s going to make a decision best for the team,” says former Cane quarterback Ken Dorsey, “and you can’t really lose with any of these guys.” 

The team’s defensive ends were strong while Sean Spence and Ray Ray Armstrong highlighted the day’s action behind them. Spence had an interception return for a touchdown that resulted in a bench clearing celebration at the field goal post that he deemed similar to that in the Florida-Georgia game in 2007. 

Reggie Wayne chats it up with fans after Saturdays Spring Game while Tapout gets free product placement.

 

Questions still remain on what the Canes will do at cornerback after losing seniors Demarcus Van Dyke and Ryan Hill and junior Brandon Harris, who decided to forego his senior year to enter the NFL draft. 

“You can’t replace those guys,” says Spence, “but I think guys are doing a great job of stepping up, taking ownership and playing their role.” 

Over a hundred football alumni filed onto the sidelines to watch their alma mater’s scrimmage. 

“It’s a special group,” says Golden, “that’s a family.” 

Thirty-three members of the 2001 Hurricanes, who brought Miami its fifth national championship in football, were honored at halftime. 

“It kind of makes me feel old,” says former Cane great and all-pro Minnesota Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie. 

The next game Cane fans can look forward to will kick-off the regular season in a Labor Day showdown in Maryland that will be aired on ESPN.

“We just have to beat up on each other during the offseason and make each other better,” says Lamar Miller.

Sighting of the Day

Jimmy Johnson was at the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame on Friday afternoon, watching “The U” documentary along with a handful of former players, Hall of Fame staff, and athletic staff alumni.

Johnson and others are in Coral Gables this weekend for the Spring Game that will take place on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium.

It was very strange to watch real life Jimmy Johnson watching on-screen Jimmy Johnson–who in turn, on screen, was talking about re-watching old clips of…Jimmy Johnson.

It was like being pulled into the matrix.  Except the blue pill was Jimmy Johnson’s eerily perfect hair.

Eichorst named Miami’s next Director of Athletics

The University of Miami announced who it hired today for the position of Athletic Director. It’s Shawn Eichorst, who was formerly Deputy Athletic Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His responsibilities under UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez consisted of serving as the Department’s COO, overseeing daily operations, legal affairs, trademark and licensing and merchandising.

Al Golden and Otter look a like…. no really

In honor of new head coach Al Golden, I’ve found a look-a-like for the new most popular man on campus…. “Otter” from the classic comedy Animal House.  You be the judge:

 

Player reaction to Haith departure…

Camped out for two hours outside Coach Haith’s office (with my sweet 11-yr-old daugther in tow..not exactly the fun off-day I had promised her)..here’s what I found out…

Haith met with his players from 3 to 4 p.m. in his office, and then met with his staff. Haith emerged from the player meeting red-eyed and in a somber mood, and several players said it was a very emotional meeting.

Asked if he could comment, Haith shook his head. “Can’t comment yet, tough day,” he said. He was scheduled to fly to Missouri Monday night on a private plane for the official announcement Tuesday morning, and return to Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

Junior center Julian Gamble led a team meeting after Haith left the room. He urged his teammates to stick together, and hang on to their goals for next season. Some players took the news harder than others.

“It’s really hard,” Gamble said. “It’s like losing a family member. Coach Haith has to do what’s best for him and his family, and you realize that basketball is a business. I wish him well and I’m going to be a Missouri fan as long as Coach Haith is there.

“I’m still in shock. I found out late last night. With social networking, it’s hard to keep anything a secret anymore. We all started calling each other when the news broke. We couldn’t believe it. None of us saw it coming. All we can do is stick together and stay focused and not let this distract us.”

Junior guard Malcolm Grant said: “I wish him all the success, but it’s really tough because he’s the reason I came here. Next year is my last year, and I wanted to have a great year for him. Now, I don’t even know who my coach is going to be. When Coach Haith walked out that door just now, it hit me, he’s not our coach anymore. That’s really hard to accept.

 “It was a very emotional meeting. You could tell it was really tough on Coach, he was very sincere, and he teared up a little bit. As a player, you start to look back and think, `I wish we could’ve won more games, because maybe then Coach would have stayed with us. If we would have got the job done, maybe he’d still be our coach.

“When I first got a call late last night, I thought it was an April Fool’s joke. But then I typed his name online and the news was everywhere. I know he wanted to be the first to tell us face to face, but with social networking, the news got out.”

Grant said he is committed to staying at UM, and figured most players would be, but he said all will depend on who gets hired.

“There’s definitely going to be an adjustment period, but our goals don’t change,” Grant said. “We have to use this as motivation. I’m definitely staying, and hope the younger guys do, too.”

Freshman Rion Brown is one of those younger guys. He said he was stunned by the news.

“One day Coach is texting us about our workouts, and the next he’s gone,” Brown said. “I hope he does great there, but I had a relationship with him, and he’s the reason I came here, so this hurts for sure. The meeting was emotional, and after we talked about sticking together. I just want to play college basketball, and hopefully, they’ll bring in another good coach. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, but for now, it just hurts.”

Shaka Smart To Stay at VCU

Well check one smart idea off the list.  Shaka Smart won’t be coming to Miami after he signed an 8-year extension to remain at VCU.  Smart lead VCU to the Final Four in his second-year in the job, and was reportedly offered the head coaching job at NC State, but decided to stay at VCU.

Frank Haith Leaving Miami for Missouri

Men’s basketball coach Frank Haith has agreed to become the next coach at the University of Missouri.  Missouri, who lost head coach Mike Anderson to Arkansas, where he got his start in coaching as an assistant and eventually a brief replacement for Nolan Richardson, had first targeted Purdue head coach Matt Painter.  Painter decided to stay at Purdue, and received an extension.

It is a bit surprising to see Missouri targeted Haith, especially considering they are coming off three consecutive NCAA appearances.  Haith has not lead Miami to the Big Dance in three consecutive seasons, and has come under fire and fans in Miami about his job security.  Possibly fearing that he was entering next season on the hot seat, coupled with the opportunity to coach a more established basketball team (plus the loss of athletic director Kirby Hocutt), Haith has decided to leave the Canes.

No word on any search or possible candidates for a new coach, but with Miami not having any athletic director at the moment, it may be a difficult search.  Expect VCU coach Shaka Smart to be atop the list of potential candidates.

UM Football Opens Up

The University of Miami football team opened its practice up to UM students and employees today. The practice was shortened due to storms in the area. Al Golden’s response? The team’s next practice…scheduled for Thursday…will also be open to students and employees.

In his first few months on the job Golden is making one thing clear: This is HIS team. This kind of access was unprecedented in years past, but it seems like the new staff is really making an effort to be open with fans, students, and media. He’s already made an impact on the program and I’m sure the new initiatives he’s putting in place (including a first annual Bone Marrow Drive next Wednesday in the UC Flamingo Ballrooms) will only continue. It’ll be interesting to see how this all translates once the season starts.

Note: The team is also auctioning off a chance for two fans to pick the rosters for the Green and Orange squads in April 16th’s Spring Game. Click here to check it out.