CLASS OF 2013

MY BREAKDOWN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI'S CLASS OF 2013
SIGNED

• Kevin Olsen- Arguably one of the best pro style quarterbacks in the class of 13'. Unfortunately since  he has been a solid commit since last summer people aren't to excited about him putting pen to paper as compared too some other players today, but they should be ecstatic. Brother of former Cane Greg Olsen, the 4* from New Jersey QB has a gun of an arm that will compliment the loaded depth of receivers in Stacy Coley, Herb Waters, Malcolm Lewis etc. Most likely red shirts.

• Beau Sandland- A 6'6" 255 pound JUCO, the first thing that comes to everyone's mind: Jeremy Shockey. Hopefully he can have the same impact and success as him, our TE game is obviously not one of our strongest fields per last year but Sandland will be an immediate factor in the Miami offense. Already a junior, he has to step up immediately no excuses. Hopefully Beau can be a new weapon we can use, especially in the red zone. 

• Sonny Odogwu- Odogwu was recruited by the most decorated coach at The U Art 5 rings Kehoe and if there is anyone I trust it is him. A lot of talk went on about Sonny saying who is this lineman from prep school and what not, but Kehoe targeted him for years. I'm confident Sonny will have a equal if not better career here at The U as compared to Denver Kirkland who was a 5*. While stars help us ranking players, they really have no telling of how the player is going to perform in college. So the 3* 6'8" 311 pound who is looking forward to playing here and being coached by Kehoe will have a good shot at holding down the O-line for the Canes.

• Al-Quadin Muhammad- AQM the #1 weak side defensive end in New Jersey impressed me at the Under Armour all star game a few weeks back. A nice sized DE with tremendous speed is what we are receiving with AQM who is going to play a huge factor in our pass rushing which is in desperate need of improvement. With him coming in with his speed, we might be able to move Chickillo to tackle and AQM at D end who is undeniably faster.

• Ray Lewis III- Small 5'9" 190 pound ATH son of Miami LEGEND linebacker Ray Lewis can play a few different positions (RB, WR, LB) but I highly doubt we see him on the defensive side of the ball. Not sure of the immediate impact he will have here at The U, he will have to develop a lot to stand out at the college level. For now, a special teams player IMO then we'll see in the coming years if he has that dog in him like his father does. Extremely happy to have him at Miami and following in his fathers footsteps, true CanesFam.

• Hunter Knighton- If Knighton wants to play offensive line he is going to need to put some more weight on. Due to the fact he has early enrolled into UM he will be able to train in spring ball and go through UTOUGH. No doubt he has athletic talents, watching his film he is quick on his feet and with his hand being able to get his opponent off him or keep them infront of him. Interested on how he develops through the spring and summer, I'll be watching him closely. 

• Ufomba Kamalu- Once again a lineman that not a lot of people know about. I can't stress enough that just because he is a 2* does not mean he is lacking an potential compared to players with more stars. Coming out of a Junior College in Kansas he has 2 years out of high school experience competing with other Junior College players. Coming into The U as a junior he is expected to get a good amount of playing time this year. Another quick D end that could take the spot of Chickillo so he can move to tackle, I see our pass rush improving tremendously this year.

• Jermaine Grace- BIG COUNTRY! The Miramar LB that Miami fans have had their eye on for a couple of years now has made it official he is going to be another star from Miramar High School that's gonna play for the Canes. The 6'1" 210 pound is the 17th ranked outside linebacker in the nation (per Rivals.com) and brings a lot to the table. I personally saw him play a few months ago against South Plantation and he is involved in every play. The one play to stand out to me is when he hit the newest Arkansas RB Alex Collins, he got in his face and had a few words to share with him after the play. Grace has the Swag that the University of Miami breeds, I cannot wait to see him in orange and green.

• Alex Gall- I. Love. This. Player. I have watched his highlight tape start to finish about 6 times and couldn't be more excited about him joining the Miami offensive line and being coached by Kehoe. Most likely won't be seeing the field to much as a freshman like Eric Flowers did due to the experience we have there now with Henderson, Linder and McDermott, but after he is able to develop under our staff he is going to be a brick wall impossible to get by. Coming from Ohio all the way down to Coral Gables to play for Golden over other top D1 schools, he came to compete and he came to win. Looking forward to seeing him play and also meeting him, seems like a down to earth guy.

• Alex Figueroa- I feel like people underestimate the power this kid has. Just by watching his highlight tape you can tell he is a mean player. The strength he possesses shows on the field, especially when he literally throws a blocker 5 years during a kick return. The outside linebacker coming in at 6'3" 215 pounds is going to be a bulldog on the field who won't take crap from anybody. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw him taking some time from E Johnson during the season, especially if he improves in the summer. I believe he's already playing high school football at a college level player.

• Augustus Edwards- The first player to sign on NSD it great news to wake up too. We recieved the #1 ranked fullback in the nation. Another player coming from the Northeast (Staten Island) came in as a late edition to the class, possibly because we knew there was a good chance Collins wasn't coming. With him and Duke in the backfield I see him getting those tough yards between the tackles like on 3rd & 2's. He's more of an athlete FB not a strict leading blocker, could use him in many play types, great pickup.

• Standish Dobard- This is what my father (@WILLDATHRILL)  calls a "Certified Cane" because of his loyalty to the program. Ever since his commitment months and months ago, he has expressed how excited he is to join The U. He has early enrolled so he will be able to train in the spring and go through UTOUGH which is important for many reasons, one being able to form an early bond with the team. Standish is from the swamps of Louisiana, just like Ed Reed, and comes in at 6'5" 255. I've been following him on Twitter for a while now and has often expressed how eager he is to make a difference on the team, he's the type of player we all want because he really bleeds orange and green. He's going to have plenty of competition with Sandland coming in and not sure if he will get much playing time this coming year, but it will make him better in the long run.

• Stacy Coley- So excited to see Coley play! Was really unsure about him coming to Miami, about 75% sure he was going to FSU but as soon as he put that SWAG hat on I knew he was coming to The U and obviously made the correct choice. Joining our elite line of WR's (Herns, Scott, Dorsett, Lewis) I see this freshman getting the most playing time out of all the new players. I spoke to him briefly on signing day and you can tell he's a well put together person, said he loved the staff at The U and couldn't wait to play. I spoke to people who knew him personally and watched him play his senior year and they said "On the field he is crazy, something clicks in head during the game and he can do anything". It shows in his highlight tape, confident he will be a star during his time at UM.

• Jamal Carter- Definitely a "Certified Cane" from Southridge High School in Miami. The 6'1" 175 pound safety had  73 tackles and 1 interception his senior year, he is the 21st ranked safety in the nation. I'm sure most of you have heard his interview on NBC where he is quoted saying "I'm going to Miami to put my city back on the map". This made me extremely happy, we are filling the backfield with players who are passionate about the program and want it to thrive greatness again. Jamal is fast and by watching him play you can tell he is a natural football player with instinct. Will join the line of great safety's to play at The U.

• Artie Burns- Adding the speedy corner from Miami Northwestern is making our defensive backfield a "No fly zone". Artie, Tracy, and Deon?! Now that's an impressive group. They are still young and need to develop but I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to be on our squad. Artie was ranked the 15th corner in the nation and coming from Northwestern one of the high school football powerhouses in Florida he knows what it takes to win.  Also a track star at the school, he has all the weapons he needs to be great. I expect him to get a decent amount of playing time this year.

• Devante Bond- Adding more depth at our LB position, 007 (Bond, double O seven) is coming in as a junior from Sierra Community College in California. Just like the rest of the JUCO's he is expected to play and make a difference right from the start. He is extremely explosive on the blitz and can get past the offensive line quick and tackle the quarterback, his last season he had 17 sacks, 77 tackles and 27 forced fumbles.

OVERVIEW

      Overall I am satisfied with the class of 2013, not an elite #1 class but all of our pick ups have great potential. Did it hurt not getting Matthew Thomas? Yes, there is no doubting that. But we have great depth at out LB position who will all compete to play and will bring out the best in him. Best of luck to Kirkland at Arkansas but losing him honestly did not hurt. He's just a big boy, watched him play multiple times and nothing that impressive. Bringing in Coley & Cristobal is going to make a hell of a difference in recruiting....next year. They came in too late this year to have the full effect of their power in South Florida. I can't wait for the 2013 season and most importantly GO CANES!! #CanesFam