The Miami Hurricanes returned to the practice field Friday morning, refreshed, and welcomed a few special guests.
Incoming coach Mark Richt took his first look at his new players in pads. He walked onto Greentree Practice Fields an hour into the session and made a long study of his quarterbacks as they zipped passes to receivers.
Alongside him stood Isaac Nauta, the top-rated tight end in the country, according to a consensus of recruiting websites. A 6-foot-4, 235-pound five-star recruit who plays at Bradenton powerhouse IMG Academy, Nauta wasn’t considering Miami — until Richt took over.
Compared to last year, it is a much different postseason for Miami (8-4, 5-3 ACC), which held its first practice in preparation for the Dec. 26 Sun Bowl against Washington State. They entered last year’s Duck Commander Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., on a three-game losing streak Coach Al Golden’s team was desperate to avoid finishing 6-7. They went out losers.
Now, a well-known, highly respected coach is in town. Top recruits are taking notice. The Hurricanes are motivated for their first bowl win since 2006.
“It would mean a lot for us to turn that around,” sophomore running back Joe Yearby said after the practice, Miami’s first since beating Pittsburgh 29-24 on Nov. 27 to end the regular season. “It’d be the start of a new era.”
“Miami’s been known in the past for winning big games and postseason games,” sophomore quarterback Brad Kaaya said. “We have to bring that tradition back and hopefully, this starts it off for the next however many decades.”
Individual players have not met with Richt, who is focusing on recruiting until the NCAA’s mandated dead period begins Monday. He addressed the team last Friday, shortly after he was introduced as the 24th coach in program history. Yearby said one part of Richt’s message stuck with him:
“That he came here to win championships. It wasn’t about the money,” Yearby said. “It made me feel good, because I know he’s going to put his heart into it. He’s going to coach us with all the ability he’s got.”
For now, interim coach Larry Scott — and the rest of Golden’s former staff — remains in place. Several have met with Richt, but the coach has yet to name any assistant coaches.
Hurricanes players said it was paramount to finish strpmg for Scott, who has led UM to four wins in five games since taking over Oct. 25.
“We owe it to him for keeping us together,” Kaaya said of Scott. “He’s been huge for us, both on the field and off the field.”
Scott and other coaches visited recruits this week along with Richt. They planned to welcome at least five others to campus this weekend: quarterback Jack Allison (Palmetto High), linebackers Shaquille Quarterman (Orange Park-Oakleaf), Zack McCloud (Santaluces) and Michael Pinckney (Jacksonville-Raines) and defensive end Patrick Bethel (Vero Beach), all four-star recruits and January enrollees.
Allison, Quarterman and Pinckney plan to enroll at UM in January. McCloud, who decommitted after Golden was fired, announced his commitment Friday. Bethel, whose father, Randy, was a Hurricanes tight end, could commit as well.
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