Around ACC Spring Football: Miami

Editor’s note: This is the eighth of an 11-part series looking around ACC football this spring

This time last year – Al Golden was coach of the Mid-American Conference’s Temple Owls.

Now, he’s coaching the five-time national champion Miami Hurricanes that haven’t tasted greatness (10 wins or more) since 2003.

Coaching Miami comes with expectations and even an alum (Randy Shannon) was fired after three straight bowls, which makes this transition year important for developing players in his system.

Golden has a stable of running backs – having the problem coaches across the country would like in how to divvy up the carries.

After that, a QB competition is brewing between a senior and a sophomore, finding a top target for either QB is the next priority, and of course, the whole bringing in a new offense factor.

Defensively, Miami’s main weakness comes on the corners with experience lining the front-seven.

All-ACC kicker/punter Matt Bosher is gone too, leaving the ‘Canes in the position of finding a new placekicker for the first time in almost 40 games – over 50 at punter.

More on the Hurricanes...

Miami

Returning Starters by Position

Offense (6)

QB: 1 (15 career starts)

RB: N/A

WR: 1 (16 career starts)

O-line: 4 (56 career starts)

Defense (7)

D-line: 3 (36 career starts)

LB: 2 (41 career starts)

DB: 2 (42 career starts)

Kicker/Punter (2)

PK: N/A

P: N/A

Outgoing Starters: 11

2010 Record: 7-6 (5-3 ACC)

Offensive Leader: QB Jacory Harris? – Harris was supposed to be a top tier QB in his second season in command of the Hurricanes’ offense last year, but it just never developed and an injury put him on the bench for the back end of the regular season. A rough bowl performance didn’t help his status as leader (3 interceptions), but the senior has the second-most starts of any returning offensive player coming back on Miami.

Defensive Leader: LB Sean Spence – Coming off a 110 tackle (16 for loss) season, the 2010 2nd-team All-ACC LB is gunning for being the ACC’s best at his position and getting national recognition.

Key Issues This Spring: 1) Harris or Morris? – The turnover-plagued senior Jacory Harris is on his third offensive coordinator in four seasons with true sophomore Stephen Morris on his heels this spring. If first spring impressions mean anything, it’s going to go down to the wire. In the first Miami scrimmage, Harris produced a 14/21 for 120 passing yard and two touchdown day, while Morris put up 93 passing yards and two touchowns as well.

2) Sharing the carries – Miami has three talented backs in Mike James, Storm Johnson and Lamar Miller that Golden and new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch have to work with. The Hurricanes divided 34 carries between the three for over 200 yards in scrimmage number one.

3) Finding next great cover corners – Miami is a DB factory for the NFL and they will send at least one more there this season, but that leaves a patchwork of replacements from fifth-year seniors to freshman to running backs turned DBs. With the safeties set, linebackers anchored by Spence and d-line returning three starters – the right mix at cornerback could make life easy for a first year staff at Miami.

More Around ACC Spring Football

Boston College

Florida State

Maryland

NC State

Wake Forest

Duke

Georgia Tech