Per week earlier than the Miami Hurricanes are slated to start spring follow, Mario Cristobal misplaced one other assistant coach.
Defensive ends coach Rod Wright, a Houston native, left Miami’s teaching workers to turn into a defensive position coach with the NFL’s Houston Texans, in response to a number of reviews. But the Hurricanes could have a ready-made substitute for Wright already on workers.
The Hurricanes employed Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor as a defensive analyst final spring, and the Miami Dolphins legend drew rave evaluations throughout his first 12 months with UM.
“Jason Taylor has been great around the room,” defensive lineman Chantz Williams stated throughout final 12 months’s spring practices.
“Having him in the meeting room is a blessing. He’s a guy who’s made more plays than anybody here in the building, I feel. He gives us these tips that an old vet uses, and he’s allowing us to understand the game a whole lot. So having him around has really just been a great tool that we’ve used. And everybody goes to him, off the field, to ask him questions and stuff. He’s just always around, so it’s great to have him.”
The Hurricanes at present have a defensive-line coach, Joe Salave’a. Last season, Salave’a break up duties with Wright. But when the Hurricanes introduced Derek Nicholson’s hiring, changing former linebackers coach Charlie Strong, they introduced Nicholson as the within linebackers coach.
With Wright’s departure, Taylor may probably coach defensive ends and out of doors linebackers; he performed each positions within the NFL.
Miami’s defensive ends had been arguably the group’s strongest place group final season. Mitchell Agude, who’s trying to earn an NFL roster spot this offseason, had 39 tackles with 4 sacks. Akheem Mesidor, in his first 12 months with the Hurricanes after transferring from West Virginia, had 38 tackles and 7 sacks. Jahfari Harvey had 31 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
The Hurricanes additionally noticed promise from freshman Nyjalik Kelly, a Dillard High alumnus, who had 11 tackles and 4 sacks. Miami signed high-end defensive finish prospects Collins Acheampong, Rueben Bain and Jayden Wayne this offseason.
As a high quality management analyst, Taylor has been restricted by NCAA guidelines to how a lot he can instruct gamers and what he’s allowed to do. But the previous NFL star has teaching expertise in addition to expertise working with potential recruits, having spent 5 years teaching at South Florida highschool powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas (three seasons because the defensive position coach and two seasons because the defensive coordinator).
While teaching at St. Thomas Aquinas, he helped instruct a number of star gamers, together with Alabama’s Dallas Turner and Florida’s Tyreak Sapp, together with a number of different Division I gamers.
“Having him in the meeting rooms, out there at practice, he adds a lot to what we’re doing, obviously, at defensive end,” Miami defensive finish Jahfari Harvey stated final spring.
In addition to exhibiting he generally is a good coach, having Taylor on workers additionally introduced status to Miami’s prolonged teaching workers, as the previous Dolphins star’s identify has cache on account of his efficiency over his 15 seasons within the NFL.
“I mean, that’s another legend in the building,” defensive deal with Leonard Taylor stated within the spring. “And then he’s teaching me fundamentals, how to come off the ball and stuff. Just taking tips from him. He’s pushing me, too, a little hard. Good. He’s good people. So it’s good.”
Taylor even acquired a ringing endorsement from Wright final spring.
“It’s been a dream come true to be able to learn from him, to be able to talk to him, talk through things, and who he is as a person,” Wright stated.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com