Miami Hurricanes Roster 2019 Hurricanes Roster

Head Coach: Mark Richt        2017 Salary: N/A        Offensive Coordinator: Thomas Brown/Ron Dugans       Defensive Coordinator: Spence Nowinsky/John Hauser         

Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium       Surface: Grass        City: Coral Gables        State: Florida

Miami got off to a blazing start in 2017. They won they first 10 contests, most in impressive fashion. Key victories over Florida State, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech propelled them to the top of the playoff discussion. They had hopes to become the first ACC team to reach the playoff since Florida State. Their campaign came to a crashing halt with losses to Clemson and Pittsburgh. The Clemson contest was a small blemish, but an in-conference loss to Pittsburgh left the team with a measly Orange Bowl bid. Unable to overcome the defensive prowess of Wisconsin, the team ended their season on a 3-loss skid. Pumping the brakes on hype seems to be the talk around the squad this season as they see a top-25 bid from the pre-season rankings.

Miami starts their 2018 stretch with an out-of-conference clash with LSU. This contest will set the tone for this younger collection of athletes and will help sort out some of the questions faced heading into the off-season. Malik Rosier turns the tables on the quarterback position and is left with much to prove. A season of up-and-down play allowed for defensive penetration, rushed passes, and poor decisions. It is Rosier's job to lose, with a couple of talented prospects in the wings. Mark Richt has restored faith in Rosier and is backing him with a returning talent pool at the skill positions. Ahmmon Richards gains a full off-season of recovery. When Richards is full-go, he ranks as one of the nation's best receivers. Travis Homer keeps the consistency levels high in the backfield and Jeff Thomas adds another element of explosion to the talented receiving corps. If Rosier can keep his cool under center and build on the inconsistencies from a season ago, this offense could be ranked within the top-10 of CFB by the end of the season.

Favorable match-ups have the defense licking their chops. Amongst the opponents on the 2018 schedule, only one is within a touchdown of favoring victory. The offenses faced also consist of teams that are in rebuild mode, allowing for the Miami defense to target their focus areas. Last season, this security blanket was a turnover monster, limiting the opposition in total yards per contest and flying all over the field for pass breakups. Upfront, the core of starters must be replaced with new faces. Reaching to the linebacker core and secondary, this squad retains the mentionable pieces and players from last season. To offset the depletion upfront, the team will look to diversify their defensive settings. Heavy focus will be shown to edge rushing and blitz packages. Their greatest element of confusion is the consistencies shown in coverage, allotting most of their starters the ability to cover all skilled positions. This will be a security blanket will be a key contributor to stringing together wins in 2018.