Hilarious thread from a Miami standpoint because anyone who lives here understands that the Dolphins are the local team that annually fields players who can barely speak. It makes me cringe every time after the draft, wondering if that's an aspect the scouts prioritize. There was a related thread on the premier Dolphins message board a week or two ago, Finheaven. It was titled, "Plain truth...we have dumb players."
As other Canes posters have emphasized, Miami frequently recruits players who don't qualify but are accepted at other schools. It is an annual frustration on the Canes recruiting forums.
While Irish fans are scrambling to rationalize the defeat and some of them to knock the Miami program in the process, I'll let you in on a little secret that holds validity and not desperation: The Miami area is not strong in defensive tackle recruiting. It is an ongoing problem with few exceptions. Dade County has tons of running backs and receivers but virtually zero defensive tackles. Major topic on Miami message boards. Meanwhile the Canes in their heyday had freak defensive tackle talents like Jerome Brown, Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland, Warren Sapp, Vince Wilfork. They dictated play.
Over the past decade or more of huge dropoff in football fortunes that defensive tackle position has been awful. We miss out on one targeted defensive tackle after another. Finally this season the talent and depth at the position looked fortified better than at any point in the past 10-12 years. However, we lost a couple of guys to transfer prior to the season and now there is talk that either or both of the starters Norton and McIntosh will turn pro early after this year. I don't think they are ready, but who knows what they will think? Unless Richt can upgrade and maintain that interior talent the fast guys on the outside are not as relevant and the defensive uptick may be short lived.
Obviously the recruiting should really benefit this season, especially with Florida and Florida State struggling. Miami needs to pounce now.
