Miami football is nearing the kickoff of its 2018 spring game and the Hurricanes have plenty of questions to answer. What are the five biggest?
Mark Richt is already making changes in Miami. The Hurricanes looked like a much bigger threat to the ACC crown than they did in the years leading up to his arrival. They were no longer a ‘potential is there, but substance is not’ program in 2017, leading to a 10-3 finish and a College Football Playoff-worthy start to the season.
The Hurricanes also reeled in the eighth-best recruiting class in the country in 2018 and second-best in the ACC, making them serious contenders to win the conference yet again. However, there are some major questions facing Miami in spring ball.
What are the five biggest questions facing Miami this spring?
5. Who’ll be the key replacements on the defensive line?
The defensive line will be experiencing major changes heading into the 2018 season as Chad Thomas, Kendrick Norton, R.J. McIntosh and Trent Harris are all gone, with two leaving early for the NFL draft.
That’s a combined 156 tackles, 42 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks lost from last season. If you’re talking about losing production, that’s some of the most lost of any position group in the country.
Who will replace these guys on the defensive line?
Joe Jackson will likely be the leader of the bunch as a junior, racking up 50 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2017. He could be one of the best defensive ends in the country and Jonathan Garvin could prove himself as a force as a sophomore end.
Keep an eye on Pat Bethel as well and incoming freshman defensive end Gregory Rousseau as they could add to the aggressive defense.