DC Kevin Steele likes the buy in from the Hurricanes this spring

Miami Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele likes the progress from his group during the course of the spring, but he makes it clear there is still plenty more room for growth.

Steele is taking over a Miami defense that allowed 28 points per game and 389 yards per game in 22021. The Hurricanes were ranked as the worst tackling Power Five team in the country as well.

While there are still plenty of techniques and fundamentals to clean up between now and the start of the 2022 season, Steele has been pleased with how the players have bought into his system and the way of doing things.

“We asked them to buy in, give Relentless effort, be physically and mentally tough, and be good tacklers,” Steele said. “The next step is to be a smart, fundamentally sound football team. They have come to work every day and they have done what we’ve asked them to do. They are still a work in progress, but that is why we have practices. We don’t kickoff Tomorrow. We are energized about where we are, but we are not satisfied about where we are. We have a long way to go. ”

Miami will hold their annual spring game this Saturday at DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at noon. Steele is excited to see his side of the ball compete in that setting.

“We want to see the guys play together as a unit,” Steele said. “It’s about Relentless effort, physical and mental toughness, and tackling. We are a new staff, so we are not going to open up the playbook and put our Scouting report on the TV. We are going to leave a little figuring out what we are and who we are. That will be a little challenging, but you bite your tongue and keep it moving. ”

Read on for more news and notes from Tuesday’s practice.

News & Notes

– VIP Live Updates from spring practice No. 13.

– VIP Observations from spring practice No. 13.

– Early enrollee LB Wesley Bissainthe has made a strong first impression on the defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele. “We are not pouring tons of playbook information on him, but we are putting the components and exposing him to the compartmentalized components of the defense, so that when we go into the fall camp we can expand it… Like any young guy, he at first had big eyes, but he is a smart guy and he works at it, so he is growing and he does not look like a freshman right now. ”

– Bissainthe has gained weight from 192 pounds to 205 pounds since arriving at UM and he hopes to get to 215 pounds by the start of the 2022 season.

– Bissainthe says they have earned some first-team reps at both strong-side and weak-side linebacker this spring.

– LB Waynmon Steed is also impressed by Bissainthe: “He is physical and he has a nose for the ball. Wherever the ball is, he is there. He is going to be a big time guy. ”

– Steele admits that CB Isaiah Dunson has been a surprise during spring football: “He has ice water in his veins, which you have to have when you are on that island out there. He has been very focused and done a nice job. ”

– Steele says he is pleasantly surprised by the cornerback position group overall: “One of our better positions depth wise and player wise with the progress we have made this spring.”

– RB Henry Parrisha South Florida native that played at Columbus High School, transferred from Ole Miss, following a running back coach Kevin Smith to Miami. Parrish shared what it is like learning under Smith: “He is about details, execution, and performance. He is on me about the same things and coaching me hard. ”

Parrish on how his experience in the SEC will help him at Miami: “In the SEC, it’s a lot of big, fast guys. I feel like coming down to the University of Miami, it is not Harder, but I would say I can move around more and be more explosive in the run game and pass game. I can be free and just go out there and play. ”

– Parrish admitted that he wanted to go to Miami out of high school in the 2020 class, but the interest from the Hurricanes came too late in the process. “I wanted to, but they didn’t offer me til my senior year,” Parrish said. “It was hard to not get a scholarship til I was a senior… that was a bit strange for me. I just made up my mind. ”

– DL Jake Lichtenstein, a South Florida native that transferred to Miami from USC, has played defensive tackle for the Hurricanes this spring after playing both on the edge and inside for the Trojans. Lichtenstein says he has enjoyed playing in Steele’s system at defensive tackle thus far: “His defense is very hard nosed for the defensive tackles. You have to stuff it inside and be quick with our movements. Don’t necessarily engage with your guy, try and get around them by using your footwork and use your hands a lot. ”

– Lichtenstein admitted that Thomas Davis has been more impactful this spring than he expected. “That is a guy that has really emerged in the spring,” Lichtenstein said. “I am not going to lie, he was a little questionable to me in the winter workouts, but he has impressed the heck out of me. He comes off pretty hard and he has Bend to turn the corner. He is going to be a great pass rusher for us. ”

– Lichtenstein is what they want to show in the spring game: “Effort and that I can stop the run. If you can’t stop the run, the defense is never going to do anything. Be tough in there and have a gap Integrity. ”

Steed was primarily playing a weak-side linebacker in 2021 and he has moved to the middle linebacker spot in Kevin Steele’s defense. He spoke about the differences in the roles: “It is the same thing as WILL, but I am in the middle of the defense now and you just have to call the shots and be more vocal out there. You just have to be more vocal at MIKE. ”

– Steed is confident the UM run defense is improving this spring: “We are looking way better against the run. We have a different scheme that we are running to stop the run and we are looking forward to big time things now. The way we take on blocks and the way we finish tackle [is different]. They are putting a big emphasis on that. ”

– Steed on RB Thad Franklin: “He’s a smooth back. You would think he is a physical back because he is so big, but he is an elusive back. He has the size and he can also move and cut. ”

– RB Thad Franklin says he has lost weight since the 2021 season and he hopes to play in the 225-230 range in 2022. He was listed at 240 pounds on the recent spring roster.