Eye on the U

B-Rad First-Team All-ACC; Football roster making space; McDermott on Rimington Watch List.

Bryan Radziewski was not his usual self during his last regular-season start, but he was amazing all season -- coming off shoulder surgery nonetheless.

The left-handed junior was among five starting pitchers named to the 2013 All-ACC First Team on Monday.

B-Rad, as he is called by his fans and teammates, ended the season ranked among the conference leaders in nearly every statistical category. He ranked third in ERA (1.64), tied for second in wins (eight), tied for second in complete games (two), third in strikeouts (96) and first in batting average against (.175).

Radziewski is one of three pitchers in the ACC averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings (11.27). The former Baseball America Freshman All-American has recorded 204 Ks over 33 starts and has a 19-4 career record and career ERA of 2.64. 

Miami begins its quest for an ACC title at 3 p.m. Thursday, when it meets No. 1 seed North Carolina in a Pool A matchup in Durham, N.C.

UM lost in the title game to Georgia Tech last year.

RICARDO WILLIAMS OFFICIALLY OFF FOOTBALL TEAM

   Chris Yandle, director of communications for UM athletics, just confirmed to me that 6-5, 251-pound defensive end Ricardo Williams is no longer on the team. A redshirt sophomore, Williams is out of Homestead Senior High. Williams played in one game last year -- against North Carolina. 

   Williams' name has already been removed from the football roster.

   Wide receiver Robert Lockhart Jr., who also has been granted his release, according to Canesport.com, is still on the roster.

    "As far as Robert Lockhart, I have not been informed about anything,'' Yandle said.

   Lockhart is a 6-1, 183-pound redshirt sophomore out of Fork Union Military Academy, via West Boca Raton High.  Lockhart was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and ESPN. As a high school senior he had 34 catches for 686 yards and six touchdowns. He chose UM over Virginia Tech. Lockhart played in two games last season -- UNC and FSU -- but sustained a season-ending knee injury.

 SHANE McDERMOTT ON RIMINGTON WATCH LIST   

     UM center Shane McDermott is one of 44 players named to the 2013 Rimington Trophy spring watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate center.

    McDermott, a junior, missed spring practice after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

     An All-ACC honorable mention selection in 2012 by league coaches, McDermott started all 12 games at center for UM. UM had the ACC's third-best passing offense (295.4-yards-per-game average) and fifth-best total offense (440.2). As a redshirt freshman in 2011, he played in 10 games, allowing no sacks and not being flagged for any penalties.

    McDermott is from Lake Worth. He was awarded the Walter Kichefski Endowed Football Scholarship at the most recent UM Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet. He will earn his bachelor's degree this summer.

    McDermott's younger brother (I won't say "little'' brother as he's 6-6 and approaching 300 pounds), Kc McDermott, has already pledged his commitment to UM for the Class of 2014, a huge get for the Canes.
 Kc is a four-star lineman, according to Rivals.com, and is listed as the 40th best player overall, regardless of position. He is listed as the fifth best tackle in the Class of 2014.

   Notre Dame also wanted Kc, and actually still wants him, but Kc said he's not budging from his commitment to the Hurricanes.  

     SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Golden hopeful he can get Henderson, Lewis and Jones in offensive line rotation at Kansas State

Rain and lightning got to the Hurricanes before they could finish up practice on Greentree Thursday, the last day of workouts before they fly out Friday for Saturday’s noon kickoff at 21st-ranked Kansas State (1-0). Coach Al Golden took his team indoors to UM’s nearby Wellness Center for a walkthrough.

THURSDAY'S NOTES

Right tackle Seantrel Henderson, who didn’t travel with the team to Boston College, has been practicing this week and Golden is hopeful he can get Henderson, along with Jeremy Lewis and Ben Jones, into the rotation on the offensive line Saturday. Lewis was the only backup who got into last week's game.

“I hope he’s ready,” Golden said of Henderson. “He’s only had two full pads practice with the varsity, so he’s got a long way to go in terms of his conditioning and his technique and everything. Hopefully he’s staying on top of it mentally, and if he has an opportunity this Saturday, he’ll be ready to go.”

Also looking to make a return this week is defensive tackle Corey King. “He rotated with the varsity all week,” Golden said. “So I think he has a chance.”

There was no medical update on defensive tackle Curtis Porter, who is still recovering from his appendectomy and won't play this week along with freshman linebacker Raphael Kirby (knee). They were the only Hurricanes  listed on Thursday's injury report.

> Golden is well aware that shortcomings the team had on defense from game one are sure to be attacked by the Wildcats on Saturday. Among those shortcomings are breakdowns in coverage and a lack of pass rush on passing downs.

“What you screw up in one game, you’ll get tested on the next,” Golden said. “Hopefully we’ll have some poise and be able to communicate.”

Although Kansas State doesn’t run the triple option, Golden compared the Wildcats offense to that of Georgia Tech because of their physicality, discipline, and how they strive to eat up time of possession.

“[They] get you to man up against the run and get you with a shot over the top,” Golden added. “I think it’s just a different style of doing it, but that’s what they are.”

Golden noted Thursday how much better his defense’s tackling appears to be based on film from the BC game. Tackling figures to be critical against Kansas State, especially with how prolific its running attack can be, led by quarterback Collin Klein and speedy running back John Hubert.

-- DAVID FURONES

Raising Canes video series: Boston College

In case you aren't aware, UM has had a video crew (3 Penny Films) that shoots behind the scenes footage at camp and at games since last year.

Here is their behind the scenes look at the Canes during their opener at BC last weekend.

Courtesy Hurricanesports.com: "Set out to lay one brick every day. Soon, you will have a wall." A powerful metaphor by head coach Al Golden prior to Miami's 41-32 season-opening win at Boston College. The latest Raising Canes episode (Season 2, Episode 11) follows the Hurricanes from Friday night meetings through Saturday's post-game celebration.