WEDNESDAY BUZZ COLUMN
With National Signing Day a week away, UM has assembled a solid 11-man offensive recruiting class, especially at running back and on the offensive line. But there are unresolved issues at receiver.
A look at UM's class on offense:
### Running back: This is the strength of the class, with the Hurricanes holding oral commitments from two four-star prospects: Booker T. Washington’s Mark Walton (rivals.com’s No. 9 running back) and Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas’ Jordan Scarlett (No. 20).
Both have said their UM commitments are solid, though Walton is scheduled to visit Louisville this weekend and Scarlett will visit FSU “to see if I like it up there.”
Scarlett told Canesport.com: “I love the U and it’s going to take a lot to change me.”
Recruiting analyst Larry Blustein said Walton, who ran for 966 yards (6.8 per carry) and 15 touchdowns, is every bit as good as Duke Johnson.
“I think he starts ahead of Joe Yearby next season,” Blustein said. “He’s more of a complete package. He’s powerful, big, quick. And he can catch the ball, which is what makes him so lethal. With Walton, Yearby and Gus Edwards, it will be tough to find a team with three better backs.”
Scarlett, who averaged 7.9 yards per carry and scored 19 touchdowns, is “very good in a lot of areas but not elite in one particular,” according to ESPN’s analysis. He’s a “tough runner that won’t shy away from contact but doesn’t possess elite long speed.”
Orlando-based Dexter Williams, rated the nation’s No. 12 running back, de-committed from Miami earlier but said he’s still interested in UM if the Hurricanes can create space for him in this class. But UM hasn’t given Williams an answer, and he’s also considering Notre Dame.
### Receiver: UM has two commitments: four-star Towson, Md.-based prospect Lawrence Cager and Baton Rouge-based three-star Terrell Chatman, and Miami hopes to add a third.
But Chatman told rivals.com that he’s also still considering Arizona State (“I can definitely see myself [there]” and TCU. He visits UM on Friday after a midweek visit to Georgia.
Chatman, 6-3, is rated the 86th-best receiver prospect by Rivals and “absolutely catches everything thrown within his area code and makes the acrobatic catch look routine,” according to ESPN’s analysis.
Cager, 6-5, rated by Rivals as the nation's 25th-best receiver, said this week that he’s definitely coming to UM. He caught 50 passes for 580 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
ESPN’s analysis of Cager: “Possesses a very nice blend of height and size. Shows good speed. Uses big body to shield defenders from the football. Could potentially be a threat in the red zone. [But] lacks quickness. Does not change directions laterally very well due to his length.”
The Hurricanes, Alabama and West Virginia are finalists for four-star Booker T. Washington receiver Antonio Callaway, who told our Manny Navarro last week that he’s “totally undecided.” He's ranked 36th among all receivers.
Uncommitted four-star Louisiana-based receiver Daylon Charlot is visiting UM this week, though UM appears to be in an uphill battle against Alabama and LSU. Charlot, a skilled deep threat, is rated the No. 9 receiver in this class by Rivals and the 78th-best player overall.
UM also covets four-star St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Devante Peete, but Louisville is believed to be his favorite. (He has an excellent relationship with Cardinals receiver coach and former UM standout Lamar Thomas.)
### Offensive line: UM has oral commitments from three of rivals.com’s top 60 offensive tackles: Bradenton-based Tyree St. Louis (No. 15); Bar Milo (No. 35; Brad Kaaya’s former high school teammate at Chaminade High in California), and Tallahassee-based Brendan Loftus (No. 59, wasn’t offered by hometown FSU). Penn State has been pushing for Loftus.
Milo said UM plans to use him initially at guard. UM also has oral commitments from three-star Venice, Fla.-based tackle Tyler Gauthier and Pennsylvania-based tackle Hayden Mahoney, whose other offers were limited (Akron, Boston College, Elon, Old Dominion).
“St. Louis is the best of that group,” Blustein said. “Big, strong kid. Does a lot of things well. Watched him for three days of practice at Under Armour and he’s a beast. Miami struck gold with him.”
UM already signed Brooklyn-based junior college three-star guard Jahair Jones, beating out Ohio State and Virginia Tech. And Royal Palm Beach three-star offensive tackle Fred Johnson has said UM is his front-runner, though UF is making a push.
### Tight end: Jerome Washington, a four-star player from Mercer Community College in New Jersey, is already enrolled and he’s an interesting story.
He had no offers out of high school but received a lot of interest two months ago (from UM, Alabama, Washington, Nebraska, Rutgers) within days after the coach for his club team sent an email blast with his highlights.
UM likes Washington’s size (6-5, 255) and route-running. He had 24 catches for 410 yards and eight touchdowns for his club team, Gattica.
"Jerome is a big old joker. He’s full grown. Got good hands, good feel for the game and tough,” UM recruiting coordinator Brennan Carroll said.
### Quarterback: UM lost Tampa four-star prospect Dwayne Lawson to Virginia Tech, leaving just Gray Crow and transfer Vincent Testaverde (who appeared in one game for Texas Tech last season) behind starter Brad Kaaya and Malik Rosier, who’s juggling football and baseball.
But UM will get a visit this weekend from four-star Plantation American Heritage quarterback Torrance Gibson, an Ohio State commitment who is considering other options (including Auburn and LSU). He’s rated the 15th-best duel threat quarterback by Rivals.
Cager tweeted Gibson on Tuesday with this message: "Why don't you stay home and be a hometown hero? And you can throw to me like you always wanted to do."
UM has given consideration, but hasn't made an offer, to Evan Shirreffs – a 6-6 quarterback from Jefferson, Ga., who threw 23 touchdowns and four picks in 2014. Shirreffs visited last weekend.
If you missed it, we analyzed UM's defensive class in this space earlier this month.
### Michael Irvin told NBC-6/WQAM sportscaster Adam Kuperstein today that Al Golden "has earned the right to see this through" and UM fans "need to calm their assess down and let the process see itself through."
He said it would be foolish to make Brad Kaaya learn a new system. "Building a championship takes time and we're in the midst of a very good process."
CHATTER
### Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 16 boards but no blocks in tonight's Heat 109-102 loss to Milwaukee, leaving the Heat three games behind the Bucks for No. 6 in the East and 0-3 against Milwaukee in the season series.
But for perspective on what Whiteside has been accomplishing historically, consider that since shot-blocking began being tracked by the NBA in 1973, Whiteside entered tonight having so far blocked a higher percentage of two-points shots than anybody ever has in a season.
It has been 23 years since a player (Manute Bol) has averaged as many blocks per 48 minutes as Whiteside’s 7.69 this season entering Tuesday's game. Alonzo Mourning’s career average: 4.4 per 48.
### What’s more, when Whiteside is in the game, Heat opponents shoot just 48.5 percent on shots within five feet, best in the league for any player. How does that compare to other defensively skilled centers? Roy Hibbert is at 55.6, Joakim Noah at 56 and DeAndre Jordan at 58.9.
### Whiteside has spent more time working with Juwan Howard than any other Heat assistant, and Howard’s coaching reputation is very much on the rise.
“He gains trust in people so quickly,” Erik Spoelstra said of Howard. “He can connect with different kinds of people.”
As for Whiteside, he "struggled in the first half" Tuesday but "gathered himself in the second half," Spoelstra said.
### Offensively, 38 of Whiteside’s 60 baskets (entering Tuesday) were dunks or layups, and five have been tip-ins. But he has shown a nifty hook (10 for 18) and his short jumper has potential (7 for 15). His 67.4 field-goal percentage entering tonight was third-best in the league, minimum 10 games.
Though Whiteside says he has range up to 17 feet on his jumper, “I would rather him shoot a hook, the old sky hook, and go from there,” Chris Bosh said. “We know he can dunk. Let’s work on not dunking right now. You don’t have to do it all the time.”
Tonight, Whiteside was 6 for 12, with all of his baskets on dunks or layups. He missed four hook shots.
### Wade left early in the third quarter, and the Heat's deficiency at backup shooting guard was evident the rest of the way, with Spoelstra using some combination of Norris Cole, Shabazz Napier or James Ennis (a combined 5 for 13), opposite Mario Chalmers (21 points), who topped 20 points for the first time since doing it five times in the first 14 games.
### Spoelstra on Wade's injury, which is not the same hamstring he injured twice earlier this season: "Don't know how bad it is at this point. We'll know more [Wednesday]."
### Count Branden Albert among Dolphins players who won’t be happy if Mike Wallace is jettisoned. “Mike Wallace better stay in Miami – that’s my guy,” Albert tweeted.
But some players have been left with the impression that Wallace wants to move on from Miami. Wallace said in December he wants to return, but that was before he was benched in the second half of the Jets game.
### There are three players, in particular, whose 2015 cap hits would be much less if they're cut after June 1 or with post-June 1 designations: Wallace ($6.9 million savings), Dannell Ellerbe ($8.45 million) and Philip Wheeler ($3 million).
Teams can cut two players before June 1 with post-June 1 designations and additional players after June 1. The flipside, though, is that means a cap hit for each player in 2016, too.
### The Dolphins so far have declined to give any answers to several players eager to know if they’ll be released or asked to take a pay cut.
### Twitter: @flasportsbuzz
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