UM spring game preview: Hurricanes to play ‘live’ football, five players to watch

The Hurricanes will host their annual spring game on Saturday, though not many will be able to see it.The spring game will have a small crowd at UMs Cobb Stadium, the on-campus home of the schools womens soccer and track and field teams where Miami hosted its spring game last year.

The game will not be televised.More than a dozen programs canceled their spring games, and others are re-considering how they handle the traditional end-of-spring jamboree.I think what everybody wants to limit is exposure from a video standpoint, UM coach Mario Cristobal said.Cristobal said he wanted to adhere to tradition in some ways.I think we have a formula thats worked for a long, long time, Cristobal said.

It came before us, to the days of coach (Howard) Schnellenberger and coach (Jimmy) Johnson and (I) had a chance to work out there for coach (Nick) Saban and whatnot.

From a practice standpoint, thats worked really well.

We want to stick to it.The Hurricanes will play live football with tackling in the first half on Saturday before moving to thudding (where players hit above the waist and dont intentionally tackle teammates to the ground) in the second half, Cristobal said.Here are five players to watch in UMs spring game:Luke NickelThe Hurricanes freshman struggled early in his first spring of college practice, but lately, Nickel has progressed.

Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson compared the learning curve for new quarterbacks to learning a new language.

He said Nickel has gotten more consistent in the last two weeks of camp.You can see that over time ...

reps matter, Dawson said.

Luke, he has the ability to throw the football at an elite level.

That helps the learning curve, having high ability.Nickel was a four-star prospect and one of the top quarterbacks in Georgia, helping lead Milton High to a state title.Ray Ray Joseph and Malachi ToneyXavier Restrepo locked down the Hurricanes slot position for the last few years, but he is headed to the NFL after excelling in Dawsons offense.The two front-runners to fill the void Restrepo left are rising junior Ray Ray Joseph and freshman Malachi Toney.

Joseph has more experience, having worked with Dawson and wide receivers coach Kevin Beard the last two years.

But far from feeling entitled to the position, Joseph has embraced the position battle.Theres a hunger in there, Joseph said.

I feel like thats what Miami was built on.

You had players sitting behind each other that were first-round draft picks.

All of us are hungry.

No entitlement.Toney was a four-star prospect who helped lead American Heritage to a state title last season.

An exceptional athlete, Toney moved to quarterback in the playoffs when the Patriots starter, five-star Dia Bell, suffered a season-ending injury.Beard said he has encouraged the competition between Joseph and Toney.I hope that everyone watching from the side can see it, Beard said.

Thats what the University of Miami has been built on: good players pushing each other to be the best player and taking advantage of the opportunities when they come.

And when you move on, now its my turn to do the same thing.Hayden LoweLowe has been one of the standout freshmen in Hurricanes camp this spring.

The four-star defensive end has turned heads with his size and his mentality.That mans ready to play right now, fellow defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.

said.Each of the last few years, a defensive lineman has made an impact in the spring game.

In 2022, it was Cyrus Moss.

The following year, it was Rueben Bain.

Last year, it was Marquise Lightfoot.

Lowe could be the next in line.Xavier LucasLucas, part of the Hurricanes pack of new defensive backs, may have the best physical traits of anyone in the cornerback room.

The Wisconsin transfer had a bumpy road to UM, but he has stood out in his first spring in Coral Gables.Lucas had 12 tackles with an interception as a freshman, and Pro Football Focus gave him a 77.5 grade with a 75.2 coverage grade.I think Xavier Lucas has probably been the most consistent one throughout the practices in terms of his size, his speed and the things hes been able to do, defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge said.

Hes been able to stand out..

This article has been shared from the original article on orlandosentinel, here is the link to the original article.