Another top Miami Hurricanes starter to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft

Susan Miller Degnan

Another Miami Hurricanes football player is departing a year early for the NFL Draft.

And he’s a good one in every way.

University of Miami starting junior tailback DeeJay Dallas, who traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana but missed Thursday’s Independence Bowl because of a previously sustained dislocated left elbow, will forgo his UM senior season to turn pro.

Dallas announced his decision Friday night in a video on social media in conjunction with former UM teammate Ahmmon Richards, who had to retire early from football because of a neck injury and will represent Dallas at Lgndary Sports, his newly created sports marketing agency.

Dallas joins three other Hurricanes who have declared a year early for the NFL Draft: defensive end Jonathan Garvin, receiver Jeff Thomas and cornerback Trajan Bandy.

Dallas, a 5-10, 214-pound upbeat leader and bright light for this year’s offense, finished the season with 693 rushing yards on 115 carries in 10 games for a 6-yards-per-carry average. Dallas’ average currently ranks 24th nationally out of 164 players ranked for rushing yards per carry. The nation’s leader is Clemson’s Travis Etienne (8.2).

Dallas, who fought and scraped and found a way to make big plays out of sometimes impossible situations, also caught 14 passes for 140 yards. He leads the Hurricanes with 10 touchdowns, eight of them rushing.

Dallas’ career rushing numbers at Miami in 35 games: 265 carries for 1,527 yards and 17 touchdowns for a 5.7-yards-per-carry average.

His career receiving numbers: 28 catches for 317 yards and two touchdowns.

He also returned kickoffs all three seasons and punts his first two seasons.

Despite the departure of Dallas, however, the Canes (6-7, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who lost 14-0 to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl, should be in good shape with running backs. Cam’Ron Harris is a sophomore talent who going into the bowl game had rushed 102 times for 545 yards (5.3-yard average) and five touchdowns this season in 12 games. Harris also had caught 15 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown.

UM also has former five-star tailback Lorenzo Lingard, who ran 17 times for 136 yards in 2018 for an 8-yards-per-carry average and two touchdowns, before badly hurting his left knee last year in October. He sat out a long time after surgery, was cleared to play during this season, but has participated sparingly in two 2019 games without getting a carry.

The soon-to-be Hurricanes running backs include four-star Belen standout Donald Chaney and four-star Deerfield Beach standout Jaylan Knighton, who signed letters of intent during the early signing period Dec. 18-20.

Miami also has redshirt sophomore Robert Burns (115 yards on 28 carries going into the bowl), who has played sparingly but scored his first career touchdown in the regular-season finale at Duke.