Podcast: 5 things we want to see in Miami’s spring game after 14 closed-door practices

Susan Miller Degnan, David Wilson
·2 min read

Finally, the Miami Hurricanes’ spring game is here and it’s maybe the most exciting in history.

Few people have seen Miami in action since the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl as COVID-19 restrictions have kept the Hurricanes from opening up practices to reporters and pretty much anyone outside the program. After more than a month of practicing behind close doors, Miami will finally step into the public Saturday when it takes the field at Hard Rock Stadium for its annual spring game at 11 a.m.

After weeks in the dark, the Eye on the U podcast is excited to get a real glimpse of what the Hurricanes look like, and David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes beat writer, break down the five things they’re most excited to see this weekend in Miami Gardens.

As most episodes have begun throughout the spring, we have to start with the quarterbacks because Saturday will be the first real chance for anyone to get an extended look at quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia in Hurricanes uniforms.

The future of the program will be on full display and this is also true for the wide receivers. We’ve heard plenty of buzz about Xavier Restrepo, Michael Redding III and Keyshawn Smith, but we heard a lot of good things about those wide receivers last season, too. Have the freshmen finally surpassed fellow wide receivers Mark Pope and Dee Wiggins? We’ll have a much better idea after Saturday.

This weekend will also give us our clearest idea yet of who the frontrunners are to start at left guard and right tackle, whether there’s a defensive end ready to anchor the pass rush and if Miami will need to dive into the transfer portal to bolster its shaky linebackers corps. Coach Manny Diaz isn’t ruling anything out.

Thanks for following along throughout this strange spring and we’re excited to get to see some real-life football in person this weekend. Please continue to subscribe, rate and review because this a busy time of year for us. We’ll be back next week to recap the spring game and preview the 2021 NFL Draft, which could be the Hurricanes’ best Draft in years.