Miami Football: Projecting the Canes' Depth Chart After National Signing Day

The 2012 off-season has officially started as the Hurricanes finished a successful recruiting season by getting 33 players.

Miami returns just five offensive starters last year while the defensive unit brings back six.

Those numbers do not really tell the entire story though as both sides of the ball rotated so many players throughout the season that many of the returning players actually got starts last year.

Regardless of how many Miami starters are coming back, here is my take on what the 2012 depth chart may look like.

Quarterback

2011 Starter: Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris (one game)

Projected Starter: Stephen Morris

Second String: Ryan Williams

Third String: Preston Dewey

I am pretty confident Stephen Morris will start over Ryan Williams at the quarterback position this fall. Morris is a good player, he just needs to cut down on his turnovers. 

Williams, a transfer from Memphis, had to sit out last year due to the NCAA transfer rule, but he is a terrific pocket-passer and could compete for the starting job.

Dewey will most likely be the third-string quarterback for Miami and could very well compete with Williams for the second string. He already is enrolled at Miami and will be taking part of spring practice.

Running Back

2011 Starter: Lamar Miller

Projected Starter: Mike James/Duke Johnson

Second String: Eduardo Clements

I honestly believe Mike James will be the starter for the Hurricanes, as he is a solid running back with great power, but don't be surprised at all if they use Duke Johnson like they did with Lamar Miller last year.

If Johnson is as good as advertised, he will take over the starting position early.

This could very well be "Smash and Dash 2.0," the nickname James and Miller gave each other last year for James' power running style and Miller's speedy style.

Wide Receiver

2011 Starters: Travis Benjamin, Allen Hurns, Tommy Streeter

Projected Starters: Allen Hurns, Phillip Dorsett, Rashawn Scott

Second String: Kendal Thompkins, Angelo Jean-Louis, Herbert Waters, Jontavious Carter, Malcolm Lewis

The wide receiver position is pretty much wide open, except for Allen Hurns. Hurns will no doubt be the Hurricanes' primary weapon after a spectacular sophomore campaign.

Phillip Dorsett should be able to get the other starting position, but do not be surprised if Rashawn Scott or Angelo Jean-Louis steals some starts from him.

Tight End

2011 Starter: Clive Walford and Chase Ford

Projected Starter: Clive Walford

Second String: Dyron Dye, Asante Cleveland

Clive Walford was definitely the most impressive tight end Miami had, as he made some terrific catches in the middle of last year.

Dyron Dye will also compete for the starting role. The ex-defensive lineman got two starts in his first year as a tight end last season.

I am not 100 percent sure what happened to Blake Ayles, but he is no longer listed on the Hurricanes' roster. He had one year of eligibility after missing the 2011 season due to a concussion. If he is still on the the team, you can add him to the second string or starting role. He is a great tight end and would have been the starter if not for the concussion.

Edit: Blake Ayles' football is currently over due to multiple concussions, read the story here.

Offensive Line

2011 Starters: Brandon Linder (Guard), Tyler Horn (Center), Harland Gunn (Guard), Jon Feliciano (Tackle), Brandon Washington (Tackle)

Projected Starters: Brandon Linder (Guard), Shane McDermott (Center), Jeremy Lewis (Guard), Jon Feliciano (Tackle), Seantrel Henderson (Tackle)

Second String: Malcolm Bunche (Guard), Jermaine Johnson (Tackle), Jared Wheeler (Center), Jermaine Barton (Tackle), Ereck Flowers (Tackle), Danny Isidora (Guard)

The offensive line lost some good players from last year's team,—Brandon Washington, Tyler Horn and Harland Gunn—but return some very good players from the 2011 season.

Seantrel Henderson missed four games last year due to back surgery and should be completely healthy this year. If he plays at 100 percent, he is a future NFL first-round pick. 

The only freshman lineman who could see a lot of time is Ereck Flowers. He is a beast at tackle, and once he understands pass-blocking schemes a little more, he will see the field a lot.

Defensive Line

2011 Starters: Anthony Chickillo (End), Adewale Ojomo (End), Darius Smith (Tackle), Micanor Regis (Tackle)

Projected Starters: Anthony Chickillo (End), Darius Smith (Tackle), Curtis Porter (Tackle), Olsen Pierre (End)

Second String: Tyriq McCord (End), Shayon Green (End), Jalen Grimble (Tackle), Jelani Hamilton (End), Earl Moore (Tackle)

The defensive end position will be an all-out war come this fall, as no position besides Anthony Chickillo's and Curtis Porter's is safe.

The competition will only be a good thing, as the defensive line struggled all season long last year. I would not be surprised if almost every recruit Miami got this year will get a shot at a starting defensive end or tackle position.

This will be a very interesting offseason for this unit.

Linebacker

2011 Starters: Sean Spence, Marcus Robinson, Denzel Perryman, James Gaines

Projected Starters: Denzel Perryman, Ramon Buchanan, James Gaines

Second String: Raphael Kirby, Kelvin Cain, Gionni Paul

Another position in which the Hurricanes struggled at times was at linebacker. Sean Spence was the only player who played consistently all season long.

Even though Spence has graduated, this group of linebackers will be much better than they were last year because of the superb play of Denzel Perryman.

I see Perryman moving into the middle this year and dominating. He is such a great athlete and a tremendous hitter, and he will fill Spence's position admirably.

Do not be surprised if true freshman Raphael Kirby gets considerable playing time and even starts this upcoming season. Kirby reminds me of Perryman from last year—a great athlete who hits like a truck.

Cornerback

2011 Starters: Michael Williams, Brandon McGee, JoJo Nicolas

Projected Starters: Brandon McGee, Thomas Finnie

Second String: Tracy Howard, Dallas Crawford, Kacy Rogers

Last year the cornerbacks struggled all season long. With the suspension to Ray Ray Armstrong for the first four games of the season, Miami had to make some switches between cornerbacks and safeties.

This year Miami returns one starter, Brandon McGee. He is a decent defensive back, but definitely isn't elite. With the pickup of 5-star Tracy Howard, no one's job is safe.

Howard will compete for the starting job with McGee and Thomas Finnie, but I do not expect him to overtake the starting position for the first game of the year.

Howard will take over the starting cornerback role early in the season—he is that good.

Safety

2011 Starters: Vaughn Telemaque, JoJo Nicolas and Ray Ray Armstrong (one game)

Projected Starters: Vaughn Telemaque and Ray Ray Armstrong

Second String: Deon Bush, Andrew Swasey, A.J. Highsmith

Out of the entire defense, this unit is the best from top to bottom. Ray Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque are tremendous athletes, and they will certainly be the starters for the entire season.

Deon Bush will get some playing time, though, and if Armstrong can't stay on the field (he was suspended twice last year), Bush could certainly sneak in some starting time.

Kick and Punt Returner

2011 Starters: Travis Benjamin, Lamar Miller, Phillip Dorsett, etc.

Projected Starters: Phillip Dorsett, Davon Johnson, Vernon Davis

Phillip Dorsett, Davon Johnson and true freshman Vernon Davis will most likely battle it out for both returning positions.

Although none of them have 4.2 40 speed, they are all shifty, elusive players. I am certain there will be a handful players fighting to be the returner this offseason.

Kicker and Punter

2011 Starters: Jake Wieclaw (Kicker) and Dalton Botts (Punter)

Projected Starters: Jake Wieclaw (Kicker) and Dalton Botts (Punter)

Both Jake Wieclaw and Dalton Botts had their first career starts at their positions last year and did not disappoint.

Wieclaw was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best placekicker, while Botts ended the season with the second-highest punt average in the ACC at 42.7 yards per punt.