Miami Hurricanes Football: 10 Benchmarks for Spring Success

Coming off a 6-6 season, the Miami Hurricanes have their work cut out for them, and there is no better time than spring practice to get it started.

Although many of the talented freshmen will not be attending spring practice, it doesn't mean other players don't need the extra time.

The Hurricanes have many holes to fix if they want to compete for an ACC title.

Here are 10 things Miami must fix while in their spring session.

Coaching Staff Needs to Continue to Make the Hurricanes Believers

I am almost certain the players are tired of hearing about the NCAA allegations and how they were just a mediocre team last year; I know I am.

The coaching staff did a terrific job last year in keeping the Hurricanes in every single game they played last year, losing all six games by a combined 33 points.

With spring practice already started, the coaches must somehow make the Hurricanes believers again.  They need to make them understand that the past is over and the future belongs to them.

I know head coach Al Golden has already begun the process of making them winners; the players just need to trust the coach 100 percent and everything will work out.

Find a Replacement for Missing Players

The Hurricanes are missing eight starters on offense and six more on defense. Some of the bigger names that need to be replaced are Lamar Miller, Travis Benjamin, Tommy Streeter, Sean Spence and Olivier Vernon.

Miller will be the hardest to replace considering what he achieved as just a sophomore last year. Though the spring practice is missing Duke Johnson, Mike James as filled in admirably so far.

Benjamin is another player that needs to get replaced, and I truly believe Allen Hurns will be that guy.  Hurns has great size (6'3" 195 pounds) and is dangerous in the open field.

Streeter, on the other hand, will be hard to replace just because of his athleticism (4.40/40) and size (6'5", 215 pounds). I really don't see anyone at spring practice that fits the bill.

Although Spence was their best defensive player last year, I truly believe Denzel Perryman can fill the huge hole at the linebacker position. Perryman is having a terrific spring so far and looks to be in amazing shape.

Last, but not least, Vernon will be very hard to replace. Although last season was filled with suspensions, he was a monster in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Anthony Chickillo already locked his position, but it leaves a gaping hole at the other defensive end position.

This spring there are plenty of players that truly need to step up and fill the holes left by very good players.

Depth Concern at Quarterback

As well all know, Stephen Morris will not complete in spring practice this year as he is recovering from back surgery he has earlier this year.

With Morris out, that leaves three players who never played a down in college football last year.

Ryan Williams is the only quarterback playing this spring that has any experience at all, but that was two year ago when he was a true freshman at Memphis.

True freshmen Gray Crow and Preston Dewey are the other two quarterbacks participating this spring.

All three quarterbacks have had a pretty solid spring, making some great passes and smart decisions.

They need to continue to have a solid spring and get as many reps as they can to fill a very questionable quarterback position.

Defensive Line Needs Work

The Hurricanes struggled against the run last year giving up 163 yards per game (68th in the country). 

With starters Olivier Vernon and Marcus Forston leaving for the NFL and Adewale Ojomo not getting his sixth-year of elligibility, the Hurricanes will have some real concerns on the line.

Many players have already stepped up, including Anthony Chickillo and Curtis Porter, but there is still a lack of depth and experience that Miami must take care of this spring.

There are plenty of players that have the ability to step up, including Jalen Grimble and Darius Smith, both of them getting some playing time last season.

Besides filling positions, the Hurricanes need to play much more consistent throughout the season. They had very good games against Ohio State and Georgia Tech, but most of the season they played poorly.

The biggest problem was strength and tackling. Never had I seen so many missed tackles, and it has been awhile since I have seen defensive line get pushed around so much.

The spring session will give the Hurricanes plenty of opportunities to fill the depth chart and to correct the mistakes they had last year.

Time for Brandon McGee to Take over

Senior cornerback Brandon McGee has played 32 games for the Hurricanes, starting 13 of them, but has not lived up to his potential.

McGee came to Miami as one of the best cornerbacks in the country. He played in 10 games his freshman season primarily on special teams.

His sophomore season he again played in 10 games, but did get a start. He finished the season with just 15 tackles.

Last year was a rather large improvement as McGee started all 12 games making 38 tackles, one sack, two-and-a-half tackles for loss and an interception.

Although it was a decent year for McGee, he will need a much better one this year. The Hurricanes need to start creating more turnovers in the defensive backfield.

McGee is having a pretty solid spring but needs to improve and become a leader for a very young cornerback position.

Offensive Line Needs to Gel

The offensive line last year struggled at times, making Lamar Miller look even better as he didn't have many holes to run through.

This year the Hurricanes will have to rely on three new starters on the offensive line.

So with three new starters, they must learn to gel together early so when fall practice starts they will be ready to work together.

Last year's team never was able to play together all that often and made them very vulnerable. The coaching staff had to continuously relocate players, as all of them were playing different positions throughout the year.

I am hoping this summer, the Hurricanes can make permanent positions for each linemen which will only help in the long run.

Wide Receivers Need to Work with New Quarterbacks

With the loss of Travis Benjamin, Tommy Streeter and LaRon Byrd, the Hurricanes will have to rely on a lot of young, inexperienced receivers this spring.

To make things worse, Stephen Morris is out of the spring session due to recent back surgery he had in the offseason.

That means it will be up to Ryan Williams and two freshmen quarterbacks, Preston Dewey and Gray Crow, to work with the receivers.

It may not seem like that big of a deal but you want your receivers to get on the same page as the quarterback, especially when it comes down to timing.

Each quarterback has a different release point and the ball comes in at different angles. With a new quarterback at the helm, the receivers must get comfortable and make any necessary adjustments.

This spring the starting quarterback has been Williams, and the receivers seem to be on the same page as him.

Only problem I see is when Morris comes back in the fall, the receivers will have to adjust to another quarterback, something these young receivers don't need right now.

Ray Ray Armstrong Needs to Play to His Potential

Standing 6'4", 215 pounds, Ray Ray Armstrong was supposed to be the next Sean Taylor. He even dressed the part with the dreadlocks and even wore Taylor's old jersey number, No. 26.

He might want to think about changing the number.

Armstrong has been somewhat of a bust for the Hurricanes, but has every opportunity in the world to change things around this year.

There is no doubt in my mind that he has the physical ability to be one of the best, but he still needs work.

According to the official Miami Hurricanes website, Armstrong finally was starting to come into his own  "covering the whole field and breaking up pass after pass."

Let's just hope he continues to impress this spring and goes into the fall session exactly where we thought he would be already, one of the best safeties in the country.

Utilize Phillip Dorsett

Last year, Lamar Miller, Tommy Streeter and Travis Benjamin were the type of players that had the ability to take it to the house every time they touched the ball.

With all of them either graduating or leaving for the NFL, the Hurricanes are in a desperate need to find another playmaker.

So far this spring one has stood out: Phillip Dorsett.

Dorsett has been making plays all over the field as receiver and recently as a kick and punt return specialist. He is one of the best pure athletes they have on offense.

The Hurricanes need to get the sophomore the ball a lot more this year, something they didn't do when they had another game-changer, Devin Hester.

Hester was not a good defensive back, and it wasn't until late in his final year at Miami when the Hurricanes decided to utilize him in short passing routes and at running/slot back.

Miami must do the same thing with Dorsett: let him run in the open field and get him the ball more. He doesn't have the speed Hester had, but definitely has the field vision and quickness to help Miami put points on the board.

Stay Healthy

The most important focal point for a successful spring session is that everyone stays healthy. Miami has too many depth issues and can not afford many offseason injuries.

Last year it was Seantrel Henderson that missed all of spring practice; this year it's Stephen Morris.

The Hurricanes only have a couple months of practice before the season starts, and with all the new faces and all positions that need to be filled, the Hurricanes need to stay healthy to make a solid team.

There were far too many players being rotated in last year, which eventually spelled disaster as they never did gel as a team.

If the Hurricanes can find a solid 22 players this spring, they can focus more on working together when the fall session begins, something Miami hasn't been able to do in years.