Miami Hurricanes Football: Top 14 Most Important People in the Program Right Now
There is no "I" in "Team", no matter how great a player is.
In the sport of football, there are so many "behind the scene players" who help and aid every player and coach on the field.
Here is a list of those on the field and off the field that mean the most to the 2011 Miami Hurricanes football team.
Art Kehoe: Offensive Line Coach
1 of 14
The Hurricane nation was blindsided at the end of the 2005 season, when ex-head coach Larry Coker fired Art Kehoe.
Kehoe was such a vital part of the Hurricanes for 24 years, including being the only coach of all five national championships.
When new head coach Al Golden came back, one of the first things he did was bring back Kehoe.
During his tenure at Miami, Kehoe coached seven linemen that received first-team All-America honors, had 15 all-conference honorees, an Outland Trophy winner and the 2002 Rimington Award winner.
Having Kehoe back will bring in much needed mentoring and a history of experience that will hopefully bring Hurricane football back to the promise land.
Tommy Streeter: Wide Receiver
2 of 14
The reason why Streeter makes the list is because he has the athleticism to be the most dangerous person on the field.
He is 6'5", 220 lbs, and is believed to be able to run a 40 in under 4.5 seconds.
Reading those stats alone makes you wonder where Streeter has been his first two years of his Hurricane career.
He has shown great promise in the spring session, running good routes and making big plays.
The problem with Streeter is all mental.
He has shown that he has problems running correct routes and sometimes seems as though he isn't even trying.
With Leonard Hankerson leaving for the NFL last year, Miami really needs another receiver to step up and Streeter has the skills to be that person.
With a run first offense, Miami needs a big, speedy receiver to throw the deep ball to.
He is a very vital part of the Hurricane offense.
Lamar Miller: Running Back
3 of 14
Lamar Miller isn't going into this season as an unknown, like he was last year when he took the field in the first game of the season.
People know him now, and if they didn't before the spring game, they know now, after he had a 10-carry, 166-yard rushing and three-touchdown game.
Miller is going from a part-time back to a starting back with an offense that will focus on run first, pass second.
With third string running back Storm Johnson leaving the program, Miami will have to rely on Miller and Mike James running the ball.
If Miller can stay healthy, he has the skills to turn Miami from a pretender into a contender.
If Miller gets hurt, or he doesn't run like everyone thinks he can, Miami will have to air it out and based on last year's quarterback performance, that is not a good thing.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Andreu Swasey: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
4 of 14
Listing a conditioning coach as one of the most important people on a football team may sound crazy to you, but not to me, not this coach.
Andreu Swasey is a Hurricane legend down in Coral Gables, you can ask Jonathon Vilma, Clinton Portis, Ed Reed and multiple other players that have been through Swasey's offseason camp.
Current Hurricanes get to work with Swasey all year long to keep them in the best shape possible, and he is the main reason why the Hurricanes team have always been one of the fastest teams in the country.
Swasey's method is so impressive, ex-Hurricanes and other NFL players spend their offseason training down in Miami instead of with their NFL teams.
Down in Miami, there aren't that many people on the team who are more important then Swasey.
Travis Benjamin: Wide Receiver/KR/PR
5 of 14
There aren't many more important players on the field than Travis Benjamin.
Benjamin was second in the team in receptions and receiving yards last year (17.3 yards per catch, best on the team).
He also lead the team in punt and kick returns last year and was already told he would be the starter again this year.
With Leonard Hankerson gone, Benjamin will most likely be the No. 1 receiver along side LaRon Byrd.
Miami has other players that can return punts and kicks as well, but Benjamin's quickness is what separates him from everyone else.
If Benjamin would get hurt, that would be three positions that would need to be filled.
Jake Wieclaw: Kicker/Punter
6 of 14
Jake Wieclaw has some big shoes to fill once Matt Bosher left Miami for the Atlanta Falcons this year.
Bosher was a staple at Miami for four years and performed both duties at kicking and punting.
Wieclaw did appear in the Florida A&M game last year, but did not kick or punt.
So going into Maryland will be the true test for Wieclaw, and he will be under the big lights on ESPN.
Everyone that watches or has played football understands the importance of the kicking game, so Wieclaw must work hard over the summer, as he will be very important in the upcoming season.
Marcus Forston: Defensive Tackle
7 of 14
Marcus Forston came into Miami in 2008 as one of the most highly touted players in the country and did not disappoint.
Forston ended his first year on many Freshman All-American Teams across the country.
His sophomore year was one to forget as he got injured early in the season and did not even record a tackle; he was awarded a medical hardship to give him one more year of eligibility.
Last year he was coming off injury and showed signs of why he is such a big part of the Hurricanes defense, making 37 tackles and 12 tackles for loss (second on the team).
This year he will need to do more; the Hurricanes run defense last year struggled at times and they will need Forston to become more disruptive at the line.
Seantrel Henderson: Offensive Tackle
8 of 14
When Seantrel Henderson transferred to Miami, he was immediately put in to show the country why he was the No. 1 high school recruit in the country.
He didn't disappoint.
Henderson dominated defensive linemen with his size and earned Freshman All-American awards all over the country.
This year, with the loss of Orlando Franklin, Henderson was moved to left tackle and will play an integral part in keeping the quarterbacks backside protected.
Henderson has recently been recognized as a preseason Playboy All-American, a tremendous accolade considering it's only based on a total of 26 players in the country.
Mike James: Running Back (backup)
9 of 14
Since when is a backup running back one of the most important players on the team?
The answer is simple: When the running game is the most important part of a pro style offense and when you are the only other running back, besides the starter, that has any game day experience.
Mike James is that running back and a good one at that.
James carried the ball 70 times last year for 398 yards, third most on the team.
With Miami pressing the run this year, it will mean more carries for James and if starter Lamar Miller would get injured, it would mean James would have to step up and fill the huge shoes that Miller leaves.
The transfer of Storm Johnson also puts more pressure on James, because he will no longer be sharing any of his carries with a third person.
LaRon Byrd: Wide Receiver
10 of 14
With the departure of Leonard Hankerson there is no clear-cut receiver that will take over as the go-to guy like Hankerson was.
Although Travis Benjamin has the experience to do so, LaRon Byrd has every chance to take it from him.
Byrd had a pretty decent year last year, catching 41 balls for 441 yards.
This year, without Hankerson, Byrd will really need to step up his game and be that position receiver everyone knows he can be.
The wide receiver position is still a huge question mark for this Hurricane team, as they had over 60 dropped passes last year.
Sean Spence: Linebacker
11 of 14
If there are any questions on how great Sean Spence can be, then you never watched him play last year.
Spence ended the season with 111 tackles (second on the team) and led the team in tackles for loss with 16.
Every time I see Spence play he reminds me of another linebacker that was told he was too small for the NFL, Ray Lewis.
This year I believe Spence will be the key to the Hurricanes defense; his on-the-field leadership is second to none.
He is one player they can not afford to lose, especially with the lack of depth at linebacker.
Jedd Fisch: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
12 of 14
The Miami Hurricanes offense under coordinator Mark Whipple was completely stagnant and it showed as they ended the season in 67th place in points scored.
Miami was unable to put up points against good defenses and that is something that separates the good teams from the great.
So Al Golden went to the NFL and snagged quarterback coach Jedd Fisch from the Seattle Seahawks to be the next Hurricanes offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
It really is a great fit for the Hurricanes as they are getting a coach who is familiar with the pro style offense, a staple at Miami.
What Fisch really needs to do though, is work on his quarterbacks.
Both Harris and Morris have problems reading defenses and that is something that Fisch has to help them with or it's going to be another long season.
Al Golden: Head Coach
13 of 14
Miami has had major coaching problems since 2000, when Butch Davis left to coach in the NFL.
Larry Coker lacked leadership and Randy Shannon just was not made to be a head coach.
This year they turn to Al Golden, a coach who turned around a dead program at Temple, much like Howard Schnellenberger did for Miami in the '80s.
Golden may not have that long of a track record, but the changes he has made already at Miami is impressive.
He brought back Kehoe, he already has changed the mentality of his players and he has simply given the entire city a reason to believe.
Now he must prove that all the talking he has done will show on the field.
Golden has the players, now he just needs to coach them properly, something Coker and Shannon couldn't do.
Stephen Morris/Jacory Harris: Quarterback
14 of 14
I hate to beat a dead horse, but Morris and Harris are the most important players on the field.
It is entirely too hard to be a great team with two quarterbacks that throw more interceptions than touchdowns.
If the two quarterbacks cannot figure out the offense or gain back the trust in themselves, Miami will be right back where they were last year, mediocrity.
The two quarterbacks will need to work harder then anyone on the field and take over as leaders if they truly want to bring greatness back to Miami.
Harris is a senior this year and has a chance to end his career with a bang, while Morris still has three years left of eligibility to truly improve his game.
Unfortunately the spring game didn't show much promise as both quarterbacks threw two interceptions a piece.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
