By: Jeff Doke

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Miami Hurricanes are never short on swagger. Could this be the year they back it up on the field?

Miami cruised thru most of their 2020 schedule (save for the lopsided mid-season loss at Clemson) before the wheels fell off at the end.

Their regular season finale was an embarrassing 36-point loss in a shootout to North Carolina, and a 3-point loss to Oklahoma State in their bowl game. That left the Hurricanes with an 8-3 record on the season.

In the months since, Miami has been one of the more successful programs in the transfer portal, adding DE Deandre Johnson from Tennessee and CB Tyrique Stevenson from Georgia on defense, as well as quite possibly the best name currently in college football on offense in WR Charleston Rambo from Oklahoma.

In addition to the transfers, Head Coach Manny Diaz has also managed to keep several upperclassmen from testing the waters in the NFL, most notably QB D’Eriq King.

The signal caller had already announced his intention to stay for a final year in college before he tore his ACL in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.

A Herculean rehab effort in the months between have landed King back among the ranks of the healthy, and back in the starting QB slot for the upcoming season.

He won’t have the luxury of easing into the season, though. The ‘Canes start off their 2021 campaign against the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Miami faithful, however, are cautiously hopeful going into the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against the defending National Champions, with many actually predicting an upset victory over the Tide. Their quarterback has a lot to do with that.

With the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to Covid, the sixth year senior King will arguably have an advantage over first year starter Bryce Young.

In addition to King, the ‘Canes also have a slew of returning talent on offense – RB Cam’Ron Harris, WRs Mike Harley and the previously mentioned Rambo, TE Will Mallory, and linemen Jarrid Williams, Navaughn Donaldson, and Center Corey Gaynor.

The Defensive side of the ball also seems to have reloaded effectively as well, with fourth year DBs Bubba Bolden and Gurvan Hall and CB DJ Ivey leading the way.

DTs Nesta Jade Silvera and Jon Ford are fourth year players as well, as are DEs Zach McCloud and Deandre Johnson.

In short, game experience is not something the 2021 Miami squad will be short on. Whether that experience will be enough to dethrone the champs in the season opener is yet to be seen, but should be entertaining at least.

After the season opener, the Hurricanes schedule looks to be manageable, thanks to the lack of quality competition in most of the rest of the ACC. Right now, the only games that the Hurricanes aren’t favored to win are North Carolina & Florida State.

The Tarheels will be a tough opponent again, and it would take a lot of things to go right for Miami to avenge their 62-26 loss.

Florida State, on the other hand, always seems to play down to their competition, especially against in-state rivals. If I had to pick an upset to go their way this year, the ‘Noles game would be the one.

While I would be giddy if Miami could knock off Bama in the season opener, I just don’t see it happening. My prediction for “The U” is to wrap up the regular season with a 10-2 record with losses to Alabama and North Carolina, and an upset victory against Florida State.

Whether this slight improvement over a less than impressive slate of opponents would be enough to put them in the National Championship discussion is doubtful. Starting the season 1-0 would go a long way towards improving those chances.