The Rundown Take
Position-by-Position: E-Great Breaks Down a Loaded Miami Roster with the U Talk Family
Just Saying Sports host E-Great pulled up for his first extended sit-down with Devin, and the two spent the night running Miami's two-deep from quarterback to safety ahead of a shortened, ten-game 2020 slate. With D'Eriq King settling in at quarterback and a new coordinator finally getting a full camp, the question hanging over the show was simple: is this the year the offense catches up to the defense?
Key Takeaways
- Guest E-Great of Just Saying Sports (Columbia, S.C.) joins the show as Devin's co-host for a full position-by-position breakdown of the 2020 roster.
- Transfer quarterback D'Eriq King is the unquestioned QB1, with the panel praising his leadership and maturity over Miami holdover N'Kosi Perry.
- Greg Rousseau's opt-out reshapes the defensive line, with Jaelan Phillips and Nesta Silvera expected to soak up the pass-rush snaps.
- The bar for Manny Diaz: both hosts land on 8-2 as the bare minimum for a ten-game season, with new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee drawing high praise.
- Season-opener demand: a 40-plus, shutout beatdown of UAB to open the year right.
Building the Backfield and the Trenches
The duo worked the roster the same way the coaches will: competition first. At running back, Cam Harris projects as the lead dog with Jaylen Knighton pushing hard behind him, and true freshman Don Chaney and Robert Burns rounding out the room. Up front, the panel debated whether Zion Nelson kicks inside to guard or holds down tackle opposite Houston transfer Jarren Williams, with DJ Scaife sliding to guard and Jalen Rivers in the mix as a true freshman option. At receiver, Mark Pope and Mike Harley headline a group the panel says still has to prove it can beat man coverage, while tight end Brevin Jordan remains, in E-Great's words, the best in college football, with Will Mallory developing behind him.
The Defense Reloads Without Rousseau
Losing Greg Rousseau to an opt-out stung, but both hosts landed on Jaelan Phillips and returning tackle Nesta Silvera as the answers up front, with Jahfari Harvey and Quincy Roche adding depth. At linebacker, Zach McCloud is penciled in the middle by default rather than by trait, and the corner room leans on Al Blades Jr. and DJ Ivey with Christian Williams pushing for time. Safety was the one spot both hosts flagged as green across the board behind Bubba Bolden and Gurvan Hall.
Manny's Make-or-Break Year
The praise for new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee was unanimous — Devin nicknamed him "CTC" and predicted he'll be the most sought-after coordinator in the country if King's connection with Mark Pope and company clicks. The number both hosts kept coming back to was eight wins, minimum, in the shortened season, with King's one-and-done timeline adding urgency.
"I want my head coach — who's the defensive-minded head coach — to say, 'Lashlee, you got it, let me go talk to my defense.'"
Bigger Than the Game
Before closing, the show paused for a serious conversation on the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, with both hosts praising NBA, WNBA and MLB players for taking a stand and pushing for NFL players to do the same, while noting the tougher road NFL players face without guaranteed contracts. E-Great and Devin also traded top-three all-time Miami defensive tackles — Warren Sapp, Vince Wilfork and Jerome Brown among the picks — before locking in the season prediction: beat UAB by 40, then prove Miami's still the standard.