The Rundown Take
Cut the Check: U Talk Names Its X-Factor for the 2020 Season
A short Fourth of July weekend show didn't stop Devin from throwing out one of the summer's biggest questions: of the four new assistant hires, who moves the needle most in year two under Manny Diaz? New offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, new offensive line coach Gary Justice, new receivers coach Rob Likens and new chief-of-staff-slash-Hall-of-Famer Ed Reed all got their case made, but Devin wasn't budging from the pick he's had for weeks.
Key Takeaways
- Devin's call for biggest-impact hire: OC Rhett Lashlee, nicknamed "CDC — Cut the Check" — tasked with fixing an offense that averaged only 25 points a game and ranked 121st nationally in sacks allowed last year.
- Five-star DT Mason Smith (6'5", 316 lbs, Terrebonne High, Louisiana) is on Miami's board but trending hard to hometown LSU.
- Devin is all-in on the grad-transfer quarterback for 2020 — one year, no more waiting — over incumbents N'Kosi Perry and D'Eriq King, while still praising Perry's loyalty and upside as QB2.
- Caller Peter Knox and others agreed the new scheme should be worth 14-17 more points a game if it clicks.
- Devin's all-time top-three NFL wide receivers: Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Terrell Owens — defended hard against callers pushing Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.
The Case for Rhett Lashlee
Devin made his pitch loud and clear: an offensive line that gave up roughly 75 sacks and ranked near the bottom of the country has nowhere to go but up, and a coordinator who can get Miami's skill talent — Brevin Jordan at tight end, a receiver room featuring Mike Harley and Mark Pope — playing fast in space is worth more than any other hire on staff. Callers Marvin V. Lord and Peter Knox backed the pick, with Lord predicting the new spread scheme finally unlocks perimeter athletes who were boxed in by a slower pro-style offense a year ago.
Ed Reed's Locker-Room Value
Not every vote went to the O-line and skill positions — Devin made the case that Ed Reed's presence alone, win or lose on the stat sheet, changes the standard in the building. A Hall of Famer who succeeded at both the college and pro level, Reed's real impact is whether players actually use him — asking questions, studying his approach, chasing what he calls "the true definition of being a hurricane."
Grad Transfer or Bust
Devin's most emphatic take of the night was at quarterback: with a proven grad transfer in the building for one season only, this is the year to go all-in rather than lean on an unproven sophomore. He was careful to praise N'Kosi Perry's commitment to the program and pencil him in as a capable QB2, but the message was clear — Miami has the pieces this year, and the panel wants urgency to match.