The Rundown Take
No More Excuses: U Talk Says the Schedule Is Favorable, Now Miami Has to Prove It
Devin opened LIVE-37 by working the recruiting board — a Valdosta, Georgia defensive end and a Miami Central athlete both in play — before turning to the number that's been eating at him all offseason: 27 passing touchdowns and a 27% third-down conversion rate in a 6-7 2019 season nobody wants to remember. With a favorable slate on paper and a healthier roster, the question of the night was simple: can this team recover, or is it more of the same?
Key Takeaways
- Recruiting targets on the board: three-star DE Thomas Davis (Valdosta, GA) has it down to Miami, Indiana and South Carolina; athlete Keith Brown (Miami Central) is deciding among Miami, LSU, Penn State, Texas A&M and Alabama.
- Navaughn Donaldson will redshirt this year to rehab an injury from the Duke game, leaving left guard open behind an otherwise unproven interior line — John Campbell is the only backup Devin trusts as proven.
- The 2019 stat line still stings: 27 passing touchdowns, a 27% third-down offense, and a pass defense that ranked 25th nationally but allowed a 37% third-down conversion rate (up from 25% in 2018).
- Devin's record prediction: 10-2, flagging road trips to Michigan State and Virginia Tech as the two likely trap games.
- All-time running back top three: Barry Sanders at number one, Marshall Faulk at two, Bo Jackson at three — with a hard sell on Sanders over Emmitt Smith given Sanders never had a real offensive line.
The Offensive Line Question
Losing Donaldson to a precautionary redshirt is a real blow to a line that was already replacing pieces, and Devin ran down the candidates without much confidence: Jalen Rivers, incoming transfer Isaiah Walker and grad transfer Jared Williams from Houston all enter unproven. The one bright spot is John Campbell, who Devin said looked comfortable in his final two games last season even if he profiles more as a guard than a true left tackle long-term. Devin's ask for year two: Zion Nelson taking a real step forward at left tackle after finishing 2019 on an upswing.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Devin and callers including Samuel Kennedy and Marvin V. Lord dug into exactly why 2019 fell apart — not talent, but execution. Third down killed both sides of the ball: the offense converted at just 27%, nowhere near the 39-40% national norm, while the defense let opponents convert 37% of the time, a massive step back from a nation-leading 25% mark in 2018. Devin's verdict: the defense (13th nationally in scoring) remains the strong point, but the pass defense and third-down execution on both sides have to get fixed for this roster to live up to its talent.
Favorable Schedule, No Excuses
Running through the full 2020 slate — Temple, Wagner and UAB all at home to open, then trips to Michigan State and Virginia Tech as the two games Devin's circled as danger spots — the panel agreed Manny Diaz has the pieces and the schedule to have a real season. Caller Jamal Davis pushed back gently on Devin's early "12-0" bravado, and Devin settled on 10-2, arguing there's no more excuse-making left: a proven grad-transfer quarterback, a stacked defensive end room with Greg Rousseau and Quincy Roche, and a favorable schedule mean this year is about results, not development.