The Rundown Take
Evaluate the Talent, Solve the Issues: U Talk Breaks Down Rhett Lashlee's First Blueprint
Valentine's Day Friday show, and the phones stayed lit as the panel dug into a Bleacher Report piece on new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee — his first real public word on how he plans to fix a Miami offense that limped through 2019. Between callers, there was also a hometown shoutout and a fresh look at how the 2020 recruiting class held together through a rocky season.
Key Takeaways
- Former Miami staffer Larry Scott gets a season-opening shoutout after being named the new head football coach at Howard University.
- Rhett Lashlee's stated plan, straight from the Bleacher Report piece: evaluate the talent, "solve the issues," be honest with the quarterback room, chase a grad-transfer QB, spread the field and put the speed in playmakers' hands.
- The 2020 recruiting class stuck through a 5-7 season and still landed as the 13th-ranked class in the country; 2021 running back commit Thad Franklin re-committed again this week.
- Callers "E Great" and Abrini Barrett both weigh in on the new offense, cautiously optimistic but wanting to see it on the field first.
- Prediction board: Jeremiah Payton tabbed as the breakout receiver, Marc Pope needs to find consistency, and the defensive line — Nesta Jade Silvera and Jahfari Harvey among them — has to grow up fast.
The Lashlee Read
The host kept coming back to one idea: for the first time in a decade, a Miami offensive coordinator is talking the way the fan base has been talking. Lashlee told the quarterback room upfront that the staff would go get a grad-transfer arm to bring maturity to the position — no games, no surprises. His larger pitch was simple: Miami sits on more speed than almost anywhere in the country, so put the ball in playmakers' hands, spread the field, and make the defense declare. After watching Danny Enos-run offenses stall out for years, the panel called it a breath of fresh air, even while promising not to get "overly excited" until it shows up on Saturdays.
Holding the Class Together
Big credit went to the 2020 signing class for not blinking. Chris Washington, Chance Williams, Quinton Williams and Michael Redding were all named as guys who never wavered on their pledge even after a 5-7 finish — and the class still closed as a top-13 group nationally. On top of that, 2021 running back commit Thad Franklin recommitted again this week, which the host read as proof the program's culture is already shifting under the new staff.
The Quarterback Room
Grad transfer D'Eriq King is the headline addition, and the host wasn't shy about where he stands in the pecking order.
"D'Eriq King is our quarterback, and we've seen him — he's electrifying, he don't turn the ball over, he's a playmaker. It's his job to lose."
Still, the show made room for N'Kosi Perry to push him — Perry's stuck through two different offensive coordinators without wavering, and the panel wants real competition in that room, not a coronation. On defense, the hope is for the young front — Silvera, Harvey and a senior John Ford leading the way — and a secondary anchored by a healthy Bubba Bowden and Amari Carter to take a jump with spring practice about two weeks out.