A lot of people believe that the death of the old Miami Hurricanes has arrived. A lot of people also believe that this program will never get to the level of dominance that it once was at. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about the Hurricanes except for the players who play on the roster. Regardless of the matter of opinion from others, the Miami Hurricanes each year still produce NFL level talent. Each year there has been someone from the university that has made a big impact on the NFL stage. Last year it was Allen Hurns, and this year it is Denzel Perryman and Ereck Flowers.
Now that the season is almost at its close, let’s look at some of the players on the roster that could potentially leave early and have success on the NFL level.
Stacy Coley – Wide Receiver
Most people knew that it would be a tall task to attempt to replace Phillip Dorsett. However, thanks to Stacy Coley a lot of people didn’t have to wait around and miss Dorsett too much. Coley himself is a burner and runs a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash. Coley had himself a huge season and increased his draft stock tremendously. Coley is finally healthy and this season has 41 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns.
A telling sign that a lot of people believe in Coley’s ability is the quotes that everyone had to say about him this season. After the game against Florida State, his former head coach Al Golden said this.
“He’s a difference maker,” said Golden.
Coley’s quarterback, Brad Kaaya said this.
“It makes me a lot more comfortable just to know all the weapons are there and they can all do different things well. It’s hard to key on one guy because you have guys on both sides of the field that can stretch it vertically,” said Kaaya.
With Coley running down the sideline, it’s very difficult to gameplan against anyone who’s got that type of speed.
Artie Burns – Cornerback
This year has been one of the toughest for Artie Burns to endure. Firstly his mother passed away to be with the Lord after having a heart attack. Even though the pain of losing his mother still lingers, Burns on the football field has had a stellar season.
One of the best games of the season that Burns played in happened against Virginia Tech when Burns caught a career-high two interceptions. One of them was crucial because it happened late in the fourth quarter which helped Miami seal their 30-20 win over their rival. When the game against Virginia Tech ended Burns became the first Hurricane player with multiple interceptions in a game since his teammate cornerback Tracy Howard accomplished the feat against North Carolina in 2013.
Burns has ball-hawking instincts and he’s a very intelligent player. Rarely does he got caught out of position. In addition, he also plays very aggressively and making his opponents very uncomfortable.
Corn Elder – Cornerback
If Artie Burns and Corn Elder come back next year we going to the playoff. []_[]
— Marcus Thomas (@The_RealMarcT) November 22, 2015
That tweet above should say it all. Corn Elder is the real deal and as a cornerback he’s been Miami’s most impactful defensive back this season. Playing alongside Artie Burns and Tracy Howard has been a blessing for Elder because he’s been able to fly around the football and take a lot of risks.
It’s because of their help that Elder for some reason is always around the biggest plays. Against Nebraska, it was Elder that helped Miami cement their victory when he got a huge interception in overtime. His stats also validate his production as well. This season Elder has one sack and two interceptions, as well as nine pass deflections on the year.
Let’s also not forget that Elder also has skills as a return man too. Elder was the one who infamously scored on the improbable return against Duke.
D’Joumbarey A. Moreau covers sports in Miami-Dade & Broward County. You can follow him on Twitter@DJoumbarey.
