STATE OF THE U 2020: 2016 class analysis

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STATE OF THE U: Where does program stand in college football landscape?

In Part 2 of our State of the U series, CaneSport takes a closer look at the 2016 recruiting class, the upperclassmen of the 2020 team. You will see that there is just one major contributor left from the class, Zach McCloud, which suggests an inability to use redshirts and develop talent for the long haul. This was Mark Richt's first recruiting class after taking over as head coach from Al Golden, so there is shared blame for any deficiencies here. Career-ending injuries to Ahmmon Richards and Malek Young were also a factor.

ANTICIPATED STARTER (1)

Zach McCloud had wrist issues that bothered him his whole career until he had surgery prior to last season ... and he wound up playing in four games and redshirting in 2019 by choice so he could be a major part of the defense this coming year. In his last full season in 2018 he had 44 tackles, 4.5 for losses. A starter as a freshman and sophomore as well, McCloud has 138 career tackles, 13 TFL and 2.5 sacks. But it should be noted that McCloud was considered the third best of Miami's linebackers the past three years and Shaq Quarterman was a fourth round draft pick and Mike Pinckney did not get drafted.

NO LONGER WITH PROGRAM/NOT PLAYING (21)

Jack Allison transferred to West Virginia in 2017. In 2018 he saw his first action, playing in seven games and starting one. He completed 23-of-45 pass attempts for 352 yards and a touchdown and then in November announced he was transferring. He'll play this year for West Liberty as a graduate transfer. This has to be considered a very poor evaluation and take.

Pat Bethel started 25 games in his Cane career, and as a senior in 2019 he had 24 tackles, 5.5 for losses, with 1.5 sacks. Bethel was not drafted by the NFL.

George Brown originally came in as transfer from LSU, but he never made an impact. In 2016 he sat out per NCAA rules after transferring, then played in three games off the bench in 2017. He missed 2018 with knee surgery and then left the team last summer.

Sam Bruce transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast CC in 2017, then transferred to Southeastern. At UM he broke his leg in pickup basketball game before he ever could play, then was dismissed from Cane program for multiple rule violations. He never made an impact at any of his destinations.

Adrian Colbert arrived as graduate transfer from Texas and had a decent year before heading to NFL. He was a seventh round pick of the San Francisco 49ers and has 80 career tackles. He is now with the Miami Dolphins.

Romeo Finley was the first starting Striker in the Cane program. Originally a DB, he had four starts and 28 tackles with two INTs as a junior and then 54 tackles, four TFL and an interception in 2019. He signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent.

Dayall Harris transferred to Alcorn State in 2018. He arrived at UM as a redshirt sophomore from Copiah-Lincoln Junior College in Jackson, Miss. and played in 22 games the next two years at UM with one start - he had 19 catches for 182 yards total. In his one year at Alcorn State in 2018 he had 28 catches for 441 yards and four touchdowns.

Jovani Haskins transferred in 2017. He redshirted in 2016 and never played in a game at UM. Currently a redshirt junior TE/FB at West Virginia. In 2018 he had 16 catches for 148 yards and a TD, and last year he had just four catches. He entered the transfer portal for his upcoming grad senior year.

Travis Homer left early for NFL. An All-ACC second team pick in 2018, he became a full-time starter after an injury to Mark Walton in the fourth game of 2017. At UM he ran for 1,995 yards in his career and added 37 catches for 405 yards. Drafted by Seahawks in sixth round, he had 114 rush yards, 56 receiving yards and 109 return yards last season while making one start.

Michael Irvin Jr. started three games in 2017, then sat out 2018 after undergoing knee surgery. He didn't get much action last season and entered the transfer portal in March.

Joe Jackson left early for NFL. He started 26 games in his three-year Cane career and overall had 138 tackles, 37.5 TFL and 24 sacks. Jackson was drafted in the fifth round by the Cowboys and had four tackles last season.

Jeff James transferred in 2017. Edgerrin James' nephew never panned out at UM. He played in just one game as a freshman in 2016 before transferring out the following year. He initially transferred to Copiah-Lincoln Community College, then to San Bernardino Valley College in California, and most recently to FAU where he had three tackles as a backup in eight games last season.

Tre Johnson transferred to Iowa Western Community College in 2018. He never saw a game of action in his two seasons at UM and was a backup at Western Community.

Tyreic Martin played in one game in his Cane career before leaving the program in 2019.

Dionte Mullins transferred to Alabama State in 2017. A former highly touted recruit, he fizzled out quickly - he was suspended and ultimately dismissed. At UM he played in three games in 2016 and eight in 2017 with one start and ended his Cane career with 53 total receiving yards. He never had a catch at Alabama State.

Mike Pinckney had 47 career starts at UM, starting since his freshman year). Overall he amassed 267 tackles, 42 for loss and 14.5 sacks along with three interceptions. He played through a hip injury last season and is an undrafted free agent who hopes to sign once he's recovered physically.

Shaquille Quarterman started since his freshman year and started 52 straight games, never missing one and setting a school record. In his career he totaled 356 tackles, 46.5 for loss, with 13 sacks and an INT. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ahmmon Richards had a career ending injury diagnosed in 2018. A star when healthy, he ended his Cane career with 74 catches for 1,382 yards and six touchdowns. Richards set a UM freshman record with 934 receiving yards.

Marquez Williams arrived as a transfer from Mars Hill University in N.C. (was there three years) and played well until graduating. In his one year at UM as a redshirt senior in 2016 he started five games and was a strong lead blocker. He only ran the ball once and had two catches ... but one was for a TD. A seventh round NFL pick by the Jaguars in 2017, he is no longer in the NFL but was picked by Houston in the XFL's draft in 2019.

Cedrick Wright left the team in 2017. He played in nine games as a backup his one year at UM before being dismissed from program. He was supposed to transfer to Arizona Western Junior College but never got on the roster there ... and that program disbanded football after 2018.

Malek Young suffered a career ending injury at the end of the 2017 season. In his two years as a player he got into 25 games with 10 starts and received All-ACC honorable mention in 2017 after logging 43 tackles, two INTs and a team-high eight pass breakups.

RIVALS100 S. FLORIDA PLAYERS THAT GOT AWAY (3)

National Rank; Name

21. Nick Bosa, 5 star signed with Ohio State. Second overall pick in NFL Draft by 49ers.

65. Brian Burns, 4 star signed with FSU. 16th pick in first round by Panthers.

91. Binjimen Victor, 4 star signed with Ohio State. Had best season in 2019 with 35 receptions for 573 yards and six touchdowns, and signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants.

ANALYSIS

This class can be pointed to as a reason for UM's struggles last season - there just wasn't enough veteran talent and depth, and this class was a big reason. It remains to be seen what lingering effects from a lack of upper class talent will have on the 2020 season.

Only eight players from the Class of 2016 remained on the roster in 2019, and of those four were starters. Take away the linebackers, who were in place as commits when Al Golden was fired, and only Pat Bethel and Romeo Finley were on that starting list. The class wasn't quite as bad considering Joe Jackson and Travis Homer left early for the NFL ... and Ahmmon Richards and Malek Young had the career ending injuries.

You can't control that.

But there were just so many misses here, with 11 players transferring. And there were no high level NFL talent guys in the class.

It was a lot to overcome.

In this series we're not evaluating each class at its face value. We are looking at the State of the U and how each class is set to help the program this season. This 2016 class just did not help much.

You need depth to win championships, and there was minimal depth coming from the Class of 2016. You need veteran top end talent to win championships, and aside from the starting linebackers,who drew a relative yawn from the NFL, there was none of that from this class.