The secondary has held up very well the last four years, at least statistically, ranking in the nation's top 30 in pass efficiency defense. The team was No. 29 in 2016, No. 23 in 2017, the nation's No. 1 ranked pass efficiency defense at 101.39 in 2018 and No. 29 this past season.

Now UM will have to deal with losing top cornerback Trajan Bandy - a blow to a unit that has little proven talent or depth. But the good news is the safety spot has experience and some guys that should be able to get the job done at a high level.

It was tough to get a gauge on the DB play in the four spring practice sessions simply because the offense was installing a new system which early-on can have the effect of making a suspect secondary look better. So it's hard to draw any conclusions on if this unit will be effective.

And last year there were some good moments and also some plays on which DB's were badly beaten. On paper Al Blades (36 tackles, 2 INT) was solid last season, but he was usually matched up on the second or third best wideout. And DJ Ivey (25 tackles, 3 INT) was beaten numerous times to the point he lost his first team job.

We were encouraged this spring by the progress of Year 2 corner Christian Williams. He struggled to pick up the necessary technique last year but looks a lot smoother now. Don't be shocked if he winds up one of the three main corners. Te'Cory Couch still looks like he needs to put on a lot of weight and probably is best suited as a nickel. Behind those four? There are no proven guys, but newcomers Marcus Clarke and Isaiah Dunson will battle to make an immediate impact. Neither was on campus this spring, so we'll see what they can bring to the table in the fall.

So yes, the cornerback unit looks like it could be problematic. But that's also been the case the last couple of seasons and coach Mike Rumph has turned it into a group that's performed well for the most part.

Safety should be a strength, with returning talent in Gurvan Hall (66 tackles, INT), Bubba Bolden (11 tackles, INT in 5 games last season, coming off injury which cost him the spring) and Amari Carter (75 tackles in first 3 years at UM). Freshman early enrollee Keyshawn Washington competed this spring but has work to do in the weight room, and highly touted Avantae Williams wasn't here for the spring but we'd expect him to help out at safety and on special teams from Day 1. Brian Balom and Jalen Harrell (who also could eventually work at Striker) are nother safety signees with potential who didn't enroll early.

If the CB room steps up this should be an excellent secondary. If not ... well, let's worry about that in due time.

A closer look:

S BRIAN BALOM, FR

Balom was not an early enrollee so he'll have a steep learning curve when he gets on the practice field. Given the safety depth he would likely either redshirt or help on special teams in year 1.

CB AL BLADES, JR

Blades was really good in spurts last season and has come a long way from when he first arrived at UM. He started seven games last season, taking over for a struggling DJ Ivey and finishing with 36 tackles, two interceptions and six PBUs. Is he the most athletically talented corner? No. But he’s smart and positions himself well with good enough technique. While we’re not sure any of Miami’s corners match up well with top ACC receivers at this point, perhaps Blades is the closest to being able to do that.

S BUBBA BOLDEN, RJR

Bolden suffered that unfortunate ankle injury last year while celebrating a turnover with teammate Gurvan Hall in the Florida State, missing the rest of the season and the spring. But coaches have said he'll be back 100 percent when practices resume, and could have been back for the latter part of spring. From what the USC transfer showed in his action last year he can be a ball hawking weapon. Bolden played in five games last season, starting one, and had 11 tackles, an interception, pass breakup and forced fumble. We currently project him as the starter opposite Gurvan Hall, ahead of Amari Carter.

S AMARI CARTER, SR

Carter has 75 career tackles in his three years, including 37 last season when he started five games. A hard hitter who is perhaps too aggressive at times (with some targeting issues), Carter is in the mix to begin the season as a starter but has to show he can play with abandon yet at the same time be a bit smarter about it. With Bolden back healthy we see Carter as the odd man out since both Bolden and Hall have more athleticism and ball hawking ability.

CB MARCUS CLARKE, FR

Clarke might be a nice fit at nickel in Year 1, as Mike Rumph hasn't shied away from using young, agile players there. A lot will hinge on how quickly he picks up on things and how technically sound he is once he gets on the practice field.

CB TE'CORY COUCH, SO

Couch worked hard to add strength and size last year while playing in 13 games mostly on special teams. He had eight tackles overall, and with Trajan Bandy gone he’ll get every chance to show he should be a starter. There’s no doubt he’s a good cover corner, the issue here is if he can be physical enough to help out against the run, something that Manny Diaz demands of his corners. Right now we see Al Blades, DJ Ivey and Christian Williams with a clear edge over him.

CB ISAIAH DUNSON

In a normal year you'd want Dunson to get some garbage reps and redshirt ... maybe helping on special teams. But with such little depth at corner and given that Dunson is tall and rangy (6-foot-2), he'll have a chance to prove he belongs on the field immediately.

S GURVAN HALL, JR

Hall started 11 games in his first real role at Miami, finishing with 66 tackles (second most on the team). He had 3.5 TFL, two sacks, three PBUs and an interception. Hall will be better with that year of experience under his belt, and we’d say he was more good than great in 2019. The Canes need him to be great this year to really help solidify a secondary that enters the spring with some question marks. He's got the talent to do it but has to take a step up from his level of last year.

S JALEN HARRELL, FR

Harrell was originally expected to come in as a Striker but now says he's being tutored more to be a safety. He could wind up providing depth at both spots once he gets on the practice field. But his biggest benefit as a freshman - if he doesn't redshirt - will be on special teams.

CB DJ IVEY, JR

Ivey started six of the first seven games last year before yielding the job to Al Blades. He just really struggled with his assignments and technique and was beaten for some big gains. If Ivey can figure it all out then he’s certainly got the talent to be an excellent cornerback. But after watching his issues last season you have to wonder if this will be an issue where coaches will be able to trust him … or if he’ll be on a very short leash if he has another breakdown in a game. Ivey finished 2019 with 25 tackles and three interceptions and he has to show much better consistency.

STR KEONTRA SMITH, SO

It’s a shame that coaches weren’t able to redshirt Smith - he played safety and some Striker in practices and wound up playing a bit role in seven games, mostly competing on special teams. Overall he had two tackles, and this spring he was at Striker behind Gilbert Frierson. He'll be in a backup capacity and will be an asset on special teams.

S KESHAWN WASHINGTON, FR

Washington comes in as a long, rangy safety, but it’s a tall task for the safety valve in Manny Diaz’s defense to be in the hands of a true freshman. Certainly he’s got all the physical tools to be an outstanding safety, but he was mired down the depth chart this spring.

S AVANTAE WILLIAMS, FR

There's no doubting Williams' talent as a four-star who chose the Canes over the Gators on signing day in February. He'll have a steep learning curve when he gets on campus, but with his combination of speed, agility and strength we could see him earning an immediate role in the safety rotation and on special teams. He's too talented to not get on the field.

CB CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS, SO

Te’Cory Couch might not have been as highly touted a recruit when he arrived at UM with Christian Williams, but last season it was Couch getting limited reps ahead of Williams. That was turned on its head this spring, with Williams the first-teamer ahead of DJ Ivey and Couch most of the time. Will that continue when practice resumes? We’ll see. Williams had five tackles last season working mainly on special teams last year. This former four-star has a high ceiling but has work to do on his technique. If he can step up that would be a big deal for a unit that needs to replace Bandy.

With the DB losses Bandy and backup safety Robert Knowles (43 tackles, 5 PBU), this is now a position with question marks at cornerback and a safety position that has some experience and talent but where you can't really say any of them have shown they can dominate and make game-changing plays yet.

This is sort of the same deal as the last couple of years, when we likewise were confident in the safety position and not so much at cornerback. Both held up well, albeit aided by a D line that didn't give QB's much time to throw. And the line should again be a major bonus when it comes to opponents trying to pick apart the Canes' pass defense.

It also will be interesting to see how things shake out overall on the defensive side given Miami's new hurry-up offense. There will be an extra two or three series a game for the defense, at least based on Rhett Lashlee's last stop compared to UM's numbers in 2019, which means there will be more opportunities for the cornerbacks to be exposed.

Will the back end hold up as well as it has the last several seasons?

We'll find out when the games resume.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART

1st team Jose Borregales

PUNTER

1st team Louis Hedley

2nd team Jack Spicer

Punt return

1st team Mark Pope

OR 1st team Mike Harley

OR 1st team Te’Cory Couch

OR 1st team Xavier Restrepo

KICKOFF RETURN

1st team Mark Pope

OR 1st team Jaylan Knighton

OR 1st team Xavier Restrepo

OR 1st team Marcus Clarke

It has not been a good couple of years now for Miami's special teams.

There have been penalties and coverage unit breakdowns. And in 2018 the punting game was disastrous with Zach Feagles averaging 38.9 yards with numerous shanks and getting benched (he since transferred). Then this past season the kicking game fell apart, with Bubba Baxa benched after missing five of 10 kicks (he likewise has since transferred).

So will this be the year that the Canes get back to winning this phase of the game?

We think so.

Punter Louis Hedley had a solid first year as a JUCO arrival, with the heavily tattooed Aussie averaging 43.9 yards per attempt (21 of 64 inside the 20). He has NFL leg strength, and the lone caveat here is he struggled with the standard NFL-style punts early and went back to his rugby style kicks. He likely will want to do it the pro way again, since he is eyeing moving on to the next level, and that could cause some inconsistency.

At kicker?

The Canes hit the equivalent of a game-winning 60-yard field goal by nabbing FIU grad transfer Jose Borregales. Yes, that's the same kicker who nailed attempts from 50 and 53 yards in the Canes' loss this past season. He has a strong, accurate leg and is experienced. With Miami's opening five losses last season coming by a TD or less ... and with numerous missed kicks in those games ... how much would the team have needed a guy like this?

Ad for the return game, UM has missed the hallmark electric TD returns of the old days (Devin Hester and Roscoe Parrish anyone?). Last year it was Deejay Dallas, KJ Osborn and Jeff Thomas handling returns, and there were no TDs. This year, with all three of those guys gone, there will be some interesting decisions for coaches. Mark Pope and Jaylan Knighton may be the most electric with the ball in their hands, but they might not be as sure-handed as Mike Harley. And others could also work into the mix. So that bears watching when practices resume. What is for sure is that Miami must improve its 20.4-yard kick return average of last year (opponents averaged 23.9 yards).

A closer look at your punter and kicker:

PK JOSE BORREGALES, RSR

Cane fans will remember Borregales (whose younger brother is a UM PK commit in the Class of 2021) hitting field goals from 29, 50 and 53 yards in the upset win by FIU over Miami last season. And now he’s a Cane, coming in as a grad transfer to take over the job that was a disaster at Miami last season with three different kicker combining to make 12 of 20 attempts (with only two makes from 40 yards or longer). Borregales finished his time at FIU as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 281 points, and he was a three-year starter there. He was a Lou Groza Award finalist in 2018 when he made 14 of 18 kicks, and last season he hit on 21 of 29 attempts including three of four from 50 yards plus. He’s a big addition for Manny Diaz and fans can breathe a bit easier now when the field goal unit trots out onto the field.

P LOUIS HEDLEY, RJR

Coming off the Zach Feagles fiasco of two years ago, Hedley was an excellent addition as a JUCO arrival last year. He averaged 43.9 yards per punt on 64 attempts, using his Australian rugby style to boot balls down the field. And he also showed off another dimension with his 21-yard fake punt 21-yard run for a first down against Duke. Combined with the arrival of Borregales as the team’s kicker, the special teams unit kicking and punting appears to be in great shape.

The bottom line?

Special teams was a mixed bag the last two years, and there's really no excuse given UM's personnel for the penalties and breakdowns in this aspect of the game.

Certainly it's a huge boost to have a proven kicker. After Baxa was benched last year the team used a couple of walkons - Turner Davidson and Camden Price - and they didn’t have the best range and combined to make seven of 10 with none longer than 32 yards. Borregales has got a strong, accurate leg and Manny Diaz won’t be forced to go for as many fourth downs in scoring range when he can simply trot out Borregales to put three points on the board. The punting job is also in strong hands (or is it feet?) with Hedley,