Ray Ray Armstrong (S) to visit this weekend

Where are all the 5-stars Balki! Larry ain't gonna be happy when he sees this mess!

Last weekend was the big one for recruits, with half a dozen or so on campus, checking out Coral Gables and Coconut Grove’s finest. This weekend, the last before National Signing Day, is a more subdued affair. Notable on the list is Ray Ray Armstrong, who, if he lives up to his high school hype, will no doubt become my new favorite, rotating Cane. He plays my favorite position, and is being compared in some circles to my favorite Cane of all time, Sean Taylor.

“Miami coaches just tell me to be ready when I get there, work hard,” Armstrong said. “I see myself playing right away, making a big impact.”

“They say I have a nose for the ball like him (Sean Taylor),” Armstrong said.

Up until this off-season, I actually abhored recruiting. Felt it was an unnecessary exurberance, a gluttonous affair, something for the unemployed or wanting to be unemployed males to argue about on message boards. Last year, after Randy signed the incredible class, I was, at best, ho hum. “I’ll pay attention when they see the field,” I said. “Call me when they show some game results,” I responded to excited friends.

After last season, I am a changed man.

Watching Sean Spence wreak havoc, Aldarius Johnson make spectacular catches, Travis Benjamin near Hester-esque returns, Laron Byrd’s coming out party in the Emerald Bowl, I now am a believer. Sure, recruiting is still a hit and miss game. Always will be when you are choosing a commodity that is not fully grown. I’ve said this before, but since most of you are fresh readers, I’ll say it again. In the words of one of my heroes, Clarence Worley, “I’d rather have a gun and not need it, than need a gun and not have it.” No matter what anyone says, the results speak for themselves.

Bobby Bowden re-upped for one year

A true Death Match.

Yes, yes, give me some more, yes!

This is great news for Canes fans. The longer this figurehead CEO Grandpa sticks around, the longer he alienates Jimbo Fisher, the better it is for all of the country. FSU was 9-4 this past year, but I think that record is deceiving. Sure, they killed Wisconsin in the bowl game. Ok. You’re point? Third tier games like the Champ Sports Bowl are meaningless, unless I have money on the ‘Cuse against Ga Tech, thinking I’m sitting pretty after a strong season finish, and hellloo 5 touchdown loss. Thank you, Paul Pasqualoni! Then again, Miami played almost the same schedule, lost to FSU, and went 7-6. But we are the eternal optimists ova hea!

Most know the stipulation in Jimbo Fisher’s contract, stating if he is not the HC by 2011 FSU owes him $5 million. And does anyone out there think he will actually get the gig at that time? I sure don’t. Bowden has the “drive until I’ve backed into four Toyota Camry’s in the local Publix, daggumit, no, I won’t give up my license, no I’m not blind, I read the bottom row didn’t I? Ann! This young feller is trying to take my license away!” written all over him.

Here’s to Bobby Bowden, and not to career brevity!

Malcolm Bunche (OL) commits to Miami

Step back kracka!

With all this craziness regarding the new OC hire, we can’t forget the most important part of the off-season, getting fresh Miami Thugs ®. Miami signed another OL this past week in Malcolm Bunche, a 3 star recruit on Rivals.

Bunche is #39 at his position, and is a whopping 6′5” 315. Miami definitely can’t sign enough O-linemen, and I hope they bring in some corn-fed Iowa boys as walk-ons, just to get beat up every day and called Krackers for their overalls and haircuts.

Bunche’s other finalists were Rutgers and Maryland. Always good to steal someone Schiano wanted. (Recruit your own state buddy! Learn to manage a game! Joe Pa is never retiring!) Anyways. Manny Navarro has some more details on Bunche, and speaks the truth when he says most recruiting posts are Height/Weight/40 time/Star Ranking/Next!, of which I also fall victim. But that’s why they get paid! To feed us information, of which we just throw a great, fantastic opinion on, no doubt hilarious in its efforts.

Men at Work is a great movie.

Todd Bankhead interview on Mark Whipple

When one comes, they all start rolling in-

Our second interview with a former Coach Whipple player today is with his D-1AA national title winning QB, Todd Bankhead.

Bankhead came to UMass the same year as Coach Whipple (1998), from Palomar Junior College in San Marcos, CA. And just like our previous interviewee Jason Peebler, Bankhead set all kinds of passing records while at UMass. Lets do this!

Todd, being a Miami Hurricane fan, and having to endure two years of Patrick Nix led offensive play calling, I’m sure you can imagine our excitement level right now with this Mark Whipple hire.

You both came in to UMass in 1998. How did he help change the team offensive dynamic? I realize you were coming from a JUCO, but how did other players on the team react to his style?

(Note: All bold emphasis in Todd’s answers is mine.)

Hey Tony,
I’m happy to answer your questions about Coach Whipple, I still keep in touch with him and just recently saw him at our 1998 National Championship reunion back in October. I think you guys will like what he brings to the table.

Before Whip and I got to UMass they were 2-9 the previous year. They were running the option which is night and day compared to what Whip likes to do. I don’t think it was quite the same situation with the Canes because of the winning tradition and expectations there, but at UMass the players immediately bought into what Whip was trying to do because we were hungry. I think it is quite remarkable what he was able to accomplish offensively because he was bringing in a whole new system with players who were accustomed to something totally different. One of the cool things that I think personifies his style and system was that he was ultra confident more towards being brash about establishing what he wanted to do and how he was going to do it (what I mean by that is he told us from the start we were going to be potent and hard to stop and kind of instilled that into us).

The stats for your Junior and Senior seasons speak for themselves. You broke all kinds of school records in passing. What kind of scheme does Whipple run? We Miami fans really have nothing to look at in terms of his style of play calling.

I can only imagine that since coaching in the NFL he has become all the more innovative, but in terms of what he was doing at UMass, he was wide open.  That isn’t to say he just wanted to air it out every game, because we had a great running back who played in the NFL for 7 years (Marcel Shipp), but he was innovative in that he knew how to expose other teams and how to utilize mismatches.  As far as a scheme goes, we ran everything from off-set I formations to 5 wide empty sets (Yes!).  It was definitely more of a pro scheme and not all this spread option Vince Young stuff you see. (However, if he had a Vince Young he would definitely utilize those talents and work that stuff in).  I think what you guys will like is that he is not predictable, and he is kind of fearless when it comes to play calling.  The only difference is he is not the head coach and he might be reigned in a little bit, but we went for it on 4th a lot and he was willing to take chances like throwing out of the end zone when most coaches would try to pound it and give themselves some space.  One thing is for sure, you wouldn’t classify Whipple as being conservative.  Definitely fun to play for and fun to watch.  The thing I liked most about his offense, it wasn’t overly complicated for the players to pick up (his plays weren’t a paragraph long with hundreds of variables for each player to read on the fly), but it was very tough for defenses to defend against.

What kind of coach is Whipple? Players coach? Disciplinarian? Does he demand a lot?

That is a tough question to answer because at UMass he was as fiery as they come.  I’m sure coaching in the NFL is a lot different because you can’t really get into guys like he did, because that probably wouldn’t work. As the Head Coach/OC, he would light into me like nobody’s business, but would also coach me and congratulate me for doing something good.  I’d say we had a great relationship but he was not hesitant to unleash his wrath when I or someone else screwed up. He also knew who he could do that with and who wouldn’t respond to that type of coaching. I’m very interested to see how he is at Miami because they are college kids but are also high profile recruits who have egos. He will know how to manage whatever situation he is in because he knows how to deal with people. You need to get a microphone on that guy because he says some funny stuff when he goes off. I don’t think you get that impression from interviews and stuff like that, but as a coach, he is as fiery as they come.

I see you had some experience in the professional ranks after UMass. Can you give us a brief rundown? And also, how did Whipple prepare you for the next level, especially being a QB?

After college I ended up in the CFL and Arena League for 4 years.  I would say Whip helped me tremendously with being able to recognize things and take advantage of mismatches.  He definitely instills toughness in his players and expects a lot from them, which gets you prepared for just about anything.

For all my UMass readers, what are you up to right now? How is life treating you? Was it hard giving up the game?

Right now I’m a Police Officer in San Diego. I work for an agency that is different from most because we do a lot of different stuff from traditional agencies. For instance, I’m a scuba-diver and do a lot of work on the water with boats as well as marine firefighting, along with traditional police work in a patrol car. After playing football, I thought I would get into coaching but I was sick of the job instability thing and tried some of the 9 to 5 jobs, but didn’t care much for that.  I never thought I would be a cop but I love it and have a blast.  Life is great, I’m married and have a 10 month old boy who hopefully takes after his mother (she was a college volleyball player who is much more athletic than me).

Last question. Here is the situation: 4th and 3, on the opponent’s 40 yard line, up by 2 points, 2:00 minutes to go, opponent has 1 time out left. Conference title on the line. What would you guys do?

Honestly, we were in that type of situation plenty of times. I would have to say Coach Whip would want to put it away and go for it kinda like Pete Carroll does it at SC.  In 1998, we were huge underdogs early in the year to the #5 D1-AA team that year.  It was the 4th quarter and we were down by 1 or 2 points.  We drove inside their 20 with about 8 seconds left and called timeout. All we had to do was play it conservative and we would have a good shot at winning on a field goal. On the previous play I completed a ball for a 6 or 7 yard gain and Whip saw something that I didn’t and wanted me to throw it in the end zone to a different receiver. When I came to the sideline he Mother F’d me like you’ve never heard….just going off. When he settled down, he called a play and told me if we got a certain look the backside receiver would be open on a post route. We go out after the timeout and line up to run the play and the defense calls a timeout.  During the timeout, Whip walks out on the field and starts screaming at their defense, “Give us a f****** look” as if they were a scout team defense or something.  I was like, this dude is crazy. I’ll tell you what, it got our guys jacked up and probably dumbfounded their team’s defense.  On the next play, sure enough, we got the look we wanted and we hit the backside receiver for a touchdown to win the game.  It was awesome and really I think it propelled us that year to go on and win the National Championship.

I think you guys will really love Coach Whipple. He is as good of a coach as there is out there.

Todd

Ok Canes fans. That officially does it. I have to go buy some extra kleenex because I just made an excitement pee in my pants. And I believe we can also officially start a new calling card, a new catch phrase….. “GIVE US A FUCKING LOOK!”

Jason Peebler Interview on Mark Whipple

We have landed our first exclusive mini-interview with a former Whipple player! A recent commenter on this site, Jason Peebler was kind enough to indulge me in my questioning, when really all I wanted was assurance the Canes are going to push some teams’ shit in next year. Peebler was an All-American WR with UMass, setting all kinds of team receiving records, and played under Whipple from 2001-2003. Lets do this!

How did Whipple help change the team’s offensive dynamic?

I was recruited out of high school by Coach Whipple, and one of the main reasons choosing UMass was because of his spread attack. He puts a lot of pressure on opposing team’s pass defenses by spreading defenses thin and throwing the ball on first down.

Whipple is going to line up and look for the mismatch on defense and abuse it. With the speed of the skilled positions at the U, he should have no problem putting up nationally recognizable numbers.

You mentioned in a comment on a previous post that Coach Whipple’s offensive schemes are “nightmares for opposing defenses.” Can you elaborate on this?

I think the best attributes that Whipple brings to any team is his ability to put together a good game plan and motivating his players to play at their highest abilities. I know his offensive mind has grown even more after spending a few years around the NFL. He helped me by his commitment to motivate his players in all aspects of the game, on and off the field.

What kind of coach is Whipple? Players’ coach? Disciplinarian?

The most interesting part of this signing is what approach Whipple will take in the locker room and on the field. Being a head coach you have a lot more pull and how the ship was run. He is a very disciplinary coach and always would hold us accountable for our actions. I am glad to see him back in the college ranks because he can make such a strong impact on 18-22 year old males trying to find their way in life.

For all my loyal UMass readers, what are you up to right now? I see you were signed as a free agent with Philadelphia after college. Was it hard giving up the game?

As far as life after football, it’s definitely something that I miss, day in, day out. I have a son on the way in two months, and am just working and doing the family thing. My little brother Jake Laudenslayer just signed to play QB at Marshall University, so I look forward to watching his games and being supportive as he battles for the starting job.

Ok, last question. Here is the situation: 4^th and 3, on the opponent’s 40 yard line, up by 2 points. 2:00 minutes to go, opponent has one time out left, what would you guys do?

On 4th and 3 on the opponents 40, up by two, we definitely would line up in 4 wide and run slants on the front side with a smash concept on the back side. Outside receiver runs a 5 yard hitch and inside receiver runs a corner. Hopefully they were in man and we hit it over the top.

Wow. That play sounds so awesome I almost can’t comprehend its awesomeness. Jason added that one of Coach Whipple’s best assets was the ability to recruit Florida. Convincing players to come from Florida to Massachusetts? Natch. Getting them to stay in the State of Miami will be nothing.

I want to thank Jason for his time in answering my questions. He really gave us Cane fans that were in the dark with Coach Whipple’s tendencies and schemes something to latch onto. Lets all start creating unhealthy expectations for the Spring Game!

Mark Whipple officially hired as new Miami Hurricanes OC

Miami will announce today that Mark Whipple will be taking over the reigns of the offense for “Mr. Spreads No Huddle McGee” Patrick Nix. Hopefully we will all survive the transition.

Since my original assessment of Whipple, I am definitely in his corner, and even more so now. I have received feedback from people up in the Northeast, obviously more well-versed in his offensive style. In fact, we received info from a direct source, one who has played for Whipple.

From commenter JP:

“…I played WR for Whipple at Umass from 2001-2003 and his offensive schemes are nightmares for opposing defenses.”

Now that is the type of details I want to hear, even if it is a vague assessment. I don’t believe Miami has ever had an OC that has created nightmares for opposing DCs. In fact, they have spent the past 5 years sending out prancing unicorns carrying burlap’s of gold and honey into their dreams.

Whipple took a 2-9 UMass team in 1997, one he did not coach, came in and revamped the entire team, and they won the D1-AA national championship in 1998 with a 12-3 record. Also of note, for those who read into these things too much, was his win in the title game against a Paul Johnson led Georgia Southern team. This guy knows what he is doing with an entire program, let alone just the offense. If Whipple was holding out for an Assistant Head Coach title, who really cares? All titles after the HC are arbitrary anyways. All that matters are who gets the wins, and who calls the plays. I could be the Assistant HC for jebus sake.

Marcel Shipp, a long-time Arizona Cardinal and UMass alum, had this to say about Whipple:

“When we hired Whip, he said in his press conference that we were going to win a national championship,” Marcel Shipp, the all-time leading rusher at UMass, said. “I was like, has he seen the team?

“But somehow he made us believe,” Shipp said of coach Mark Whipple. “They made it happen for us because we had the talent here, but we didn’t know how to use it. They brought us to another level and I take my hat off to the whole staff.”

Yes sir. I need to go find my dancing shoes.

Shayon Green (LB) picks Miami

The LB corps just got themselves another private this weekend, ready to enlist. LB Shayon Green (6′2” 235) committed this weekend after his official visit. He was previously committed to Purdue, so this was obviously not a hard choice for him. Green has family in Homestead, and also cited  “the weather,” always a killer for them slow ass Big 10 schools. Green forgot to mention the “lack of backwoods rednecks” for fans, and “an extreme inferiority complex to Notre Dame” for additional reasons for de-committing, but we can just go ahead and assume he just forgot.

Green has 4.67 speed, which puts him exactly .01 of a second slower than my fastest 40 time, but we’ll let him slide on that one. His senior stats are sick (120 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 forced fumbles) and Miami coaches believe he will start right away in the fall. In high school Green played DT, DE, and LB, and I can see him easily gaining 30 pounds and being moved to DE if it suits him.

All in all, a good late pick up for Randy. Green is listed as a 3-star by Rivals.

Mark Whipple reportedly offered OC position

Mark Whipple was spotted at Hecht Athletic Center on Friday (no doubt to be fitted for his future national championship ring) and was reportedly offered the OC spot by Miami. 

Whipple reportedly has stated he will make his decision by the end of the weekend. All setting up for a great Monday press conference for the U. We’ll have to wait and see.

Ken Norton as Potential DC

An interesting name has been branded about for Miami’s new defensive coordinator position, and is a very surprising candidate. Norton’s only DC experience was at Hamilton High in LA back in 2003. 

However, his USC resume speaks for itself. Linebackers coach since 2005, his list of All-Americans at the position reads like a college defensive Hall of Fame: Matt Grootegoed, Lofa Tatupu, Keith Rivers, Rey Maualuga. Multiple All-Americans, All-Pac 10 teams, first round draft picks. He was a star as a player in college and the NFL, and he knows how to make stars of his players now. 

Norton is also known as a fantastic recruiter, and with his extremely strong SoCal ties, this could be absolutely fantastic guy for Miami to grab hold of. Miami has never been all that strong in the hotbed of Southern California, but Norton would definitely go towards changing that. Now, it’s not like players from SoCal are going to suddenly stop going to USC and move across the country to go to school, all because Norton came to Miami. It’s a proven fact that the number one factor in a recruit’s choice of school is proximity to home. If Norton can get one or two 4 star, or even one 5 star each recruiting season, from his former stomping grounds, that will be considered a success for Miami. And then unleash Norton and his boxing gloves on all of Florida, let him set these guys up, get ‘em all primed, and bam! In comes the Randy the closer to sign the deal. A perfect tandem to start bringing in loads upon loads of defensive talent. 

Now, we have to talk about the obvious con to hiring Norton. The guy has no play calling experience. I trust that Shannon knows what he is doing, but that does not mean we cannot question his thought process in bringing in a non-proven DC. Tim Walton was the same thing-a great position coach, trusted by Randy, and did a horrible job. Randy knew it, and got rid of him after year one. Norton obvsiouly has a better reputation, but still, he hasn’t been a play-caller. Perhaps Randy will assist in the DC duties behind the scenes, until Norton is up to speed. Something I don’t think will take long, with his great history as a player. But if he can start bringing in some 5 star LBs, more Dan Morgan’s, Jessie Armstead’s, and (ironically) Michael Barrow’s, it won’t matter and we’ll all end up happy with the results. 

With the OC search possibly over, although not yet official, grabbing Norton in the same week would be an incredible turn of events in the national PR department. Only last week all the Cane message boarders were up in arms, claiming Randy was in over his head. This should shut dem up nice and quick.

In the end, this D will run itself once it gets some players, and more importantly, some quality depth. Lets bring in Norton and his SoCal recruiting ties, start inching into ole Petey’s stomping grounds, sign this recruiting class, get all this shit over with, and start thinking about where to tailgate for the spring game!

Danny Langsdorf Out as OC Candidate?

One can never trust anything said by any coach anywhere, so take this how you wish.

Oregon State HC Mike Riley has pretty much killed the hopes and dreams of lots of Canes fans with a few choice words.

“The story never was real,” said Riley, shooting down the message boarders with five words.

“I’ve been with Danny since Monday, driving around Texas and Oklahoma. … Danny doesn’t know (UM coach) Randy Shannon, he’s never been contacted by anyone from the school.

“He doesn’t know anything about it.”

Ouch. Again, we never can tell with these things, but why would Riley say this at all if it wasn’t true? He has nothing to hide here. Personally, I’m moving on to another candidate as my top choice.