Miami continues to reinforce its weakness with two experienced additions on both sides of the ball, Sam Brown and Jaylin Alderman.
Brown, the No. 2 available wide receiver this spring, according to On3, chose to make the move to Miami on Sunday over Texas A&M. After receiving limited playing opportunities with West Virginia, Brown transferred to Houston, where he put up 1286 yards and seven touchdowns the last two years despite spotty quarterback play at times. Brown now reunites with Shannon Dawson, his offensive coordinator during his first year in Houston.
Brown, at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, brings a nice blend of length, athleticism, and playmaking ability to this Miami receiving core. He’s strong at the catch point and can burn defenses with speed over the top and after the catch.
With him, Xavier Restrepo, and Jacolby George, the Hurricanes enter next season as the only team with a trio of receivers in the ACC who totaled even 500 yards last season. With the potential ascension of some other younger weapons such as Isaiah Horton and Elijah Arroyo, Miami’s passing attack could be very good and potentially one of, if not the best, in the ACC.
Miami also gets a chance to add some extra force to its front seven with its second recent addition: junior linebacker Jaylin Alderman. Miami got a firsthand look at Alderman last year when he was a member of the Louisville Cardinals and posted solid numbers. Last season, he totaled 62 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Alderman will slot into a strong linebacking core alongside Francisco Mauigoa and Wesley Bissainthe. They will try to keep Miami’s front seven strong despite the offseason losses of Corey Flagg Jr. and K.J. Cloyd from the linebacker room.