After looking through the key departures, now we turn our focus to the young guns coming in.  After yet another strong class, centered around local talent, Coach Shannon has even more firepower to put on the field in 2009.  Here are some key arrivals for this year:

Mark Whipple – Probably the most important arrival for the Canes this year.  He comes with a shining resume that shows both NFL and college success.  He has developed the talent of NFL 2 time superbowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and worked with Donovan McNabb and the Eagles.  He also has coached at UMass where he had success.  Based on his media appearances at UM he must eat swagger for breakfast because he is extremely confident that UM will put lots of points on the board.  He replaces the stale and predictable Patrick Nix, who couldn’t get a Georgia Tech offense with Calvin Johnson (aka Megatron) to score points.  He should bring an instant upgrade to the offense this year.

John Lovett – He replaces Bill Young as DC.  His job will be to get this defense firing and bringing pressure.  His history seems to move backwards, but is still impressive none-the-less.  He started at DC at Auburn, then Clemson, then Bowling Green, then Special Teams Coordinator at UNC last year.  Either way, he has coached on some successful teams and should get the defesne going.

Ray Ray Armstrong – From all accounts, this guy should be on the field making plays against FSU on labor day.  He was one of two teammates from Sanford Seminole to commit to Miami.  He was a two-way player that was scoring touchdowns or taking them away from opposing offenses.  A lot of people say his style is in the mold of Sean Taylor (RIP): A big safety that is a ball hawk and will crunch you if you come over the middle.   He may remind people a lot of Sean Taylor but lets hold off and say he reminds people of Ray Ray Armstrong.

Lamar Miller – The top recruit in Dade County.  This running back is the cream of the crop and should be an instant spark on the field.  He has the ability to burn you to the corner and receive the ball out of the backfield.  He should be on plenty of highlight reels once his career ends at the U.

Olivier Vernon – When he arrived at UM in January, he made his presence instantly known.  It didn’t take long for him to be running reps with the first team during spring practice.  Playing with a group thats already loaded with pass rushers, this is extremely impressive.  His addition can probably make UM one of the leading sack teams in the nation, not just the ACC.

Mike James – Another Early Arrival that made his pressence known immediately.  He was not as recognized due to Lamar Miller and, at the time, Bryce Brown (not anymore obviously), but when spring practice came, he wowed the coaches with his ability to break tackles and move the pile.  There is a complete stable of running backs and right now it seems like Mike James may have to work really hard to get on the field, but his ability will keep the fire under Graig Cooper and Javaris James to produce.

Brandon McGee – Yet another Early Arrival that turned heads.  He got injured and didn’t play in the spring game, but during one of the scrimmages, he returned a pick for a touchdown.  He is a true cornerback and will see playing time because UM has no true corners.  He should be the next great lockdown corner at UM.

Check back later for my position by position analysis.

Related posts:

1. The U Report: Roster Analysis – Running/Full Backs
2. The U Report: Roster Analysis – Defensive Backs
3. The U Report: Roster Analysis – Impact Players
4. The U Report: Roster Analysis – Defensive Line
5. The U Report: Roster Analysis – Receivers