Will Mallory’s No. 1 receiver potential, standout freshmen and more from Miami media day

The Miami Hurricanes are trying to replace a pair of record-setting wide receivers this preseason.

Their best option at a replacement might be their tight end.

Will Mallory is one of the best in the country at his position, and both Josh Gattis and Stephen Field believe the star tight end can become Tyler Van Dyke’s No. 1 target in 2022.

“Absolutely,” said Gattis, the offensive coordinator. “Will Mallory is a special talent.”

Said Field, the tight ends coach: “The opportunity is really there, especially in coach Gattis’ system.”

Last year, Mallory finished third on the team with 30 receptions and three touchdown catches, and fourth with 347 receiving yards and started every game for the first time in his career, taking over the top job after former tight end Brevin Jordan left for the NFL. Former wide receivers Mike Harley and Charleston Rambo — who last year set Miami records for career catches and single-season receiving yards, respectively — were the only players to catch more passes and touchdowns than Mallory, and two of the three with more receiving yards.

Wide receivers Key’Shawn Smith and Xavier Restrepo, both of whom had at least 24 catches and 330 yards last year, will also have a shot to become Van Dyke’s go-to guy, but Mallory might have the highest upside of the bunch because of his 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame.

Miami’s Van Dyke stoked for camp. ‘Talking about last year gets me so hyped for this year’

The senior was one of only three Hurricanes to earn preseason first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors at the ACC Football Kickoff last week and could find himself going on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft next year.

“He’s one of the more underrated players across the country,” Gattis said. “He’s fast, he’s long, he’s got great ball skills ... so there are a lot of creative ways that we can use him.”

A specific label, however, won’t matter to Mallory, Field said.

“That’s not even his concern. His concern is he wants to help this team win. That’s what makes him so special,” Field said. “There’s never a conversation or a day when we’re worried about or talking about stats or leading whatever. It’s just, How can we get better? How can we help the team win?”

Coaches dish on impressive freshmen

Coach Mario Cristobal salvaged a top-15 recruiting class earlier this year, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and six of the 10 blue-chip prospects from the Hurricanes’ Class of 2022 will finally start suiting up for Miami in the next few weeks and months.

Running back TreVonte’ Citizen, wide receiver Isaiah Horton, cornerback Chris Graves and safety Markeith Williams all will debut for the Hurricanes when training camp begins Friday in Coral Gables after enrolling in the summer, while defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly and cornerback Khamauri Rogers are also still awaiting their debuts after missing the spring with injuries.

All six, unsurprisingly, drew rave reviews from their position coaches.

▪ Kelly was the No. 90 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class — one of two top-100 players in the class — and has blown away upperclassmen with his natural ability. Said defensive ends coach Rod Wright: “He does things with no effort that the older guys will see him do a drill and be like, Oh my God, and then he’ll run back to the end of the line and be like, What? Almost like, Can you not do that?”

▪ Citizen was Miami’s biggest addition of national signing day, and Kevin Smith said “he’s a good-looking physical kid [and] extremely mature” with an “above-average size-speed ratio.” The running backs coach said Citizen could contribute in multiple phases and the tailback said he’s comfortable as a return specialist.

▪ Graves and Williams are both “a little bit on the raw end,” secondary coach Jahmile Addae said, “which you love out of freshman because now you’re not breaking them, but rather building.” Rogers is still working his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which made it hard for Addae to do much physical evaluation, but he said the corner is “a bright-eyed kid that really wants to be about as good as he can be.” All three still need to put on some more weight.

▪ Horton, at 6-3 and 190 pounds, will give the Hurricanes some of the size they felt they lacked at wideout in the spring. Said Gattis: “We didn’t quite have as much size as [Horton and 6-4 wide receiver Colbie Young] bring to the table, and so I think their ball skills, their ability to transition in and out of cuts is going to be very important.”

Tyrique Stevenson embraces leadership role

Addae couldn’t technically be involved with Miami’s player-led practice Tuesday inside the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility, but he had an eye on it from his perch in the football offices and saw cornerback Tyrique Stevenson taking on an important leadership role.

“He was basically kind of my stand-in as a cornerback,” the assistant coach said. “You can see him running the show and doing what he does, which — you can’t hate that as a coach. You like player-led teams because those are the ones that end up being elite.”

It’s what everyone, including Stevenson himself, expects from the defensive back as a junior with multiple years of experience in this exact defensive system.

Last year, Stevenson transferred to Miami after two years with the Georgia Bulldogs. In February, the Hurricanes hired Addae from Georgia. Now, their experience with the Bulldogs is converging and Stevenson is trying to be more of a coach on the field, especially since he has played multiple positions.

At Georgia, Stevenson played the Bulldogs’ “Star” position, which was their linebacker-safety hybrid. At Miami, Stevenson has exclusively played corner. He said he feels comfortable with any spot in the back end of the defense.

“This is a defense that I’m used to and I understand it,” Stevenson said. “I can just be able to help the guys.”