Tough call looms for Cristobal. And how UM freshman have played and eyebrow-raising tweet

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:

▪ Because of the team’s injuries, here’s one of a million challenges that Mario Cristobal must navigate:

With the roster likely to be churned significantly after the season, how much playing time should coaches invest in players who Cristobal already knows aren’t part of the future, as opposed to green players from his first recruiting class?

Here’s an example, one of many: Senior DJ Ivey has been uneven, with some good moments but also several coverage breakdowns. He had a poor 111 passer rating against him coming into the Duke game.

But coaches still believe he gives UM a better chance to win than freshman cornerbacks Khamauri Rogers, Chris Graves and Jaden Harris. So do you turn the page, bench the senior Ivey and start giving experience to cornernacks in Cristobal’s first recruiting class? That seems unlikely.

NCAA rules complicate that, because if you play more than four games, you lose your redshirt.

Recruiting also complicates this decision, because if you bench a bunch of veterans and play mostly inexperienced freshmen, your chances of winning seemingly decrease, and an ugly 3-4 season could turn even uglier, with recruiting watching.

The view here: Play the players that you believe give you the best chance to win — even some that aren’t in your future — Saturday at Virginia (12:30, Bally Sports) and during the nationally televised prime time FSU game on Nov. 5. You can’t risk the embarrassment of losing big to the Seminoles by benching a bunch of your older players.

But…

if you’re 3-6 or 4-5 at that point, then a strong case could be made to start giving more time to more of the younger players, provided redshirts aren’t burned for players who are on the fence.

Jaleel Skinner, Wesley Bissainthe, Anez Cooper and Nyjalik Kelly are the freshmen who definitely won’t redshirt.

Skinner, the tight end, has played the most snaps among freshmen (100). Linebacker Bissainthe has played the second most among freshman (81 total defensive snaps this season), after a season-high 26 against Duke). Defensive end Kelly has played 74 snaps this season, including nine against Duke.

Quarterback Jacurri Brown has played in three games, including the past two, and has thrived with a small package of third- or fourth-down running plays. If he plays two more games, his redshirt is burned. But that might be necessary with Tyler Van Dyke injured.

Brown is “freakishly athletic, such a competitor and has grown so much,” tight end Will Mallory said Tuesday. “How mature he is, how good a person he is, it’s going to be good to see him develop as a player.”

▪ As for the other freshmen on offense, besides Brown: Running back TreVonte Citizen hasn’t played because of a season-ending leg injury sustained in August. He’s a big part of the program’s plans. Rivals rated him the No. 4 running back in the 2022 class, out of Lake Charles, Louisiana....

Anez Cooper has played 49 snaps at guard and tackle, and the Canes love his size (6-6, 350) and physicality. He has appeared in five games, per UM. He’s likely to compete for a starting spot next season. He was a three-star prospect out of Pleasant Grove, Alabama…

Isaiah Horton has played in the past two games (according to UM) after not playing at all during the first five games. Rivals rated him the nation’s 86th-best receiver in the 2022 class, out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee…

Offensive lineman Matthew McCoy played only in one game — late in the blowout of Benthune-Cookman. Rivals rated him the nation’s 64th-best tackle prospect in the 2022 class, out of St. Johns, Florida….

Skinner has eight catches for 125 yards and has played 100 offensive snaps, but only eight against Duke. With Elijah Arroyo out for the year, Skinner is Will Mallory’s primary backup.

He needs to bulk up during the next year — to improve his blocking — and curtail drops; he has three already this season. There’s no question about the talent; Alabama pursued him heavily, and Rivals rated the Bradenton native the No. 2 tight end in the 2022 class.

▪ As for the other freshmen on defense besides Bissainthe and Kelly: Harris was beaten for a 69-yard passing play against Middle Tennessee State — only his second game appearance — and hasn’t been seen in a game since. He has played just five defensive snaps. Rivals rated him the 73rd best corner in the 2022 class, out of Sandy Springs, Georgia….

Graves hasn’t played at all; Rivals rated him the No. 39 corner in the 2022 class, out of Fort Myers…

Rogers — coming off an ACL injury prior to his arrival at UM — played late in the Bethune-Cookman blowout but not since. Rivals rated him the No. 16 cornerback in the 2022 class, out of Lexington, Mississippi…

Safety Markeith Williams, rated by Rivals at the No. 33 safety in the 2022 class out of the Orlando area, plays UM’s deepest position and has appeared briefly in two games (Bethune-Cookman and Texas A&M)…

Ahmad Moten — rated by Rivals as the No. 20 defensive tackle out of Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons — played only late in the Bethune-Cookman game.

Defensive end Cyrus Moss — rated by Rivals as the 104th-best player overall in the 2022 class, out of Las Vegas — played against Bethune-Cookman but not since, according to UM.

▪ This was notable: Receiver Key’Shawn Smith’s mother criticized offensive coordinator Josh Gattis on Twitter over the weekend before deleting the tweet.

“If you an offensive coordinator who walks in meeting [and] tells his team They are the Worst Team ever!” she tweeted. “Would you still want to play for him[?] I heard of tough coaches but [that’s] just stupid. I wonder if USC coach [talks to] his team like that.”

▪ Receiver Colbie Young — who has 18 receptions for 271 yards and four touchdowns the past three games after barely playing the first four weeks — said that something Cristobal said to him, when he wasn’t playing, resonated with him.

Cristobal told him “you’ve got to work 10 times harder, don’t cry about it. Don’t pout about it.”

Young, a June addition from Lackawanna Community College, said that even before he started getting playing time he “never questioned” coming to UM.

▪ ABC opted for UM-FSU in prime time on Nov. 5 because of lack of better options.

ESPN gets the Alabama-LSU game that night, but its current contract does not allow the network to move that game to ABC. ESPN’s future SEC contract (beginning in 2024) would allow that game to be aired on ABC.

UM-FSU will compete with Clemson-Notre Dame on NBC and a possible World Series Game 7 on Fox.