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Where UM’s Skinner, Parrish are looking to improve. And Canes personnel notes

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

▪ Jaleel Skinner arrived in Coral Gables last spring as one of the Canes’ highly-touted prospects, Rivals’ No. 2 tight end in the 2022 class.

But even with Will Mallory departing, Skinner is far from assured of being one of UM’s top two tight ends this fall.

Elijah Arroyo, sidelined so far this spring after a season-ending injury last September, almost assuredly will be one of UM’s two most utilized players at the position, health permitting.

And battle-tested Cam McCormick, the eighth-year college player from Oregon and a skilled blocker, has taken first team snaps ahead of Skinner so far in camp.

Skinner arrived as a far more polished receiver than blocker.

But besides needing to improve his blocking, he also must eliminate the drops. He dropped two of the 16 passes thrown to him in games last season, while catching nine. He dropped another in practice this week, per Canesport.

Asked about that this week, he didn’t seem concerned. “We’re not really worried about anything in the past,” he said of the drops last year.

Do drops eat at him? He responded that coaches have a five-second rule, where a player moves past a mistake five seconds after making it.

But in general, he said: “Every day I watch film, critique myself.”

As for the blocking, Skinner said he’s working on it.

“I had to learn to enjoy it,” he said. “It’s something I actually try to take pride in. The more you do it, the better you get at it, and the more comfortable you get with it.”

Skinner, who has a gregarious personality like Brevin Jordan and several other past Canes tight ends, said he arrived at UM at 215 pounds and now he’s 235. “I don’t really show it,” he said.

How are tight ends used in new coordinator Shannon Dawson’s offense compared with predecessor Josh Gattis’ offense?

“We’re trying to get the ball spread around,” Skinner said. “Everybody touches the ball in this offense. That’s something I like and the whole team is happy with.”

Arroyo, Skinner, McCormick, Dom Mammarelli and freshmen Riley Williams and Jackson Carver are the six tight ends on scholarship.

“I feel like we’re the most versatile tight end group in the nation,” Skinner said. “We have guys that can do it all.

“Jackson has been coming along; he hasn’t played football that long – he was a hockey player. He has great physicality, great passion. I love that kid. Riley is hurt a little bit, but he’s coming back, showing great strides every day.”

▪ Henry Parrish has been the first-team running back for much of the early parts of spring, ahead of Don Chaney Jr.

After averaging 4.7 per carry last season - down from 5.3 in 2021 at Mississippi - Parrish said his goal is to display improved “acceleration, getting in and out of holes. Not trying to make guys miss too much, just trying to go vertically.”

Parrish said new running backs coach Tim Harris Jr. “was recruiting me at his other schools. He’s a good coach, good human being. I was excited” when he was hired to replace Kevin Smith, who left UM after one season to rejoin Lane Kiffin’s staff at Mississippi.

Parrish and Chaney are the only scholarship backs available this spring. TreVonte’ Citizen continues to work his way back from last year’s knee surgery, and freshman Mark Fletcher and Christopher Johnson arrive this summer.

“It’ll be good competition,” Parrish said of the impending five-man battle in August. “We have a full room of guys ready to compete. … We’re just excited to keep working, keep progressing.”

Mario Cristobal suggested Thursday that a sixth scholarship back could be added in the transfer portal.

▪ Parrish, on Dawson’s offense: “The plays he calls, he puts us in the right position.”

Parrish said the upgraded offensive line is “way bigger and way faster. Everybody is thinking big guys move slow, but our big guys up front move really well.”

▪ Linebacker Keontra Smith, who has taken a lot of first-team work, said new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s system is “fast. Everything about it is fast. It’s exciting to watch.”

He said Guidry’s ability to disguise defenses will help. “Offenses may think we’re running one thing” and they run another.

Smith, incidentally, said freshman linebacker Bobby Washington has “crazy athleticism. He flies around and makes plays.”

▪ Quick stuff: UM has been using cornerback Jaden Harris some at safety, a position where depth is a concern. Starter James Williams is missing the spring after shoulder surgery…

Freshman quarterback Emory Williams’ arm strength has impressed onlookers, with multiple players bringing it up...

It’s a huge recruiting weekend for UM, with a slew of unofficial visitors from the 2024 class coming to campus on Thursday, Friday and this weekend. That group includes a few we mentioned here and Georgia-based four-star right end Kylan Fox, among others.

▪ Though top-seeded Houston is loaded, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski cautions not to overlook UM in Friday’s Sweet 16 men’s NCAA Tournament game in Kansas City.

“I still think Miami is very dangerous,” he said on his Sirius XM show.

How much does last year’s deep tournament run help Miami?

Yeah, I think for both the coach and players,” Coach K said. “And when a group has been there before, not just a couple players. And Miami, except for their center, was there.

“[Jordan] Miller was a great player, he’s older. And I think they got one of the best coaches in Jim Larranaga. But being in the tournament before helps.”