Speculation season is upon us as the taste of college football is in the air. Miami is a talented ball club, which I think most of us can agree with. The Canes also have question marks at a few positions. Those questions will likely determine what 2019 has in store for Miami.

Quarterback is THE BIGGEST QUESTION ON THE TEAM, and won’t be resolved until mid-August at the earliest, so because of that QB’s will not be included. Obviously, whoever starts vs the Gators on August 24^th will have a big impact on the outcome of the season.

Guys that just missed the cut:

DeeJay Dallas – The RB room is loaded, so carries should be split

Jon Garvin – DE is the deepest and strongest position on the team.

Brevin Jordan – He is special, but Will Mallory is really good as well.

Here are the Top 5 Most Important Miami Hurricanes in 2019.

5. Trajan Bandy – It seems like just yesterday “Muddy Badger” picked off Ian Book and took it 65 yards to the house vs Notre Dame. Fast forward to 2019 and Bandy is one of the best CB’s in college football and uber important on the back end for Blake Baker’s defense. Bandy had 3 interceptions to go along with 36 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. With Miami’s secondary being very young, Trajan must be even better.

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4. Nesta Silvera – “Jade” just oozes that old school Miami DT machismo. Gerald Willis is off to the NFL, so a leader must emerge on the interior of Miami’s defensive line. Silvera is the most highly decorated of the DT’s on the roster and must make a big jump in 2019. Nesta notched 13 tackles including 1.5 for loss, and will be counted for much more this year.

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3. Jeff Thomas – JT4 is the most explosive player on the Canes roster and was grossly underused in 2018. Thomas averaged 16.1 YPC, but only had 35 receptions. The goal of the new coaching staff should be to get Jeff 10 touches per game on offense and another 2 or 3 on special teams. If he gets that type of work, look for Miami to score 7 points more per game on offense, because he is that good.

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2. Shaq Quarterman – 82 tackles, 14 TFLs to go along with 5 sacks, Shaq turned into the complete MLB that most thought he could be in 2018. Manny Diaz won a major recruiting battle with the NFL to get Quarterman to stay at Miami for his Senior season. 100 tackles aren’t out of the question, and neither is 1^st team All-American honors.

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1. Navaughn Donaldson – At 6’6 340lbs big 55 must be the anchor and star of the Canes offensive line. Donaldson has started 22 of the 26 games he has played in and was a freshman All-American in 2017. For Miami to take the next step Navaughn must live up to his High School billing and become a dominant force at Guard, which we have seen glimpses of in the 1^st 2 years on campus. If he does live up to that potential, the NFL could be the next stop.

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These guys may not be the best players on the team, but for Miami to improve on a disappointing 7-6 season these 5 have to have great campaigns in 2019. How would you rank the 5 most important (non QB) Canes in 2019?