Former Miami Hurricanes set to participate in the East-West Shrine Game.

SOTU had the chance to speak with two of the three former Miami Hurricanes about their experiences at the East West Shrine game. Former starting Quarterback, D’Eriq King, and Wide Receiver, Charleston Rambo, sat down with me tonight and after our pleasantries were exchanged I dove right in with questions (*Note - Former starting Safety, Bubba Bolden, was selected for this game, but is recovering from an injury sustained during the season and will not play.):

SOTU: I know you guys have had a pretty good week of practice and D’Eriq I know that they’ve given you some looks at Wide Receiver, so let me start with you… When you were playing at Miami, was there any discussion about switching positions for you there?

King: No, there was no discussion

SOTU: OK I got you… I know you played receiver some as a freshman and a little bit as a sophomore when you were at Houston, so how do you feel about making that switch again while trying to go pro?

King: I feel good.. I feel like at this point like its whatever that can get me on a roster, so I’m open to play any position, so yeah I feel pretty good about it.

SOTU: OK did you just do one day of practice at that position or is that what you’ve been doing the whole time?

King: So I’ve been doing both, so I’ll take quarterback reps, team reps, 7 on 7 reps at QB… then I’ll jump in and do 7 or 7 with the receivers… I did some 1 on 1’s with the receivers so it’s kind of jumping back and forth.

SOTU: Any idea where you’re going to play when the game hits, or are you looking to do both?

King: I’m gonna do both, I’m going to play Quarterback first, then whenever I get out of Quarterback I’m gonna go play some receiver.

SOTU: Rambo, you had a pretty damn good season last year, and by all accounts you’ve been killing it at practice this week, can you articulate what you hope that coaches at the next level see from your continued success?

Rambo: Much more success than what I’ve been doing… I mean I put more on tape than what I did before, but there’s more to come. I mean whatever coach or team come get me, just know I’m coming harder than whatever.

SOTU: You guys have had a few days of practicing there, so what’s been your experience, what can you tell me about your experience at the Shrine Bowl?

Rambo: This is fun… I mean, it’s competitive… real competitive you know... guys from everywhere out here, and I mean every time I get to the line it’s a new corner from a different conference or something you know… just giving me different looks… different sizes… you know just going out there to compete and playing ball that’s what we do, so it’s just fun being here and being in an environment with guys that are going to go to the next level as well

SOTU: Some folks look at All Star games as gimmes… like guys are just happy to be there and are not really competing their hardest… has that been your experience or are the guys there really getting after it?

King: Nah, I think guys are really getting after it… you know especially you have scouts from every NFL team out there, so guys out there trying to prove a point and make a statement… you know… kind of trying to pop on film and just do as good as you can for all the NFL scouts and NFL teams

Rambo: I mean you know… don’t nobody wanna look bad, so I just see a lot of guys making plays… going their hardest… nobody letting up, so I mean you’re going to get that out of me every time, so I know you’re in front of me you want to the same thing so everybody going hard and being competitive… you know it’s fun out there

SOTU: Both of you guys came in as upperclassmen transfers to Miami, so what can you tell me about the program that made you decide to come there?

Rambo: (laughs) King! (laughs) I mean outside of that, obviously the history… the culture inside that locker room… you know it’s different… having guys from around that area and us being from Texas, you know, it’s kind of different but you know just a different culture around guys that’s ballers… that’s what we wanted to be around… a great group of guys, and I mean the history it speaks for itself… so we wanted to be in that spot.

King: For me, I would say the history of the program for sure… definitely why when I hit the portal, like Miami was even option… I wanna play on that big stage, you know what I’m saying??? and with guys that had the same dream and goals that I do, so I thought it was a good fit… especially after they hired Coach Lashlee… the offense that he ran… so that’s really why I chose to go there

SOTU: Speaking on the next level, we’ve had a lot of guys that transferred in and had really good success, guys that are playing in the league now like KJ Osborne and Jaelen Phillips… I know you guys look to carry on that mantle, so what can you tell me about that experience? Have you guys been invited to the combine, or are you doing pro days? What does that look like for you?

King: Yeah, it’s been good you know… had really good conversations with a lot of scouts out here, it definitely gonna be pro day and combine and all that, so just looking forward to keep building on things that we’ve been doing out here for the rest of the draft process

Rambo: Yeah, we both got the invite to the combine, so if that’s a question being asked, yeah we got it. We ain’t posted it, I mean, we still got work to be done, but yeah.

SOTU: Ok, now with regards to your time at Miami, what would you say is the first thing that comes to mind, what’s your fondest memory of being a hurricane?

King: I’ll go right to the Florida State game in 2020… Something outside of football, I think the relationships that I built with guys on the team, and guys in that building… I think that’s my biggest thing that I took from playing at Miami… just all the good relationships that I have and that they are going to last for life

Rambo: I was only there for like 8 months 10 months but I made a lot of memories and got a lot of connections with guys on the team… I didn’t think I was gonna be in an environment in Florida… you know that was that was like a dream school to me coming out of high school… when I was younger, but of all my memories you could say I guess the Duke game where I broke two records and ended the season off right

SOTU: My final question is tomorrow’s national signing day, and you got a lot of folks looking at Miami right now, so what advice would you give to a young man that is looking to close this process out tomorrow?

King: I would say regardless of what school you go to, make sure you go in there with a good mindset as far as putting your head down and really working… being in that University you could change your life… three to four or five years it could change your life, so if you really put the time in and put the work in and do as much as you can while youre there, and make sure you graduate, it could really change your life and change your family’s life… so grind

Rambo: Same thing as King said… and just on top of that putting it in God’s hand, you know… Pray on it… make sure you talk it out with your family, but know that it’s your decision… don’t let nobody else make that decision for you… and when you get there take advantage of your time… don’t let no time slip ‘cause time is money. I got that tatted on my chest…

SOTU: Alright gentlemen, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me, and I wish you well in the game… I’ll be watching and rooting for you along with the rest of Canesfam around the nation. Thank you.

King: Thank you

Rambo: Thank you

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You watch them play in the 97th East-West Shrine Game this Thursday, February 3^rd, 2022 @ 5:00PM PST (8PM EST) on NFL Network. Location: Allegiant Stadium | Las Vegas, NV

About the East-West Shrine Bowl

Since 1925, the East-West Shrine Bowl has benefited Shriners Children’s and its mission to provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families’ ability to pay for services. The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest running college all-star football game in the nation. For more than 90 years, some of football’s greatest athletes and coaches have contributed to the tradition of the East-West Shrine Bowl. Players like Gale Sayers, Tom Brady, John Elway, Allan Page, Dick Butkus, Brett Favre, Gino Marchetti and Walter Payton, along with coaches Don Shula, Dick Vermeil, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Jerry Glanville, to name a few, have supported the East-West Shrine Bowl.

You can learn more about the game, the participants, and the mission here: https://shrinebowl.com

What are your thoughts on the interview, the game, and more? Let us know in the comments below.