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Storm Center, August 30th: Coaches talk to media; we ponder season expectations

Your daily digest of Canes talk

Virginia Tech v Miami Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

Happy Tuesday, Canes fam! Let’s start the day with some Canes talk, shall we?

Head Coach Mario Cristobal, Coordinators talk to the press

In traditional Monday fashion, Head Coach Mario Cristobal, along with Offensive Coordinator Josh Gattis and Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele took to the podium to talk to the media. There was a lot of good conversation from position battles, to players who are standing out, to the process and mindset heading into the season.

Of note from Cristobal’s session was the news that LT Zion Nelson has competed in and completed a full practice. It has yet to be decided if or how much he’ll play in the opener, but hearing that he’s participated is good news.

Likewise, TE Will Mallory will be “full-go” but on a conditioning-based snap count per Cristobal.

Other players got praised for their performance during camp, including Tyler Van Dyke, D.J. Ivey, Tyrique Stevenson, Xavier Restrepo, and Malik Curtis, to varying degrees.

The final thing (that’ll I put here) that I found noteworthy was the fact that while Miami seems to be pretty set on the starting 11 on offense, there are multiple position battles ongoing on defense. Cristobal stated that there are “multiple co-starters at the moment” and that position battles will continue through the rest of this week. Players fighting for roles had better use Tuesdays and Wednesdays practices to good effect. Those are basically their final audition days to show and prove.

If you’re expecting a depth chart soon, don’t. Cristobal said after the staff evaluates the position battles, they will inform the players of their decision before telling the people outside the building, i.e. media and fans, what the decisions are. But they’re coming, so just hold on tight.

With all of that being said, here are the videos of all 3 pressers from Monday. Watch, listen, and enjoy.

HC Mario Cristobal

OC Josh Gattis

DC Kevin Steele

Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?!?!??!?!

Okay, maybe not this year, but Craig T. Smith talked about some expectations for the Canes in the 2022 season. For me, the floor has to be 9-3. Nothing below that will be acceptable. Does Craig agree? Are your thoughts aligned with his, or mine? Click the link and discuss!

Dream Team

This is one of my favorite pieces of content we’ve recently done, because this is a mental exercise I truly enjoy. Craig T. Smith recently asked the question “which former Cane would you like to see on this current team?” And not only did he answer the question, he gave you his top 10 options. Talk about an overachiever!

Blips on the radar

I FINALLY (I know, I know) went over the numbers and needs for the 2023 recruiting class.

Jake Marcus profiled one of the most important players on the entire roster: DB Tyrique Stevenson

And that’ll about do it for today.

Make it a terrific Tuesday, everybody!

Go Canes