Look: Miami Hurricanes Flex Huge Gains From New Strength Program
Over the last week, numerous Miami Hurricanes football players posted development pictures on social media, boasting the progress they’ve made in the weight room from the winter into summer.
Based on the three photos used in each player’s development pictures, it’s clear that the new strength and conditioning staff is miles ahead of where it once was. Some of the photos were reposted on social media, which generated plenty of buzz around the Canes’ progress made throughout the year.
We’ll start by highlighting a few of the athletes that have shown the most growth from January to July.
Freshman linebacker Wesley Bissainthe could be well on his way to playing at 220 or 225 pounds at the start of week one. His growth is evident as he went from looking like a safety or a cornerback to a true linebacker over the course of the offseason. Bissainthe always had room to gain weight. However, to see the growth he’s made over his first year in the system speaks volumes about the improvement of the strength staff.
If there were alpha dog awards for off-season growth, it would be safe to say that fellow linebacker Keontra Smith would win it.
Smith played around or just under 205 pounds last year, aligning at a mix of linebacker and safety, but it’s clear now that he’s a linebacker in Miami’s system based on the progress he’s made this offseason. Smith has bulked up as shown by his 5.1% body fat and 28 pounds of growth over seven months.
While the weight is desirable, one has to wonder, will his speed take a hit following his body transformation? Smith had 38 total tackles with three sacks and one forced fumble in 2021.
Freshman edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly‘s mother, Nyecha Kelly, shared his development pictures and also added on social media that he lost 15 pounds in June due to an illness. She’s also weighed in on the effect that coach Aaron Feld has had on the team in his short time at Miami, stating he deserves a party for his efforts.
While Kelly is featured in this tweet as well, we’ll just focus on the other three posted starting with cornerback Te’Cory Couch.
Couch has always had a smaller frame, which has gotten him in trouble at times with bigger receivers in the slot. The progress he’s made, without the weight posted, looks like he could be sitting around 180 pounds, which is 10 pounds more than he was playing at last year. Couch led the team in pass breakups last year with five.
Freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown is developing extremely well from an athletic and bodily standpoint. Brown’s body fat and body fat mass have gone down as his weight has gone up and it is evident in his pictures that he looks chiseled.
Sophomore wideout Jacolby George is also flexing his progress as he was always viewed as a slender, lanky wideout. In his updated photos, he has shown development in his back, chest and arms, but the weight is cropped out. It could be safe to say he’s gained about 10-to-15 pounds. He looks the part of a starting receiver and it should help his physicality off the ball.
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