CORAL GABLES – During his weekly press conference on Tuesday (Aug. 18), Miami head coach Manny Diaz announced that freshman defensive back Avantae Williams will be out for the entire season.
An alumnus of DeLand High School, Williams was a four-star prospect in the Hurricanes most recent recruiting class. Although the exact cause is unknown, Diaz confirmed that it was a lingering and chronic issue that would need time to heal.
Williams will be re-evaluated in January.
“My disappointment is for Avantae because he loves football,” Diaz said. “He’s been an amazing football player since the first time he ever put on a helmet. It’s just difficult for him to have the season taken away from him.”
Williams’ role in his freshman season was unclear, but the expectation was that the highly-recruited defensive back would get playing time during the season. He is listed as a safety but has the talent to play as a cornerback, especially in the slot.
Although the Hurricanes did not have any new injuries during their first scrimmage of the season, they did had some players miss the Sunday scrimmage (Aug. 16) because of injuries. Among those who did not participate in the scrimmage was tight end Brevin Jordan, who practiced the next day.
On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line dealt with some depth issues because of training camp injuries.
Defensive end Quincey Roche did not participate in the scrimmage, and defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera received only a few snaps. Jonathan Ford and Jalar Holley are also experiencing training camp injuries.
Diaz did, however, say the expectation is that all will be ready for the team’s next scrimmage.
Safety Amari Carter also did not play but outside of him, the Hurricanes had a strong day out of the safeties.
“Gurvan Hall might have had his best scrimmage as a Miami Hurricane. He was everywhere,” Diaz said. “I thought Bubba Bolden who, again, has benefited from having a true camp, which he didn’t really get last season. I thought Bubba played very well.”
On the other side, Diaz was impressed with the offense as a whole.
“Off the top of my head, it’s probably the best first scrimmage from an offense since 2016 that I can speak of,” Diaz said. “And not just in terms of touchdowns and yards and those type of things. … The amount of mental errors, just so low.”
The Hurricanes will scrimmage again on Saturday, Aug. 22. It will be the team’s second scrimmage to date.
PHOTO CREDITS: Jeffrey Wimbrow
