CORAL GABLES – Miami Hurricanes safeties Amari Carter and Gurvan Hall are not new friends. In fact, the two have known each other for a while.

Both Carter and Hall played high school football in Palm Beach County, and the two have used that to their advantage.

Carter and Hall both attended Palm Beach Gardens High School. And when the Hurricanes were forced to cancel the beginning of their spring camp due to COVID-19, the two took the opportunity to work out together.

“Me and Gurvan, we would train with each other,” Carter said. “In Riviera Beach, we’re either running the bridge, running the beach or we’re on the field somewhere, finding some grass because the parks were closed sometimes.”

Back in high school, Hall looked up to Carter, who is a year older than him.
“I used to go to some of his games in high school,” Hall explained. “I remember one time, they were playing Vero Beach and we were playing Dwyer. And he smashed some dude. The next week, I come, we play them, and I hit the same person.”

The summer workouts, along with increased experience, has helped Hall. Throughout the beginning of fall camp, Hall has continued to draw praise from coaches and players alike.

“Early in Gurvan’s career I had to keep pressing the button and reminding him,” Hurricanes co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Ephraim Banda said. “So I would say the biggest jump I have seen from him in this camp is that I don’t have to remind him as much. I am starting to see maturity and the awareness of being locked in from the jump and starting practice and starting a scrimmage like that. Now he has to carry that over [into games] and understand that when bad things happen to him, whether it happens to him or in his vicinity, he can’t let it affect him like it did last year.”

Carer has also seen Hall take the next step as a safety.

“I see him taking a step from the standpoint of [last year] maybe being a second behind seeing when someone is pulling and knowing where to fit,” Carter explained. “Or knowing a look a quarterback is getting. Now you can tell he is reaching a level of comfort and confidence because he has been working on his technique and understanding what he sees.”

Hall’s starting spot as a safety isn’t guaranteed, especially with the strong talent across the defensive backfield. However, the strong camp will absolutely lead to a significant amount of playing time for him.

PHOTO CREDITS: Jeffrey Wimbrow