Miami football’s spring practice continued Thursday morning at the Greentree Practice Fields and was followed by a media availability with defensive line coach/associate head coach Joe Salave’a, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Charlie Strong, defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae and defensive ends coach Rod Wright.
Here are some takeaways and highlights from UM’s fifth day of spring practice.
1. Dazalin Worsham stringing together consistent practices
Worsham, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, has had a quiet start to his collegiate career, as he has not recorded a reception in his first two years as a Hurricane.
The former four-star recruit, according to ESPN, has begun to make a name for himself this spring, as he mostly worked alongside fellow wideouts Brashard Smith and Frank Ladson Jr. on the second team on Thursday. Worsham also received some playing time at practice with the first team.
2. Ed Reed at practice, assists defensive backs.
The Miami Hurricane and NFL legend was seen at Thursday’s practice assisting and instructing defensive backs throughout their drills.
Reed, who played at Miami from 1998-2001 before getting drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, was hired by UM in 2020 as the football team’s chief of staff, although it is unclear if Reed still holds that position.
3. Will Mallory to miss rest of spring
The fifth-year tight end will miss the remainder of spring practice with a shoulder injury, as first reported by Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald Thursday morning. Mallory left Tuesday’s practice early with a sling on his arm.
Replacing Mallory on Miami’s first-team offense has been sophomore tight end Elijah Arroyo, who caught multiple passes in the controlled scrimmage portion of practice on Thursday, including a deep pass from quarterback Jake Garcia up the left side of the field.
4. Henry Parrish Jr. impresses in work with first team
The Miami native and Ole Miss transfer made multiple noteworthy plays during Thursday’s practice, including a run through a lane created by the left side of the offensive line.
Parrish rushed for 563 yards and three touchdowns last season with the Rebels.
“He’s very diverse. He can run routes like a receiver,” Miami running backs coach Kevin Smith said, who coached Parrish at Ole Miss for two seasons. “He has elite feet and elite eyes. He’s a big addition to this program and to the running back room.”
5. Leonard Taylor developing well, ‘far from being his polished, final self’
Taylor entered his freshman year with the Hurricanes last season with high expectations, given that he was the highest-ranked recruit to enroll at Miami since 2008 according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Miami Palmetto High School graduate impressed, recording 21 tackles and two sacks in 2021. Although he is far from a finished product, the development of Taylor has been encouraging for Salave’a.
“He’s starting to come around, but he’s so far from being his polished, final self and that’s probably the biggest thing right now,” Salave’a said regarding Taylor. “He’s being pushed and he doesn’t mind it.”