CaneSport Message Board Mania: Miami Hurricanes Special Teams A Lost Art in Need of Revival

Once upon a time a young princess named Snow White lived in the Enchanted Forest … and it feels like just as long ago that the Miami Hurricanes were dominating on special teams with big returns and blocks. It was back in the Sherwood Forest era that Tremain Mack was swatting away kicks and guys like Santana Moss, Roscoe Parrish and Devin Hester were fearsome escape artists.

Mack, since we mentioned him, wasn’t just a guy who blocked kicks. He also returned them and even handled snapping duties along with starting at safety. Special teams used to be an art form at Miami, and Mack was an example of its Picasso. His eighth career blocked punt, for instance, was recovered in 1996 for a game-winning TD with 29 seconds left at West Virginia.

As Miami’s slide into relative mediocrity has gone on for most of the past two decades, perhaps it’s not a coincidence that special teams play has been an issue aside from the kicking/punting. Those game-changing blocks/returns don’t just help on the scoreboard but also give a team juice … and they just aren’t coming about too often.

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By the numbers

Let’s look at some rankings for Miami’s punt returns and kickoff returns dating back to 2014:

2024 Punt return national ranking No. 72; kick return No. 32

2023 Punt return national ranking No. 94; kick return No. 13

2022 Punt return national ranking No. 30; kick return No. 2

2021 Punt return national ranking No. 46; kick return No. 69

2020 Punt return national ranking No. 121; kick return No. 60

2019 Punt return national ranking No. 10; kick return No. 69

2018 Punt return national ranking No. 3; kick return No. 27

2017 Punt return national ranking No. 5; kick return No. 58

2016 Punt return national ranking No. 13; kick return No. 55

2015 Punt return national ranking No. 58; kick return No. 105

2014 Punt return national ranking No. 87; kick return No. 80

You’ll note that of the 22 total rankings listed above that four were top 10 (18 percent) while 12 were 55th or worse nationally (55 percent of the rankings listed).

The consistent excellence isn’t there, and more often than not it’s been mediocre or worse in the return game dating to ’14.

As for the team’s blocks?

There haven’t been more than one in any of those years:

2024 1 (allowed 0 blocked punts/kicks combined)

2023 1 (allowed 5)

2022 1 (allowed 1)

2021 0 (allowed 3)

2020 3 (allowed 1)

2019 3 (allowed 5)

2018 3 (allowed 3)

2017 2 (allowed 4)

2016 8 (allowed 5) – of note Miami ranked No. 2 nationally with three blocked punts and No. 5 with five blocked kicks but the team was No. 109 in kicks and No. 70 in blocked punts

2015 0 (allowed 0)

2014 2 (allowed 3)

So since 2014 the team’s gotten 24 total blocks and allowed 30.

How does a team with as many athletes as Miami, a program that recruits top talent nationally, not have guys that can block more kicks/punts than opponents or have a consistently top return game given the level of speed and elusiveness picked up in recruiting?

You could call it Miami’s not-so-special teams.

What they’re saying

Which brings us in a roundabout way to today’s Message Board Mania post that forced us to look into this all a bit more.

That’s thanks to CanesGhost, who started the thread “Miami Special Teams” and posted “When Miami’s special teams units become good to great that’s when Miami football is truly back. Every great football team has really solid to great special team units across the board. Doesn’t matter what level of football from high school and beyond. The best coached teams are really good at not losing games on Special Teams and stealing points or a possession. Hiding yards are invaluable when it comes to this department. Miami really needs to attack this area of the program. We have had great kickers, but everything else needs to be upgraded.”

Maybe this year things will start to change in the blocking/return game? There aren’t any real signs of it, but that has to become a dangerous part of Miami’s arsenal at some point in addition to getting the offense and defense to be dominant in the same season.