Miami 2021 Spring Game: The Players Who Starred

Spring is a beautiful time of year, the weather is warming up, the days get longer and college football teams hold fifteen practices usually culminating with some form of spring game. That spring game is often the first chance fans have to see their team in action. Sure, the rules vary depending on the team, players rotate in and out, and some of the big stars don’t play much, but it’s still the first look at the team. It’s dangerous to read too much into spring game performances, but that won’t stop us from highlighting a few players who impressed in Miami‘s spring game.

Jake Garcia

Garcia is a member of Miami’s 2021 recruiting class and is battling Tyler Van Dyke for the backup quarterback job behind D’Eriq King. Garcia made the most of his opportunities in the spring game and put together an impressive performance. He made good decisions with the football and played within the rhythm of the offense. Garcia was very accurate in the intermediate passing game but also made a few nice deep throws to stretch the field. He also showed good mobility in the pocket and was able to pick up good yardage when he scrambled. Obviously the spring game is just one piece of the puzzle, but Garcia aced this test and heads into fall camp with positive momentum.

Kamren Kinchens

Kinchens is another member of the 2021 recruiting class who had a strong performance in the spring game. Kinchens is a smart player with a good feel for the game, and it showed over the course of the game. He was in position in coverage and did his job, forcing quarterbacks to look elsewhere for completions or attempt to fit the ball into tight windows. Kinchens also made his share of big plays, including a sack on a blitz early in the game, an interception near the end of the third quarter and another pass breakup on a deep pass in the fourth quarter. Kinchens also shined on a third down play when he had good coverage on a drag route and made the tackle for a short gain to get the defense off the field. Kinchens is part of a talented safety room at Miami and had a good showing in the spring game.

Avantae Williams

Williams is another young safety who performed well. With Bubba Bolden not participating in the spring game, Williams got plenty of playing time early and made the most of it. He missed the 2020 season but showed no ill effects from his injury and was solid in coverage and in run support. Williams had a good pass breakup on a jump ball in coverage on the sideline. He looked athletic, smooth, and took good angles to get the ball carrier to the ground or out of bounds. Miami has a plethora of talent at safety and the position will be a strength for the defense this fall.

Charleston Rambo

Rambo transferred in from Oklahoma and showed the impact he could have in 2021. Miami had struggles with consistency from the receivers in 2020 and a few of those drops manifested themselves again during the spring game, but Rambo was a reliable target all game. He made several catches in the short and intermediate passing game early, keeping the offense on schedule and moving the chains consistently. Rambo has strong hands and showed his run after the catch ability on a screen pass making a few defenders miss to pick up a nice gain. Rambo was consistent and made several plays to keep scoring drives alive and will be a big part of the offense in 2021.

Jaylan Knighton

With Don Chaney out and Cam’Ron Harris only getting a few carries, Knighton was the only running back on display who is expected to play a key role next year. He showed his quick burst through the hole on a few occasions and had a nice touchdown run when he pulled away from the defense like he was shot out of a cannon. Knighton has good speed, acceleration and shiftiness that causes fans to hold their breath every time he touches the ball. Knighton showed glimpses of that big play potential and will look to build on that in the fall.

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