The forecast for April 24th and 25th calls for Hurricane, after Hurricane, after Hurricane - Miami Hurricanes will dominate this year's NFL Draft. Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow, Jr., Jonathan Vilma, DJ Williams, Vince Wilfork and Vernon Carey are among the names listed near the top of every NFL team's Draft Boards. The football program at the University of Miami regularly produces the NFL superstars. Head Coach, Larry Coker shared his thoughts on Hurricanes past, present and future.
Over his first three seasons at the helm, Coker has compiled the best record in school history. Coker has coached some of the NFL's newest superstars; Jeremy Shockey, Edgerrin James, Santana Moss and Ed Reed - to name a few. "I'll always remember Ed Reed. He wasn't highly recruited coming out of high school. Ed is a hard worker and now, he's a Pro-Bowler," said Coker. More than a good football coach, Coker has genuine affection and fatherly pride toward his players.
"I know the people in DC don't like him much, but we're big fans of Joe Gibbs down here in Miami," Coker joked. The Redskins have shown serious interest in two of Miami's top prospects: Sean Taylor and Kellen Winslow, Jr. When asked to declare which of the two was the better overall athlete, he said, "probably Sean, but Kellen is a very good athlete too - it's too close to call. Kellen would be a perfect H-back in the right system. Sean has all the tools to be very good at the next level. Either of them would be able to help any team."
"I think the Redskins got a good one when they traded for Clinton Portis," Coker stated. "He wasn't drafted until the second round. I told him then, 'You're the Most under-rated player in the country.' He was another guy that wasn't highly sought after out of high school. He came (to Miami) and did so much for our football team. Coach Gibbs will be very happy with Portis."
When asked about his own prospects of coaching in the NFL, Coach Coker was very candid. "I've had a few calls and there has been some interest from agents trying to set up interviews. But I'm very happy here at Miami. I don't mind the recruiting process. I like my job very much and we're going to have another good team this season. We don't have a lot of household names now, but I think there will be some by the time the season is over." Take Larry Coker at his word.
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