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University of Miami senior tight end, Chris Herndon had a career day against Syracuse on Saturday. His 10-catch,96-yard effort with a touchdown, led all receivers and set career marks for him in receptions and yardage.
A day that showed that he’s the next in line in a long lineage of talented tight ends that the Hurricanes have produced.
““What did he catch, 10 [passes]? Is that right? That’s a big day,” said head coach Mark Richt after the game.
The 6-foot-4 Herndon, from the Atlanta suburb of Norcross, has been a steady force at Miami during his tenure but always seemed to be overshadowed by veteran teammates.
But with his performance Saturday, where he displayed his sheer athleticism and physical run-after-the-catch ability, surely NFL scouts took notice.
“They like to get me going early. I think the coaches know that once they get me going, it’s hard to stop me. So I guess they saw that early and kept feeding me the ball and it was working,” said Herndon of his efforts.
It’s finally his turn.
Coming into the game, Herndon only had 18 catches for 175 yards receiving on the year with a touchdown. Against an upset-minded Syracuse Orange team, Herndon had 91 receiving yards in the first half.
“Just watching film, we saw they are really aggressive with their blitz so one person is gone, we took advantage of that and it showed today,” he said.
He’s not alone in starring at Miami at the position.
There have been several lately. Highly productive tight ends at the University of Miami who have gone on to have great NFL careers. Every school wants to claim they are the University where the greats from a position group come from, but Miami just may be the real legitimate ‘tight end’ U.
Think of names like Jimmy Graham (Seahawks), Greg Olsen (Panthers), Clive Walford (Raiders) and first-round pick of the 2017 draft David Njoku (Browns) in more recent history. Not to mention previous All-American tight ends like Willie Smith, Bubba Franks, Jeremy Shockey and Kevin Winslow.
There was even a basketball player at Miami who never played a down while enrolled but instead played hoops. He became an NFL tight end also, proving there’s just something in the water at Miami. Erik Swoope played in 16 games last year for the Indianapolis Colts and had 15 receptions for 297 yards.
For Herndon, his contributions helped Miami find offense when they couldn’t during a critical game in their quest to win the ACC’s Coastal Division. Something they’ve never done.
“I’ve been doing it all season, I practice the same way too.”
A career night for a young man whose future career looks as bright as his predecessors at ‘the U.’
Gore, Hester & Coker Among 2018 Canes HOF Inductees
The University of Miami announced its 2018 Hall of Fame class this week, inducting eight new members from various sports.
Among the honorees were football alumni Devin Hester and Frank Gore and former Canes coach Larry Coker.
Hester, a 2004 All-American for the Hurricanes, received a large ovation from the crowd when he was shown on the big screens during a timeout as the school recognized the honorees who attended Saturday’s game.
Other inductees include Dominique Darden (track and field, 2003-2006), Britney Butcher (soccer, 2001-2004), Chanivia Broussard (basketball, 2000-2004), Tina Miller (golf, 2001-2005), John Salmons (basketball, 1998-2002) and Yonder Alonso (baseball, 2006-2008).
