CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The Miami Hurricanes’ makeover has a lot to do with the work happening away from the spotlight, and Ervin Young is at the center of it.
Miami has long recruited elite talent, but the issue has often been how well that talent held up physically. Injuries and conditioning problems kept stacking up until last season, when the program began to see a real shift in how its players were prepared and maintained.
Now, during fall camp, that change has become a talking point around the team. From Mario Cristobal down, the praise for Young’s work has been constant, with the Hurricanes’ director of sports performance getting credit for helping the roster practice harder and look more ready for the season.
“I see the Jordan Lyle that we saw a year ago in many respects but with better physical traits,” Cristobal said about his star running back. “Meaning, I givecredit to Coach Erv Young and the staff sports science and the training.
Those guys have really collaborated to put us in position to be able to practice like this, right? Because you train to be able to practice, and you practice to be able to play.”
Lyle spent last season bouncing on and off the injury list. This year, with Young’s help, he appears to be in a better place physically, and people around the program have noticed.
Cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. has noticed it too. The underrated defender said the changes started with how his body was prepared and continued with the way the staff pushed him to grow into a leadership role.
“I like to thank the strength and conditioning staff for, first thing, [getting] my body prepared," Frederique said after Fall Camp practice. "I gained a couple pounds, got stronger, faster. I’m getting older as well and I want to thank my position coaches for preparing me and letting me know I have to be a leader and step up.
"So, if I’m able to practice how I’m supposed to practice, the younger guys and the other guys will see my energy, and it’ll eventually go onto them. So, I have to do that. I just want to thank my guys in my room and my position coaches and strength and coaching staff.”
Miami already saw what that kind of physical readiness can look like last season, when Rueben Bain Jr. and Ahkeem Mesidor were both healthy and in the best shape of their lives while leading the defense to a National Championship appearance.
The broader change has shown up in the details: bigger bodies, more strength, more speed, and a program that wants to operate more like an NFL outfit. Those gains trace back to Young’s growth and the role he has carved out in reshaping the Hurricanes’ physical standard.
With Stanford up on Sept. 4, Miami is leaning on that foundation. The Hurricanes want to be the best team in the country, and it starts with Young making sure the roster is ready from a physical standpoint.
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