Due to a foot injury, Xavier Restrepo has not gotten onto the field for Miami since its win over Southern Miss on Sept. 10.
Restrepo was the Hurricanes’ leading receiver, and losing him and his production was a gut punch for Miami’s offense.
“When you lose someone like we lost in Xavier, those are big shoes to fill,” offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said.
Fortunately for UM, in the past two weeks, sophomore Brashard Smith has evolved into a solid option to fill Restrepo’s slot receiver role.
“Brashard’s always been a special player,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said. “You guys saw spurts of it last year, and after (Restrepo) went down, he’s really stepped it up.”
Smith made a name for himself as a do-it-all star at Miami Palmetto and came to Miami after a recruiting battle with Florida, where he had once been committed.
He received limited playing time last year, primarily playing on special teams but receiving time at both wide receiver and running back. He ended his freshman year with 199 receiving yards, 23 rushing yards and 147 kick return yards.
This season, Smith has almost exclusively played receiver and special teams. He has seen his playing time increase from 22-36 snaps a game in Miami’s first four games to more than 50 in each of the last two — and he has produced.
Smith had five catches for 59 yards in the Hurricanes’ loss to North Carolina, and he was second on the team with 76 receiving yards on six catches in their win over Virginia Tech. He had a 78.1 receiving grade from Pro Football Focus against the Hokies.
“Brashard Smith’s play has really taken off in a big-time way,” coach Mario Cristobal said.
Van Dyke said he saw Smith take a significant step forward during Miami’s bye week, which preceded the North Carolina game.
“I think during the bye week was when he started to really understand the entire offense as a whole and really started to come into his own and be that guy out there to make plays for us,” Van Dyke said. “He’s been doing that for the last few weeks, and he’s going to continue to do that for us.”
Smith could also grow into a weapon on special teams. Though he has only 19 yards on three punt returns, he has shown flashes in the return game. He had an 18-yard return against Virginia Tech and had a long return spoiled by a penalty against North Carolina.
“Love having him back there catching punts,” Hurricanes punter Lou Hedley said. “He’s an absolute nightmare for other punters. Once he gets a little bit of ground in front of him, it’s all over.”
Now that Smith is focusing on playing receiver, he has become a key contributor for the Hurricanes as they look to overcome their rough start and compete for the ACC Coastal title.
“Now we’re asking him to be a full-time wide receiver, and I think that was new for him because he saw (Restrepo) out there, he saw the player that he was learning from, he didn’t necessarily think his opportunity was going to come as fast as it did,” Gattis said. “He’s done a tremendous job. I really am proud of Brashard, the way he’s approached practice, his production, and even just each week, being able to overcome adversity and bounce back from certain situations.”
