STRENGTHS: For the third straight year the Canes return All American Ken Dorsey as their starting quarterback and again at his disposal are more weapons than he could possibly know what to do with. One of his favorite targets does return in super junior WR Andre Johnson, who by now has enough publicity to find himself on a few pre-season All-American lists. After his 199 yard coming out party at the Rose Bowl he will be hard to ignore. As for the rest of the wide receiver crew you can pick your poison, 4 out of 5 who saw extensive action return except for often injured Daryl Jones. Needless to say, you can expect the 2002 version of Miami's offense to resemble its 2000 team, which also featured a very strong receiving core. At the tight end position look for son of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. to take over as Miami's next weapon at tight end. Kellen Winslow Jr. along with Running Backs Willis McGahee, Jarret Payton (you can guess who's son he is), and FB Kyle Cobia should be more than adequate weapons to help this offensive machine keep moving. If there is anything we have learned from watching Miami over the years is that the names might be different but the results never change.

CONCERNS: Most folks outside the top 5 would love to have Miami's problems, but by Miami's standards they do have some concerns. Losing NFL talent year in and year out is never a good thing, so this year the coaches are definitely looking at two key spots on the Hurricane offense that could possibly play at a lower level than they were used to last year. First we start with the offensive line; here is where most people think Miami is most vulnerable. They lost Joaquin Gonzalez, Bryant McKinnie, and Martin Bibla to the pros, but replacing them is actually a heavier group of incumbents. At right tackle will be former high school All American 6'5'' 345 pound Vernon Carey and at left tackle replacing "Mount" McKinnie will be another Mountain of a Man, 6'6'' 320 pound Carlos Joseph. The interior will include returning starting guards Sherko Haji-Rosouli and Ed Wilkens, who happened to replace Sherko half way through the season after an injury. Closing up the middle at center is probable All American, and the most experienced of all Miami offensive lineman, Brett Romberg. So what should we expect from this group? Well for one, not many experts are envisioning this group to be as good as last year so you will probably see Ken Dorsey actually have to scramble a few times this year. At the same time college football fans, offensive line coach Art Kehoe will still have himself one of the best offensive lines in the country, for yet another year. Also of some slight concern is depth at Miami's running back position. After an ACL injury to would be co-starter and freshman All American Frank Gore, Miami is now adding more weight on the shoulders of Willis McGahee and back up Jarret Payton. Still though, this backfield even without the services of Gore's 9.1 yards a clip, should be one of the better backfields you'll see in the country.

STRENGTHS: It's not often that you have every single person from an eight man rotation return the following year, and it's not every decade that you see a single defensive line having six players with at least one year of starting experience. Well this is what you have with Miami's front. Leading the way for the 2002 campaign are All American defensive tackle and future top 10 NFL pick William Joseph, All American defensive end Jerome McDougle, and equally as talented defensive end Andrew Williams. If that wasn't enough, backing those two at defensive end are Cornelius Green and Jammal Green, who both started on the 2000 Miami Hurricane squad. Also coming off the bench along with a slew of other studs is stand out freshman Vince Wilfork, who will help this line become the best most have seen in ten years, and if you find that hard to believe then look no further than their production from last year. For those not aware, the Canes' eight-man rotation in eleven games, accounted for an astonishing 388 tackles, 81 tackles for loss, and 39 sacks. Not even Tennessee, who most thought was last season's top defensive line in the country, could come close to that with just 254 tackles, 45 tackles for loss, and 28 sacks in twelve regular season games. If that wasn't enough for offenses to worry about, they also have to deal with the linebackers. If the Hurricanes improved linebacker play from the last couple of games of 2001 were any indication of what we should expect for next fall, then this group should round out the nation's best front seven. Losing only the late senior linebacker Chris Campbell, starters DJ Williams and Jonathan Vilma return with secure jobs and look to continue their momentum from last year's Rose Bowl. Competition though has heated up at the other outside linebacker spot, where an injury to former starter Howard Clark has kept him out of spring workouts. Taking advantage of the opening is redshirt freshman Roger McIntosh, who really opened some eyes in spring practice and who could very well eventually wind up playing on the first unit.

CONCERNS: Not all is perfect for the Miami Hurricane's defense. While the front seven looks to be All World; you can expect to see the secondary make the defense look human at times. With four defensive backs going pro, including junior Phillip Buchanon, it will be impossible to replace that kind of experience and production, which was a prime factor in last season's run for the national title. Attempting to step up will be physically imposing free safety Sean Taylor, who has been making a strong impression as an intimidator since his freshman year. He will most likely be along side Maurice Sikes at the strong safety spot. At the corner you will find Al Marshal taking over as the tall, physical cornerback that Michael Rumph was. Opposite him is some competition between corners Kelly Jennings and Antrel Rolle. Regardless, it will be this young group of guys that will decide how many games Miami will lose and how far they go this season. If there was one real concern on this team it will be its pass defense.