CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -Jimmy Graham’s conversion from college basketball to college football at Miami got off to a bloody start.
Except, well, it wasn’t his blood.
The story goes like this: He was doing some unofficial 7-on-7 drills with Miami teammates earlier this summer, went up to make his first catch since ninth grade and – with his basketball instincts kicking in – used his elbows to create some space. Problem was, the space he created was over Miami linebacker Colin McCarthy’s right eye, deep enough that stitches were needed to close the wound.
“Yeah, he was boxing me out,” McCarthy said. “I mean, look at him. He’s 6-foot-8, 260 pounds. I think it’s great for us.”
ome a viable part of a team with Bowl Championship Series aspirations?
The Hurricanes think so.
“Here’s a guy, big, can run, can jump, played football before – people don’t realize that – is dedicated and is still enjoying sports,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “Is it a long shot? Yes. But if he can come and give us something this year, if he’s able to go out and score three touchdowns, maybe that’s three we wouldn’t have. You never know. So why not? We’ll see what happens.”
Graham enjoyed football as a kid, and probably would have been a two-sport athlete until entering college. He was the product of a troubled childhood and his mother, who wasn’t always around during his formative years, eventually agreed to turn over parental rights to a woman who took a liking to Graham through church outings.
Once adopted, Graham enrolled at a school in Wilson, N.C., that didn’t offer football. So basketball became his priority, and he wound up earning a scholarship to play at Miami.
But the football itch never went away. He doesn’t even play pickup basketball these days, for fear of derailing his football chances by injury.
“I think I can help us out a little bit,” said Graham, who has a 40-inch vertical leap. “Right now, I’m the tallest thing out there. Just throw it up there, and I’ll go get the rebound.”
ers, there’s no air conditioning in football. So to get used to the searing heat Miami will face during training camp, Graham would often head to the practice field at high noon this summer, running around for as long as he could.
“He’s out there, catching all the balls, making the correct blocks, doing his assignments,” quarterback Jacory Harris said. “He can help us a lot. The tight end position, we don’t have a lot of numbers there.”
The presumptive starter at tight end, Dedrick Epps, is back on the field this fall, less than a year removed from surgery to repair a torn knee ligament. Richard Gordon, another veteran tight end, has four catches in his Miami career.
That being said, it’s certainly not an impossible mission for Graham to find his way to the field this fall.
“From what I can see, it’s already working,” defensive end Eric Moncur said. “Jimmy’s adapting to the game real well. He’s looked good all summer. And you don’t question his work ethic. The dude is a beast in basketball and that’s just carrying over to football. The guy, he works like a dog out there.”
Graham was a fan favorite during his Miami basketball career, despite never averaging more than 6.0 points per game in any season and often racking up more fouls than anything else.
“At least now, I can’t foul out,” Graham said.
bly making at least $100,000 in his first year.
Instead, he remained at Miami, finally able to give football one more try.
“Being in the situation I was from as a kid, it’s tough to turn down six figures,” Graham said. “But I see this as a great opportunity. I don’t know what’s going to come of it, but I’m going to dream big.”
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