OXFORD — Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert is taking his fair share of reps, and head coach Chuck Martin is using words such as “professionalism” and “workmanlike” after the first day of fall camp.
The Miami RedHawks are off to a stellar 2024 preseason.
“We’ve had good energy — good bounce in our step — but we’ve had a lot of professionalism,” Martin said on Thursday. “Pretty high-level execution the first two days, which is kind of surprising. They’ve had a great offseason, and we’re very well-prepared. It’s been good. It’s been very professional.
“I’m very excited about our approach, how locked in we are and just very workmanlike knowing that this is the start of 18 weeks. Everybody wants to win something the first week of fall camp. That will fizzle out, and all the Kumbaya, rah rah, yee yee. You’ve got to come to work every day and grind through these days. So, we’re off to a very good start.”
Martin said the defending Mid-American Conference champion RedHawks are focused on using the next month to stay consistent and simply get better. Miami opens the 2024 season on the road against Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31.
The RedHawks are picked to finish atop the 2024 Mid-American Conference regular season standings, and 10 of the 12 MAC head coaches chose Miami to win the conference championship.
“We’re trying to be the same people,” Martin said. “We’re big in outworking people, out-charactering people. We’ve always talked about smart, tough and together. That’s what we talk about. We’re going to try to play smarter than everybody in the country. Will we do that? I don’t know, but we’re trying to. That takes a lot of preparation.
“We’ve got a veteran team, so we’re ahead of most years. We’ve got some spots that we’ve got to grow in a hurry, but we’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football. So, we’re in good shape right now.”
Gabbert is one of those veterans. The sixth-year senior is making an impressive bounce back from a season-ending leg injury he sustained against Toledo at Yager Stadium midway through the 2023 campaign.
Martin said his program formed an identity by attacking that adversity head on during Miami’s trek to a MAC Championship and its best record at 11-3 under the 11th-year RedHawks coach.
“We got kicked in the teeth in that first game of the year against Miami, Florida, and we responded,” Martin said. “Then we had lightning delays. We responded. Then we had a knock-down, drag-out against UC. We responded. We’re rolling, and our quarterback breaks his leg. We responded. That’s last year. … We were tough-minded last year. We were together last year.
“We’re just starting on our journey of 2024 of who we’re trying to become,” Martin added. “I’d like to become who we became last year. But we’re not the same people every day. Just because a kid was unselfish last year, doesn’t mean he’s unselfish this year. Just because he did extra last year, doesn’t mean it. That’s who he was last year. Today’s today.
“We’re just trying to get in that mindset of churning out great practices and creating great habits and not worry about the 14 weeks ahead of us. We’re worried about how much better can we get in these next three weeks.”
SALOPEK LANDS ON BRONKO NAGURSKI WATCH LIST
Miami linebacker Matt Salopek has been named one of 75 defensive standouts named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, announced by the Football Writers Association of America earlier this week.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce finalists for the 2024 trophy on Nov. 20 and the winner will be unveiled Dec. 9 at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C.
Salopek has 392 tackles (11th in school history), 25.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and one interception in 45 career games. The sixth-year senior was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and has earned All-MAC honors in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Salopek has 100-plus tackles in three straight seasons and could become the first RedHawk in program history with four-straight 100-tackle seasons.
KICKOFF WITH THE COMMUNITY
Fans have an early opportunity to gear up for the 2024 season as Miami hosts Kickoff with the Community on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Yager Stadium.
The day’s events include one of the final RedHawks practices of preseason camp, a chance to meet the team and much more. Gates open and practice begins at 10:30 a.m.
Kickoff with the Community is free and open to the public.
