After weeks of questioning whether the suddenly sparingly-used Zach McCloud could be redshirted this season, Manny Diaz announced Wednesday that McCloud will redshirt this year and return in 2020. This a reversal of Diaz’s previous position, in which he called the strongside linebacker a “necessity, not a luxury.” So far this season, McCloud has played just 21 defensive snaps in 3 games. He did not appear in Miami’s win over Central Michigan, after playing in the first three games.
Despite arriving as a freshman alongside Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, McCloud has made an impact on defense less and less as Miami has begun using the Safety/Linebacker hybrid “Striker” position.