OXFORD, Ohio— "ICE on two! One-two-ICE!"
 
Every wide receiver huddle at Miami Football practice this fall ends with the same breakdown chant.
 
So what does it mean?
 
"ICE stands for I Catch Everything," said wide receivers coach Andy Cruse with a smile. "In the spring, we had guys break it down with different things, and finally, it was like, 'Alright, let's come up with something.'"
 
Cruse's unit caught plenty Thursday morning, standing out as the offense produced several touchdowns in the first red zone team period of the day to set the tone. "[Guys were] being physical in the red zone. Quarterbacks were decisive. We threw the balls in good spots," said head coach Chuck Martin afterward. "The entire offense got a lot better today in the red zone, and it showed with execution and in the results."
 
A variety of targets made key catches for the Red and White as practice unfolded, including touchdown grabs from Kam Perry, Keith Reynolds and Lynel Billups-Williams, just to name a few. The depth and versatility of Miami's wide receiver room should be strengths heading into the 2025 season, even if there isn't a huge amount of collegiate game experience to go along with that yet.

 
"We have a ton of pieces," said Cruse, a former RedHawk wideout (2009-12) who ranks seventh in program history with 160 career catches. "When I played, we had four or five really good [ones]; we have eight, nine, 10, or 11 really, really good receivers. I'm trying to get those guys to understand: They all are going to have a role for us and they all have to compete against themselves and against each other.
 
"That's going to make us better in the long haul."
 
"We have good flexibility," Martin added, pointing out the balance that comes with having smaller wideouts who can fill a number of roles for the Red and White [like the trio mentioned above] and also bigger, longer guys [such as 6-4 Deion Colzie, 6-3 Darion Williamson, 6-1 Brady Simmons, 6-5 Cole Weaver and 6-3 Braylon Isom].
 
"It's new for all of them, but there's talent and there's compete-level and there's definite playmaking ability there."
 
Miami is scheduled to practice again on Saturday morning, August 9 in Oxford.
 
 
REYNOLDS' WRAP: Reynolds, a redshirt sophomore that transferred in from the University of Washington this year and was on the Huskies' roster during their run to the national title game in the 2023 season, could be a dynamic piece of the puzzle as Miami looks for big plays on the perimeter and perhaps in special teams as well.
 

"He's dynamic with the ball in his hands," Martin said of the 5-9 speedster.
 
"I see my role as wherever my coach needs me," Reynolds told us after practice. "I just go out there and fight for my brothers and put it on the line for them…
 
"I can bring energy and consistency and encourage these boys to be motivated…When we step foot on that field at Wisconsin, we're taking on a challenge, [but] every team plays the same football and it's the same football everywhere."
 
 
WORLD'S LARGEST MOTH?: During the first 11-v-11 walkthrough period of the day, a humorous moment unfolded when a giant moth —at least we think hope it was a moth— began flapping around the guys on the sideline who are responsible for signaling plays to the offense and caused a mild disturbance for a second or two. Hopefully jumping out of the way to avoid an oversized insect didn't equal any mixed signals for the offensive players between the lines who rely on the motions and gestures for their next play call!
 
 
INSIDE SLANT: As Miami's wide receivers went through drills this morning, both Cruse and offensive coordinator Pat Welsh continued to bring up the same teaching points: Get the ball tucked away, and then 'get vertical' to try and make a move down the field after the catch.
 
"The common fan might just see the catch and that's it," Cruse pointed out later. "But about 95 percent of the stuff that happens in the play is before the catch. That's where we think we have to be really, really good: Movements, formations, tags, understanding coverage, leverage and attacking.
 
"Obviously you finish with a catch and get a tuck, and then it's showtime once you have the ball in your hands. We talk a lot about being playmakers – that's not only catching the ball, but it's also blocking downfield and blocking in the run game. There's so much stuff that happens before that catch."
 
Reynolds said it's the focus on those little things that will make the difference for the RedHawks' wideouts this fall. "We're just harping on detail: Be detailed on anything and everything that comes your way," he explained. "If our whole receiver group is in one accord and we all are detailed, I feel like we can be very successful."
 
 
SPEAKING OF SHOWTIME: Red zone one-on-ones today featured a couple of ridiculous moves from Miami receivers that led to scoring catches. Simmons ripped off a spin move to break away from a defender and work free for a touchdown reception, and a few reps later, Michael Parrish used an ankle-breaking start-and-stop juke to get wide open (and bring his teammates racing down the sideline in celebration and/or disbelief).
 
 

PLAY OF THE DAY: Perry highlighted the final team period of practice with an impressive catch in the back left corner of the end zone, extending his hands late to pull the ball in for a touchdown. "Great play. Great release. Great route. Great catch in the corner," Martin said as he broke down that particular rep after practice. "That's a game-changing, season-changing [type of] play."
 
"Are you not entertained?", one offensive lineman exclaimed on the sideline with his hands in the air as Perry and the rest of the offense came off the field for a much-deserved water break.
 
 
Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now! Call (513) 529-4295 for more information. Miami Football will host its annual Kickoff with the Community on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Yager Stadium. Gates open at 10 a.m.; more information is available here.

Miss a RedHawk Report? Catch up on fall camp with our daily MiamiRedHawks.com notebooks: Aug. 6  |  Aug. 5  |  Aug. 2  |  July 31  |  July 30  |  July 29