“This is my last chance, the last time most of us will ever be playing football,” Semmes said. “Coach (Don) Treadwell is always harping on sending our class out with something special. That’s what we’re working for.”
The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Semmes has been a two-year letterman in Oxford. He redshirted at Iowa in 2008, then opted to come to Miami and sit out the ’09 campaign.
“I decided to transfer after spring ball my freshman season,” said Semmes, a Clarkston, Mich., native. “Iowa just wasn’t the right fit for me. My brother (Justin) was getting recruited by Miami, and I decided to make the move.”
And what if his brother, currently No. 1 on the depth chart at running back, hadn’t been on the RedHawks’ radar?
“I probably would’ve ended up someplace else,” Semmes admitted. “It just so happened he was getting recruited here, and it was a good fit for me. I came to Miami and loved the place.”
The defensive line is loaded with experience and generally considered to be the strongest part of the team. D-line coach Nick Siatras called Semmes “a complete player.”
“He’s always where he needs to be,” Siatras said. “Very dependable. Very solid. Good against the run and good against the pass. Just a guy you can rely on. And he’s stepped up this camp from a leadership role too.”
Semmes has 90 total tackles and 20 tackles for loss the last two seasons. He celebrated his 23rd birthday earlier this month.
“When somebody turns on my tape, I would like them to see just how relentless my work ethic is,” Semmes said. “I’m not always going to take the right step and stuff like that, but I’d like to be seen as a guy that people say, ‘Wow, this guy is really flying his butt to the ball.’ “
Joining Semmes in the starting front four are junior Wes Williams at end, and seniors Austin Brown and Mike Johns at tackle. Senior end Luke Kelly and junior tackle Mwanza Wamulumba are also slated to play a lot, and freshman end Bryson Albright and freshman tackle Wesley Scott are pushing for time as well.
The RedHawks’ defense was pretty good last year. It should be even better in 2012.
“We’re really focused on our energy right now,” Semmes said. “(Defensive coordinator Jay) Peterson is real big on us flying to the ball. Even if we’re in the wrong spot, we’re flying to the ball at all times.”
Siatras likes the collective mind-set he’s seeing daily.
“I am not 100 percent happy with the line right now, but that is the trademark of any coach,” Siatras said. “The one thing I can definitely say is they bring their lunch pail every day. I don’t have to beat down their throat play after play to get going. They understand their assignments. They execute very fast.”
Albright, from Cincinnati’s St. Xavier High School, has a brother in the National Football League. Alex Albright is a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys.
“Bryson is a unique individual,” Siatras said. “He’s like a sponge in my classroom. He got the respect of the entire room very, very quickly.
“This freshman class is making it difficult for the guys that are here,” he continued, adding J’Terius Brown, Jimmy Rousher, David DeLeon and Mitchell Winters to the list of impressive freshman linemen. “They’re not sitting in the back of the bus waiting their turn. The door’s wide open. There’s no age limit to leadership. If he’s got charisma and good character and gives 100 percent in all that he does, you can have a leader who just walked through the door.”
There is some pressure on the D-line. If that group falters with such high expectations, it could affect the team’s psyche.
“The other guys on the defense and even the team, they look at those guys as sort of the model as to how every position should carry themselves out,” Siatras said. “It’s a gratifying thing, and they realize that. But I don’t let it get to my guys’ heads.”
Said Semmes, “We can handle that pressure.”
The Sept. 1 season opener at Ohio State is coming up fast. The D-line will soon have to deal with OSU quarterback Braxton Miller.
“He looks pretty fast, but we’ve got this tempo going in practice,” Semmes said. “Camp’s a long process. We’re excited to start working on Ohio State.”
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