Enter Sandland: Miami TE takes unlikely path to Hurricanes

August 17, 2013|By Michael Casagrande, Sun Sentinel

CORAL GABLES — Beau Sandland might be the most unlikely Miami Hurricane.

Just consider his past. He's from Southern California and barely watched any college football as a kid. His high school team won all of seven games in four years. Recruiters didn't come around, and if they did, Sandland was an academic non-qualifier.

Yet, two years later, he's in Coral Gables working for playing time in Miami's tight end rotation. After enrolling in January as one of the top junior college transfers in the nation, Sandland quickly found a dose of reality. They playbook was thicker, the players faster, and he had to learn to block.

Progress from then to now is noticeable, coach Al Golden and teammates said.

"You have to do everything by the book, your techniques and your right steps," Sandland said.

"Or else you'll get exposed. The stuff you could get away with in junior college and high school, you can't get away with it at this level with the athletes."

At Simi Valley High School, Sandland was more of a receiver than a tight end. Then at Pierce College, he was a tight end who focused much more on the passing game. He caught 24 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns last season to top Rivals' junior college tight end rankings.

As a part of a spread offense, Sandland lined up mostly in the slot, not with a hand in the dirt like Miami's tight ends. It was all about the passing game.

But there's much more to that at this level.

"I know one thing," fellow tight end Clive Walford said. "This is Division I football. He's going to have to learn how to block."

And he has. Walford said Sandland is a balanced player who knows both major aspects of the job. His ability to take coaching and apply it impressed him the most.

It took some time in the spring to get up to speed, though.

Exiting spring practice, he was the solid No. 3 on the depth chart. He's still in that spot with Walford and Asante Cleveland battling for the top spot, but he's more integrated into the game plan. First team reps are there when Miami goes to the jumbo package.

"He's come a long way, especially since the beginning of spring," Cleveland said.

"His footwork and hand placement is so much better. He's more physical at the point of attack and you can tell that he's taking a forward step.

Improving his physical composition was another aspect of that. Extra strength and conditioning moved him from 254 pounds with 20 percent fat to 256 pounds and 15 percent fat. That translates to losing 11 pounds of fat and gain eight in muscle.

"Beau has really changed his body and his conditioning," coach Al Golden said. "He's a different person than he was in the spring."

Mastering the thicker playbook is another difference between summer and spring. Now that Sandland knows it, Cleveland said he sees him working with true freshman Standish Dobard.

"He's not a lost little pup out there anymore," Cleveland said.

But Sandland didn't grow up with college football?

"No, I can tell you anything about the NFL," he said. "But for whatever reason, I just wasn't really a big college football fan until I started getting recruited."

As he gained a reputation in junior college, big schools came his way. Sandland visited Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma in the summer and early fall before coming to Coral Gables in late November. He signed a few weeks later and was enrolled in January.

Even for a kid from Southern California who wasn't much interested in college football, he always had an eye on his future team. The Hurricanes and their tight end legacy always resonated.

"Everybody knows about Miami," he said. "That just goes to show, I didn't watch much college football, but everybody knows about 'The U,' the University of Miami and all the national championships. ... For a kid from LA that doesn't watch college football, knowing about a team all the way across the country kinda speaks to the legacy."

mcasagrande@tribune.com or @ByCasagrande on Twitter

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