Redshirt junior linebacker Darrion Owens will transfer from Miami, according to a report from CanesInsight.com reporter Peter Ariz.
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UM did not immediately confirm the report.
Owens, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, played in 38 games for the Hurricanes after signing as a three-star recruit in 2014. The Orange Park-Oakleaf High graduate was expected to be a major part of the team in 2015, in which he earned his only career start, but he badly injured his right knee in Week 2 at Florida Atlantic.
The injury — a pair of torn menisci and a torn ACL — robbed him of some of his speed and agility, but Owens made a return and became a reliable backup behind starter Michael Pinckney the last two seasons. He played about 20 percent of the defensive snaps, according to numbers tracked by Post contributor Daniel Gould.
Owens, who recently graduated, would be eligible to play immediately for an FBS school. One option could be Houston, where the defensive coordinator who recruited him to UM, Mark D'Onofrio, now holds that title.
In other news, reserve defensive tackle Ryan Fines announced through UM he will transfer.
In a press release distributed by the school, coach Mark Richt said he spoke with Fines, and "he feels his best opportunity to get the most playing time would be at another school," Richt said. "Ryan has been a great representative of our program. We appreciate all the hard work he has put in and we wish him all the best in his future plans."
Said Fines, according to the release: "I would like to thank Coach Richt, the coaching staff and my teammates for all of their support. I look forward to this new opportunity."
UM said Fines, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound redshirt sophomore from Bradenton, is on track to graduate in the spring. He played in two games in 2017, recording a tackle and a fumble recovery, in a total of seven snaps.
Sunday, one of Fines' classmates, linebacker Jamie Gordinier, announced he was stepping away from football.
Elsewhere ...
Defensive end Demetrius Jackson took to Twitter to express his displeasure over criticism of UM quarterback Malik Rosier.
This story first appeared in the Palm Beach Post
