Miami Hurricanes WR Ray Ray Joseph learning from Restrepo film, has packed on over 15 pounds of muscle since last season

A highly touted explosive freshman receiver when he arrived on Miami’s campus as a freshman a year ago, Ray Ray Joseph never really made much of an impact in Year 1, with the three starting wideouts Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Colbie Young getting the bulk of the reps. Joseph was behind Restrepo as well as Brashard Smith in the slot.

But this year, with Young and Smith gone, Joseph has a chance to make a bigger impact. He plans to take advantage of it, often staying into the evening doing extra work.

He’s also now a bigger receiver, noticeably compared to a year ago when a couple of hits sent him flying. Joseph’s added over 15 pounds of muscle since the end of the season.

“It’s just to keep the knickknack injuries from happening,” Joseph said. “Putting on that body armor, getting after it in the weight room, make sure I eat healthy, drink the protein shakes to pack on the weight. I feel the difference, and it helps you with longevity, you can take those hits.”

He now weighs 180 pounds.

“The experience from last year, I learned what I need to work on and the direction I need to go to get better,” Joseph said.

The competition for reps after Restrepo and George is intense, and that includes with the likes of Isaiah Horton and Shemar Kirk along with a couple of true freshmen who are standing out this spring – JoJo Trader and Ny Carr.

“They look ahead of their time,” Joseph said of Trader and Carr. “It’s great watching them develop. … I’m always telling them the right things to do.”

Among the film that Joseph studies? That would be watching Restrepo.

“I watch the things he does, the releases, and try to repeat it,” Joseph said. “When I repeat it, it works. I’m learning from his game.”

Joseph is also getting in synch with the revamped QB room, including Cam Ward.

“It’s amazing, the room is great,” Joseph said. “Catching from those dudes, they make you want to run through a brick wall for them. … The whole room is great, everybody is working hard. It’s a privilege catching from them.”

Flash back to last year, and the consensus four-star signee out of Miami Edison played in 10 games and finished with 251 all-purpose yards (six catches totaling 36 yards, 185 kick return yards with a long of 31 yards, 30 punt return yards). Per Pro Football Focus he had a 73.9 percent grade on kick returns and 67.7 percent grade on punt returns. On offense his overall grade was 57.2 with a 56.5 grade as a receiver.

He’s expected to continue helping to handle returns for Miami this year.

“I’m doing it all, here to do whatever for the team,” Joseph says. “I’m just putting in the work every day, just staying out to catch with the quarterbacks, going over stuff that maybe we didn’t hit in practice – just reps, reps, reps. The little things set up the big things, so I’m just constantly catching and putting in work, running routes, catching on the JUGS machine.”

A final thought from Joseph?

He says WR coach Kevin Beard “has taught me a lot, a lot of things I need to work on, hone in on and focus on. … He preaches championship reps, championship mentality. Having that makes you come out and every play is a championship play.”

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