Olsen aiming to continue Miami's tight end legacy

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Miami coach Larry Coker typically chooses his words carefully, rarely dipping into hyperbole when it&#39;s time to talk about a player or an upcoming opponent.<br> <br> Yet when the subject is Hurricanes tight end Greg Olsen, Coker lets the emotions fly.<br> <br> ``I think he&#39;s going to be as good as any tight end that we&#39;ve had,&#39;&#39; Coker said.<br> <br> And that&#39;s exceptionally high praise considering Miami&#39;s recent track record of producing tight ends, with Bubba Franks, Jeremy Shockey and Kellen Winslow Jr. all having starred for the Hurricanes.<br> <br> So it begs the question: Should the school long known as &#39;Quarterback U&#39; now carry a different moniker?<br> <br> Olsen respectfully thinks so.<br> <br> ``I think it should be known as &#39;Tight End U,&#39;&#39;&#39; Olsen said. ``There&#39;s no team out there in the country that has put out more guys, first rounders, top five picks. I don&#39;t know how many other schools put out guys like that.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Olsen will start for the No. 9 Hurricanes on Monday night when they open their season at No. 14 Florida State in an annual Sunshine State showdown. It&#39;s a game that&#39;s been hyped for months, and both teams are beyond eager to start their year in the national spotlight.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s why you come play major college football. That&#39;s why you come to schools like Miami or Florida State,&#39;&#39; Olsen said. ``You&#39;re not going to be able to find a better environment all season than that Monday night, and it&#39;s going to be exciting.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Olsen&#39;s road to this point has been a long one.<br> <br> The 6-foot-5, 252-pound Olsen originally enrolled at Notre Dame with his brother, a decision he quickly regretted and quickly rectified.<br> <br> When Chris Olsen, a quarterback, transferred to Virginia, Greg Olsen took the chance to enroll at Miami. He spurned the Hurricanes during the recruiting process, but was welcomed back warmly when he made his choice to leave Notre Dame.<br> <br> ``In the back of my mind, it was always the place I wanted to be,&#39;&#39; said Olsen, a Parade All-American as a New Jersey high schooler. ``I was always saying to my brother, &#39;Commit to Miami.&#39; I followed him and it didn&#39;t work out, but I feel so lucky that they took me back here and that they gave me a second chance.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> He sat out the 2003 season as a medical redshirt, then played in nine games last season catching 16 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown missing three games with a broken wrist. The numbers aren&#39;t necessarily eye-catching, but coaches and teammates insist that every aspect of Olsen&#39;s game is super.<br> <br> ``You see a lot of great tight ends come out of here because we use the tight end a lot,&#39;&#39; said Hurricanes quarterback Kyle Wright, who edged Olsen for the Gatorade national high school player of the year award in 2002. ``I think you can look for the same this year, especially with Greg. Big, strong, fast and athletic tight end. Definitely going to be a great target for me, especially when I get in trouble.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Based on his size, speed and playmaking abilities, Olsen is already hearing questions about his NFL intentions; the sophomore will be eligible to enter the 2006 draft if he&#39;s so inclined.<br> <br> He said that decision is far from his mind these days.<br> <br> ``Everyone, myself, the rest of the guys, we need to concentrate on living up to our potential and living up to expectations,&#39;&#39; Olsen said. ``If we do that, it&#39;ll mean quality wins and hopefully a national championship. That&#39;s what we&#39;re thinking about.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)