How High an NFL Selection Is Gino?

University of Miami quarterback Gino Torretta said ESPN’s draft analyst “Mel Kiper says I’m a fourth-round pick. If I am, I don’t know too many fourth-round picks walking around with two national-championship rings on their fingers. When people say I’ve got a weak arm, I think it’s funny. I’ll go out on the field and throw with any college guy in the country and I guarantee you I’ve got as strong an arm as anyone.”

His teammates clearly agree.

Ryan McNeil, considered a sure No. I pick and the best covering cornerback in the country, has worked opposite Torretta in practice for five years.

“We try to outfox each other every day,” McNeil said. “I’ll pretend we’re in man (coverage) when we’re really in zone. He’ll change all his signals or his cadence because he says I know them all. I think we’ve both helped each other get better.

“He’s so intelligent. He’s got a great knowledge for the game. He’s got a quicker release than Craig (Erickson), and a stronger arm than Steve Walsh. He’s got Walsh’s smarts and Erickson’s athletic ability, the best of both of them. You put all that together and he’s a Heisman Trophy winner. And it didn’t just happen overnight; he’s worked on it over and over.”

Wide receiver Lamar Thomas, recipient of 37 Torretta tosses this year, is also a believer.

“He’s done more for this team than any of those other guys have done for their teams,” he said. “He makes the right calls. He gets the ball to the right people. At Penn State (a 17-14 Miami victory), he saw the run was open, so he put his own stats aside and did what he had to do. He’s done that all year.”