Today is the Hurricanes' first double practice session, also known as two-a-days.

Coach Al Golden and players spoke after Tuesday's first session, but will not be made available after the night session under the new lights at Greentree Field.

The Canes are preparing for their first preseason scrimmage on Thursday night at Greentree. The scrimmage is closed to the public and media

Golden said he was "extremely pleased'' with the freshmen this camp.

"Very mature group,'' he said. Again, I think part of that is the leadership we're getting from [Raphael] Kirby and Dallas [Crawford] and Brad [Kaaya] and those guys. Very focused. I don't know if there's a separation, but I think they're getting a lot of opportunities. I think you guys know me well enough by now to know that everybody gets opportunities to play at Miami. It's not... We don't just say, 'Hey, this is a locked position.' They're getting opportunities, they're getting a lot of reps, they're getting on film.

"So, I think for us, we have to see what happens Thursday when the lights are on and who can react without the coaches.''

Golden was asked about the progress of the defensive line, and praised two youngsters.

He said 6-3, 310-pound freshman defensive tackle Kendrick Norton (Jacksonville Trinity Christian) and 6-4, 270-pound freshman defensive end RJ McIntosh (Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons High) have really started to squeeze it from the bottom up and everybody knows they're here to mean business."

Defensive tackle Courtel Jenkins, a 6-1, 314-pound sophomore, wore a red, no-contact jersey on Monday but practiced in a regular jersey on Tuesday. Golden cited his "maturity'' and said he was "a pro in terms of taking care of his business.

"Once you get in condition and you're more disciplined, the game kind of comes to you. You get your talent in the game. He's doing that now. He's still young, but he's in shape, he knows his stuff, and he's taking care of business off the field. That's allowing him to enjoy it and become process-oriented. Pleased with him."

Jenkins said the interior defensive linemen have improved since last year by lowering their pads more, using their hands more and "being more aggressive.'' He said his teammates consider the scrimmage "very important.''

"We treat it like a regular game day,'' Jenkins said. "It's an opportunity for guys to earn jobs.''

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN