The seams of a secondary are his refuge. Xavier Restrepo runs a slanted or thin post and his head becomes clearer. Funny how relief can be found in a route tree.

“An average play lasts about three seconds, right?” said Miami’s senior slot receiver.

“Between those three seconds, I literally have no problems, you know what I’m saying? All my problems and worries around the world just disappear. So I would probably say that’s my safe place, so to speak.”

Such a way of thinking does not invite you to think too much, only to achieve too much. Restrepo, whose chip on his shoulder pads remains as deep as the “U” on his helmet, has found not only peace but immortality in his patterns.

The 5-foot-10 South Florida native and lifelong Hurricanes fan enters Saturday night’s matchup with beleaguered rival FSU with 170 career receptions, three shy of Reggie Wayne’s school record. His 2,403 career receiving yards are just 144 shy of Santana Moss’ all-time Hurricanes mark.

With 39 catches in seven games, he has little chance of surpassing his single-season record of 85 catches from last season. His ten 100-yard receiving games in his career are already a school mark.

“(The record hunt) definitely means a lot; I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the case,” said Restrepo, who leads the ACC with 686 receiving yards this season.

“But honestly, I just couldn’t do it without this team. I have so much help from every single other position on the field. If we didn’t have good running backs, (opposing defenses) would just lose eight. If I didn’t have a good quarterback, they would pressure every time. If I didn’t have a good (offensive) line, I wouldn’t have time to run the routes. … So everything correlates.”

But not everything calculated. How does a converted defensive back born to teenage parents who failed to crack the Rivals’ top 50 receivers list in Florida as a prep senior develop into the most productive slot player in his school’s storied history?

By sticking to the underdog template and turning any perceived slights into motivational fuel. Five seasons into his college career, Restrepo’s tank still teems with that raw, unbridled desire to prove himself, even though the naysayers are now largely at risk.

“Usually guys like that never lose their chip, they just don’t,” Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “I think in 10 years he’ll have that chip on his shoulder.”

Restrepo, 22, was born to a 15-year-old mother and a 16-year-old father and grew up in a modest neighborhood in Coconut Creek. His father, Jaime Restrepo, who runs a scaffolding yard; and mother Ashley Padgett, who works from home for an insurance group, are still together today.

“They fought through it,” Restrepo said. “All props go to her.”

The couple supported their eldest child in all phases of his football life. Restrepo attended three high schools and played countless positions, including nickel back, receiver and even quarterback. Despite being slightly undersized and lacking elite speed, he developed into one of South Florida’s most productive high school players with 48 total touchdowns, more than 3,000 receiving yards and eight picks at the prep level.

But 247Sports and ESPN only labeled him a three-star prospect; Rivals gave it four stars. When asked if he often felt insulted in the early stages of his career, Restrepo replied: “To say the least, yes, sir.”

“At this point in your life, when you’re 17 or 18 years old and you’ve played sports your whole life and people look at you a certain way, you never forget that,” Dawson said.

“And I think that’s probably one of the moments in your life that probably stays with you the longest, that little gap between high school and college, and so he’ll never lose that.”

Half a decade later, the insults and perceptions and humble attitudinal assessments are still deeply etched in Restrepo’s psyche. The only remaining nemeses he consistently throws off are safeties and linebackers who are supposed to cover him in the slot. Restrepo, who signed with Miami during the Manny Diaz era, has developed into a matchup nightmare, a surgically precise route runner and a willing perimeter blocker.

“He pretty much maximized everything,” said South Florida recruiting analyst Larry Blustein, who has covered prep football in the Broward/Miami-Dade area for more than half a century.

“Did I know he would be this good? Probably not. I don’t know how you could ever imagine someone being the all-time leading receiver at this time in a place that features Michael Irvin, Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson. But he’s a player and he’s a leader and people respond to him. He’s just wired differently.”

Before Restrepo trots onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, he will pray, put on his No. 7 jersey (worn in honor of a close friend and teammate who took his own life) and then imagine the moments ahead Imagine peace and serenity. You will arrive with the corner and curl patterns, on the rub routes, during the yards after the catch, when all fears, hardships and problems disappear.

This is Restrepo’s safe space, just him and his craft – and that constant urge to prove himself once again.

“To be honest, he doesn’t need to lose this,” Dawson said. “He doesn’t have to lose it because that’s what makes him him.”

Contact Joey Knight at [email protected] . Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.

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