CaneSport Roundtable: Will the Miami Hurricanes defense finish 2024 ranked higher nationally than it did in 2023?
A year ago Miami’s defense made a nice jump up in most defensive categories as it pertains to national rankings – going from 64th to 24th in total defense, from 54th to 11th in rush defense, 79th to 55th in pass yards allowed, 102nd to 33rd in team passing efficiency defense and from 66th to 42nd in scoring defense.
Those were significant strides.
But now the team loses starting DL Leonard Taylor, Branson Deen and Jared Harrison-Hunte, starting CBs Jaden Davis and Te’Cory Couch and starting safeties Kam Kinchens and James Williams.
That’s why the Canes have leaned heavily into the transfer portal, including landing anticipated DT starters CJ Clark and Simeon Barrow to complement the anticipated returning starting DEs Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor with Tennessee DE Tyler Baron also pushing for first team reps. Starting linebackers Francisco Mauigoa (the team’s leading tackler in 2023) and Wesley Bissainthe are back, and in the secondary CB Daryl Porter, Jr. started last year and fellow corner Damari Brown started the final four games. The team added Washington starter Mishael Powell, who could play nickel or safety, as well as Marshall CB D’yoni Hill.
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With a powerful offense led by Cam Ward, if the defense can hold its own the sky is the limit for this team. But it very much remains a question if the defense will, indeed, get the job done. Today the CaneSport staff shares its take on if the defense will rank higher or lower nationally compared to a year ago:
GARY FERMAN
Miami was just OK on defense in 2023. There….I said it. The stats suggest otherwise. You can see them and judge for yourself. Yeah Miami went from 64th to 24th in total defense, from 54th to 11th in rush defense, 79th to 55th in pass yards allowed, 102nd to 33rd in team passing efficiency defense and from 66th to 42nd in scoring defense. No argument. But the Hurricanes still didn’t win anything. There were a limited number of impact players, with Kam Kinchens getting drafted in the third round and Jaden Davis and James Williams going in round seven and Leonard Taylor, K.J. Cloyd and Branson Deen not even getting drafted. Simply put, the Hurricanes have a lot of upside on the defensive side of the ball, which is why we have seen Mario Cristobal and staff continue to mine the transfer portal for upgrades. Matt Shodell talks a bit about that below so I won’t be redundant. But this team figures to go as far as its offense takes it. I don’t see a ton of impact defensive talent again as the 2024 opener approaches beyond Rueben Bain.
That takes us back to the question of whether Miami will be improved statistically this season. I am going to say no and part of the reason is I expect the defense to be on the field more often if the offense is as potent and quick-striking as I expect it to be and opponents are constantly having to play wide-open to try to keep up. And Miami’s secondary is going to have to prove itself under those tough circumstances. These things don’t add up to being better but the coaches have done a good job improving the roster every way that they could right up to the late acquisition of quality DE Tyler Baron.
MATT SHODELL
It would be nice to sit here and say that Miami’s defense can be as good or better than last year, when there was a substantial upgrade in performance during Lance Guidry’s first year running things. But at the end of the day a coordinator is only as good as his personnel, and I think the team’s overall talent level on defense has taken a step down. You can’t convince me that anticipated DT starters CJ Clark and Simeon Barrow are as talented a duo as Leonard Taylor and Branson Deen, and the depth takes a hit with Jared Harrison-Hunte gone … Marley Cook and Josh Horton are the probably other guys in the two-deep at this point. At end I love Rueben Bain, but what sure-fired playmaker do you see after that? Akheem Mesidor missed spring coming off torn tendons in both feet and requires special cleats to play now, and the team also has Elijah Alston as a rush end from Marshall but he’s not a guy that moves the needle a ton for me. Tyler Baron will help a lot, but I’m not sure he’s elite and he won’t be back off injury until early in fall drills. I see only one top tier NFL level talent across the anticipated two-deep on the line right now, and that’s Bain. At linebacker I also don’t see much proven depth, and Mauigoa is the only really reliable guy you know will be productive there. And the secondary is a mess with Mishael Powell playing nickel this spring but probably needed more at safety. Corner addition D’yoni Hill is probably better off as a depth piece after coming in from Marshall … but he may be pushed to start because there just isn’t much at corner depth-wise. If Daryl Porter, Jr. is your most reliable guy in the secondary that doesn’t really excite me a lot. Now, with all the above said, Miami doesn’t face a lot of top offenses this year, with a tougher schedule last season. So my ceiling for this unit is set at replicating last year’s rankings … with the more likely scenario there will be a step backward on D. If that is the case then the key for Miami will be to take an even bigger step forward with an offense that looks like it should be one of the nation’s most explosive groups.
IZUBEE CHARLES
I’m going to get straight to the point: yes, I do think Miami’s defense can improve and be ranked higher nationally than it did in 2023 under second-year coordinator Lance Guidry, contrary to some beliefs. When you look at the Hurricanes’ defense heading into the fall, the glaring question mark is the secondary, with the losses of both safeties in Kam Kinchens and James Williams, and up front you are without guys like Leonard Taylor and Branson Deen, who were arguably the Hurricanes two best interior defensive linemen. While Kinchens and Williams will be a bit harder to replace, in my opinion, Taylor and Deen’s departures aren’t as impactful as they seem.
From a productivity standpoint, Taylor showed some flashes throughout the year but never produced to the level many thought he could and should, with just 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and 20 tackles last season, which was statistically his worst year at Miami. Deen also had an okay year for the Canes with 18 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. This offseason, Miami added DT’s Simeon Barrow (36 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks), CJ Clark (22 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack), and Marley Cook (22 tackles, 6 TFLs, 1 sack) via the transfer portal, who I think can make the same, if not more, significant impact than Taylor, Deen, and Jared Harrison-Hunte, who transferred out of the program this spring. Throw in guys like Joshua Horton, Ahmed Moten and former five-star DTs Justin Scott and Armondo Blount, and I think the Hurricanes may be in a better place on the interior defensive line than they were last year at this point.
On the EDGE, you return Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor, who has shown flashes but has been hindered by injuries, and you also add Elijah Alston, who is familiar with Guidry’s scheme and had the highest transfer EDGE rusher grade in the portal this offseason, and Tennessee transfer Tyler Baron who started all 12 games and had 28 tackles, six sacks and 10.5 TFL along with a fumble recovery for a touchdown for Tennessee last season.
At linebacker, you return the leader of the defense, Francisco Mauigoa, who has received high praise from the Hurricanes staff this offseason despite being limited by injury, and then you add a veteran linebacker, Louisville transfer Jaylin Alderman, to push a guy like Wesley Bissainthe for that second linebacker spot, which, in my opinion, is a huge addition. While some may not think Alderman’s addition may not be notable, he is a proven linebacker who helped anchor a Louisville defense (9th in rushing defense, 10th in 3rd down conversion percent defense, 21st in total defense, 33rd in scoring defense) that was one of the best in the country with 62 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Those three guys, alongside Popo Aguire and rising freshman Cam Pruitt, who took a handful of first-team reps this spring, I think will surprise some people this fall.
And lastly, the secondary, with Kinchens and Williams both gone, does leave some holes on the back end that do concern me a bit. Guidry will look to Washington transfer Mishael Powell and Jaden Harris to fill those roles. Passing defense is where Miami struggled the most last year, and I believe that may be an issue this year. On the flip side, you do return starting cornerback Daryl Porter, who quietly had a very solid year last season. Porter missed only one tackle in 2023, allowing 11 receptions for 108 yards on 22 targets per PFF. Also in the mix at the corner are sophomores Damari Brown and Jadais Richard, who both had good springs and will be looking to take the next step in their careers. When I look at this defense from top to bottom, I think this year’s unit has the chance to become one of the best in the ACC, and it will start in the trenches, which is an area the Hurricanes have invested a lot in.
STEPHEN WAGNER
Mario Cristobal now has two full recruiting cycles under his belt, has recruits now better developed than they were a season ago that have a year of familiarity in Guidry’s defensive scheme, so this defense should have more players ready to contribute heading into Cristobal’s third season as head coach. Miami also added a few key pieces in the transfer portal like CJ Clark, Marley Cook, Jaylin Alderman and Tyler Baron, all of whom feel like they should immediately improve their respective positions. Clark and Cook look like improvements at defensive tackle and Alderman was more productive last season than Wesley Bissainthe, and Guidry has made clear he’ll live and die with his pressure defense. He’ll undoubtedly have the most talented defense he’s ever had as a coordinator this fall even with a fairly young and inexperienced secondary, and this is starting to get the feel of a potential top-20 defense. But, playing devil’s advocate, Miami fans have heard the hype before about “how great this season is going to be,” how “this is our year” and “the pieces are there” and been largely disappointed for the last 20 years. This year certainly has the potential to be different, but right now Miami is in a show-me-don’t-tell-me position. If I were betting, I’d probably bet on the Hurricanes’ defense to finish in the top 20 nationally, for Rueben Bain to look like a First Team All-ACC selection and lead one of the best pass rushes in the conference. Miami’s secondary will probably struggle at times and have its share of inconsistencies as young players become key contributors (maybe Zaquan Patterson?) but doesn’t need to be perfect, especially if this pass rush is as good as I think it can be. So yeah, Miami’s defense should be better this year than it was last year.
The post CaneSport Roundtable: Will the Miami Hurricanes defense finish 2024 ranked higher nationally than it did in 2023? appeared first on On3.
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