UM explains decision at linebacker. And Blount, Lofton, tackle situation

Miami Herald

4 days ago

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Thursday:
▪ Every college football program faces the same question with a position or two after spring football ends: Do we have enough at the position to win? Or do we try to upgrade?
UM's decision to add two linebackers in the April/May portal cycle was an interesting one, because the linebackers competing to start opposite Wesley Bissainthe all had good moments in the spring: Raul Aguirre, Jaylin Alderman, Bobby Pruitt and Chase Smith.
Aguirre made a goal-line stop in the spring game. Alderman, a former starter at Louisville, was steady. Pruitt emerged as arguably UM's best linebacker in pass coverage. Smith seemed to regain his pre-injury form and is making a case for playing time during August practices.
But nobody knows UM's defensive personnel better than defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, and he decided two veteran additions were needed: former Rutgers standout Mohamed Toure and ex-North Carolina State part-time starter Kamal Bonner.
Bonner signed with UM first but said he had an idea that Toure also might join the Canes, which didn't bother him.
Why sign both linebackers instead of adding only one?
'It is always about competition because that is what will always push people to get better,' Hetherman said. 'I think we had a very good room, but nobody is going to take anything for granted and guys have to step up their game. You can tell nobody is comfortable.'
The addition of Toure was a no-brainer. Though he had two torn ACLs in the past three seasons, he was a high-impact player in 2023, as The Herald's Jordan McPherson explained here.
Bonner, who played three linebacker positions with the Wolfpack, might not be better than what UM already had on its roster. He isn't particularly big; he arrived at Miami at 209 pounds and now weighs 220 pounds
'I can play sideline to sideline,' Bonner said. 'I'm just hoping to showcase my skill set to Coach Hetherman and Coach [Mario] Cristobal that they didn't just get anybody out of the portal–they got an athlete. I'm very fast and physical.'
▪ Though Elija Lofton will now focus on tight end, UM can still use him in multiple positions, including H-back.
He said he loves being called a Swiss Army Knife.
'He's going to line up a lot of different places. He has the skill set to do all those things,' offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. 'You can line him up in multiple different spots and the ball is going to find him.
'Once he gets the ball, he is probably going to make something happen with it. He is definitely one of the more unique players I have ever coached.'
Lofton, who has been timed as fast as 21 mph, said he has studied tape not only of tight ends but also San Francisco receiver Deebo Samuel, who - like Lofton - is a multi-purpose weapon.
'I learned so much from Elijah Arroyo and Cam McCormick,' he said of two former UM tight ends. 'I still call them and ask them for advice.'
▪ Kudos to defensive end Akheem Mesidor for his willingness to play defensive tackle — something Cristobal mentioned, unprompted, during a news conference months ago.
'I am still willing to do whatever it takes to have the best 11 on the field,' Mesidor said. 'I'm a team player. If coach needs me inside, I'll be inside. If they want me outside, I'll be outside. I know I will be able to dominate at whatever spot I want.
'I think in the NFL, I'm not going to be a first, second down interior guy. I'm 265 pounds. You don't see that often. When it comes down to third down in the NFL, I think I can be productive inside.'
Mesidor said he swims a mile every weekend and 'that's been the biggest thing that helped me change my body. I wanted to gain more muscle, lose a lot of body fat, which I've done. And I wanted to see what I'd feel like playing at 260, 265 like I did my freshman year. I feel pretty good, so we'll see how it plays out in fall camp. I feel bigger, faster, stronger.
'I've been working so hard. I want to change my life, my mom's life. You'll get everything out of me — twitch, finesse, strength, powerful guy.'
▪ Canes coaches and teammates say defensive end Armondo Blount is ready to blossom. Defensive line coach Jason Taylor said he will stay exclusively at defensive end and not play tackle.
'He's a high effort guy, puts it all on the line,' Mesidor said. 'It's fascinating to watch how hard he plays.'
Blount said: 'It's grown men you're playing against. I've got my strength to a college level. I lost a lot of body fat. I gained a lot of weight. I came into college at 22 body fat and I'm now at 15. I feel way faster than I was. Way stronger too.'
▪ During a Thursday media briefing, Cristobal praised the work of three defensive tackles: David Blay, Justin Scott and Daylen Russell.
Blay, who was an All-Conference USA player at Louisiana Tech, 'has had a great camp,' Cristobal said.
Blay has been trying to hold off Ahmad Moten for a starting job.
'Starting is important to everybody, but it's not going to affect my play,' Blay said. 'Starting is not the end all, be all.'
Blay chose Miami over Penn State and Southern Cal.
'When I was looking for somewhere to attend, I was thinking about everything,' he said. 'It's my last season. I've got to be in the right place, with people that care about me and give me what I need.'
UM coaches believe Scott, a likely starter, can be elite.
He added five pounds of muscle and is down 2% body fat since the summer.
'I definitely want to dominate,' he said. 'Our offensive line is the best in the country. Going against those guys every day, I get better every day.'
Scott has been studying tape of Philadelphia's Jalen Carter: 'He's one of the most disruptive defensive tackles in the league.'
▪ Discussing his starting defensive ends, Cristobal said that Rueben Bain Jr. 'has had about a strong a camp as you can have. Akheem [Mesidor] working with our sports science, nutrition to get to a body fat where he looks different, moves different. He has improved his power, speed.'