Rueben Bain Jr. highlights Hurricanes’ defensive line that has more than a dozen new players

The 2024 season is on the horizon, and Hurricanes fans hope to see a major step forward in Year 3 of the Mario Cristobal era.

As Miami keeps adding talent through high school and transfer portal recruiting, UM appears poised to be a major contender in the ACC this season.

This summer, we will take a look at a different position group each week to see who departed, who arrived and who should have big impacts this year.

We finished our preview of Miami’s offense with a look at a talented offensive line. Now we move across the trench to the defensive line.

Who left

Miami’s defensive line is going to look significantly different this season. Twelve players left either for the draft or because of graduation or the transfer portal.

Those 12 players were on the field for a combined 2,230 snaps, so the Hurricanes have numerous roles to fill this season.

Jared Harrison-Hunte played the most out of those 12 departing linemen. He had 26 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Pro Football Focus gave Harrison-Hunte a 65.6 defensive grade while he primarily played defensive tackle. Like many former Miami players, Harrison-Hunte transferred to SMU to play for former UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

The Hurricanes also lost two more starting defensive tackles: Leonard Taylor III and Branson Deen.

Taylor, a former five-star prospect from Miami Palmetto, never quite lived up to his high recruiting rankings, but he had moments of brilliance on the field. He had 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack last year, a downtick from his strong 2022 season. Taylor, who had a 74.8 defensive grade, left early for the draft but did not get selected, signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent.

Deen played just one year with Miami after transferring from Purdue. He provided a veteran presence and made 18 tackles…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rueben-bain-jr-highlights-hurricanes-191800169.html

Author : South Florida Sun Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-07-05 19:18:00

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