How deep can Miami go on the defensive line? Coach Todd Stroud lays out his philosophy
It isn’t an easy puzzle figuring out how to replace Gerald Willis and Joe Jackson. Those two star defensive linemen were the anchors in 2018 as the Miami Hurricanes led the nation in tackles for loss.
For Todd Stroud, the challenge isn’t figuring out whether the pieces exist to accommodate for their departures. His challenge is trying to put all the piece in place for the start of the 2019 season against the Florida Gators on Aug. 24.
“It’s been a great camp so far. There’s been a lot of competition and, as I said in the spring, one of the biggest things that we’re trying to do is identify our top eight or nine guys,” the defensive line coach said. “We have a room with about 19 guys in it right now, so it’s a challenge, but, boy, competition creates a lot of good things in practice.”
With so many options to choose from, Stroud can effectively rotate in as many players as he wants. The position coach likes to use up to 10 players, and he has depth necessary to do so. He will go two-deep across all four positions, Stroud said, and use two others as situational pass rushers.
“I usually try to play 10 folks, so I’ll play the two-deep,” said Stroud, who is also the assistant head coach, “and then if I have a couple special pass rushers, they might be Nos. 9 and 10 that you can plug in on a third-and-8 or a different situation, or with a different front or as a stand-up guy.”
The four starting jobs seem close to set. Stroud referred to Jonathan Garvin and Scott Patchan as “returning starters,” and they have both received the majority of the action as a the first-team defensive ends. Pat Bethel and Jonathan Ford have gotten the bulk of the playing time as the first-team defensive tackles.
With Nesta Silvera out at least six ti eight weeks with a right foot injury, playing time is available behind Ford and Bethel. Chigozie Nnoruka, who transferred in from the UCLA Bruins earlier this summer, has impressed Stroud — the position coach called him “a dynamic player” — as he learns the system. Fellow defensive lineman Jordan Miller has drawn consistent rave reviews, too, after getting into better shape for his redshirt freshman season.
“A guy that’s really having one of the best camps of all 19 guys is Jordan Miller,” Stroud said. “He’s quicker, he’s stronger, he’s more fit, he’s lost some body weight. You can just tell.”
Stroud also praised the early play of freshman defensive linemen Jason Blissett, Jared Harrison-Hunte and Jalar Holley, none of whom were on campus for spring practice. Blissett, in particular, fits the profile as a potential situational pass-rusher from the interior if the Hurricanes want to go five-deep at defensive tackle.
At defensive end, the top five is more clear-cut. Gregory Rousseau, Trevon Hill and Jahfari Harvey will almost certainly be the three off the bench. Rousseau was in line to play as a freshman in 2018 before a preseason ankle injury knocked him out for the year, so he will play if he’s healthy. He’s dealing with a lower back strain, but is expected to be back by the middle of the week.
Harvey, a freshman from Vero Beach, was one the top performers in the spring and impressed coaches again in Miami’s first scrimmage Sunday, so he should be the situational pass rusher, at the very least.
Trevon Hill is the X-factor. The defensive lineman transferred from the Virginia Tech Hokies just before the start of fall camp, so he’s behind in terms of conditioning. He started 16 games across three seasons at Virginia Tech, though.
“He’s playing his way into shape right now,” Stroud said. “He had a peak and then, boom, he hit rock bottom and it’s just a conditioning issue, so we’ll keep chopping wood with him. He’s going to be great.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 2:24 PM.
