Gifted Canes newbie Bissainthe has no time to find a prom date. He’s busy trying to start
The “P” word came up immediately Tuesday after reporters began querying Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Kevin Steele about gifted early enrollee linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, the former Miami Central High star who cheerfully and confidently became the first UM true freshman to speak to the media in the Mario Cristobal era.
“Any time you’re supposed to be going to the prom and you’re out here doing this — this is a little different than the prom — there’s a lot of stress because obviously we’re not pouring tons and tons of playbook information on him, but we are exposing him to the compartmentalized components of it, so that they have a base when we go into fall camp,’’ Steele said.
“The days are long gone you can line up in one defense.’’
And that might be one reason the hard-hitting Bissainthe — the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade Co-Defensive Player of the Year after helping lead Central to three consecutive state titles — doesn’t have a prom date.
But he’s still going.
“Prom is May 20th,’’ he said with a grin, followed by “Yes, I am going” and “No, I do not have a date.
“I haven’t had time.”
Bissainthe might have to get a new suit to fit his new physique. He has already gone from 192 to 205 pounds since getting to Coral Gables, and said he is “trying to get to 215, 210 by the end of the season.’’
Spring game debut
UM fans will get their first glimpse of the 6-1 Bissainthe, a skilled tackler who is practicing on the weak side and strong side, in Saturday’s spring game at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Veterans Corey Flagg and Waynmon Steed are working in the middle, with Keontra Smith having a good spring on the outside.
Linebacker is the position most in need of bolstering for the Hurricanes, who will get a visit this week from UCLA linebacker Caleb Johnson, InsidetheU first reported. Johnson, who will be a graduate transfer, entered the portal April 7 and has targeted UM as a strong possibility.
Bissainthe, a three-time Herald first-team all-Miami-Dade selection, last season was a consensus four-star prospect with 86 tackles, six sacks, 15 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions to earn All-America honors from MaxPreps.
He committed to UM shortly before Mario Cristobal was named the coach to replace Manny Diaz, to whom Bissainthe was attached (as well as to linebackers assistant Jon Patke, he said). “I committed to UM because of the love I felt from coach Patke and coach Diaz,’’ he said Tuesday, calling his decision nonetheless “most definitely” the right one.
“I said I wanted to make the crib great again,’’ Bissainthe said. “You just feel the energy shift,’’ he added of the difference in the new regime. “The energy is up. It’s just a different vibe. We’re headed in the right direction. ...I’m learning, just taking it slow. I believe I’ll be where I want to be soon — real soon.”
Indeed, Tuesday’s practice was loud and intensely spirited. Bissainthe is thrilled that his Central head coach, Roland Smith, is now a UM football analyst and can not only join in the fun, but help him with the transition.
“To see my head coach from high school come where I go to college, it’s amazing. Just great seeing him every day, reminding me where I came from. ... Honestly, my confidence level is high,’’ he said of his ability to step on the field in the opener. “I feel like I can do it. I still believe I can do it. And I’m going to do it.”
Steele, as well as several others this spring, said Bissainthe is extremely smart as well as loaded with talent.
“... He works at it, so he has grown and grown and grown. And he does not truly look like a freshman right now. He does not.”
Why not? Steele was asked.
‘Fast, explosive’
“I’m not being a smart aleck about this,’’ the coordinator replied. “He has genes and DNA that make him really fast, explosive; has change of direction, natural instincts. Those are gifts, so that helps. That makes a coach look like we’re really smart when we get a guy like that to play really well — when really he was recruited that way.”
New defensive tackle transfer Jake Lichtenstein said Bissainthe’s “body looks pretty mature. He puts on a few more pounds, he’ll be the guy for good.
“He fits in, he does not look lost at all. It looks like he’s been here for at least a year.”
Steed called Bissainthe “a big-time guy in the future for sure.’’
And this, from Flagg: “He’s doing everything the right way. He’s locked on. His brain is just open. He’s like a sponge.”
Bissainthe said the toughest part of college is “adjusting to the schedule.”
“You’re never free,’’ he said. “You’re at meetings, class, homework. I just have to settle down and get used to it.”
His favorite part: “Probably, just walking around campus, seeing new people, different faces, new atmosphere.”
Oh, about that prom. Bissainthe will not be alone.
“I have a group of friends I’m probably going with,’’ he said.
Then, it’s back to the Hurricanes.
▪ UM announced Tuesday that spring game attendance has reached capacity. Fans who have claimed their tickets will need to present them upon entry at DRV PNK Stadium. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. Parking lots open at 9 a.m. and gates open at 10:30 a.m. All ticket holders will receive communication from the UM ticket office prior to game day.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 4:30 PM.
