He brings joy to the Hurricanes — and fear to opponents. UM’s Akheem Mesidor is a shy terror
The buoyant, chatty Gilbert Frierson was at the post-game lectern Saturday after Miami’s season-opening rout over Bethune-Cookman. A reporter mentioned defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, whose second-quarter pass breakup soared into the hands of Frierson, who returned the interception 32 yards for a touchdown.
“Come up here real quick,’’ Frierson motioned to the soft-spoken Mesidor, a West Virginia transfer standing in the back of the interview room. “Come up here with me, man,’’ Frierson said, eventually draping his arm around the 6-3, 280-pound third-year sophomore from Ontario, Canada. “I appreciate you, my guy.” Then, Frierson turned to the journalists: “Hey, this guy right here, that’s a hard-working guy, man. He come out and bring energy. He do whatever the coach ask him to do. You would think he had been here for years, man, how much energy and joy he brings to the team.
“He’s a good guy, a good add-on to the team, good leader and so much more, man.”
That, he is, made obvious after fall camp and in only one game. In Mesidor’s 23 defensive snaps, a handful played inside at tackle and the rest at end, he was credited with four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and the breakup that gave UM a 28-3 lead. Mesidor was not only named by coach Mario Cristobal as “the best defensive player on the field,’’ he graded as the top defensive player of the game (91.8), per Pro Football Focus’ latest grades.
Game No. 2 for the No. 15 Miami Hurricanes will be at high noon Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, and no matter how much the Rock broils under the midday sun, Mesidor will be aiming to improve his performance.
“It felt good,’’ Mesidor said Tuesday of playing his first game at Hard Rock. “Electrifying. Loved the fans.
“I’m looking forward to more.’’
Mountaineer bruiser
Mesidor spent two seasons at West Virginia, where he he totaled 70 tackles, 14 1/2 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 sacks. Last season he had 38 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks.
Several players are rotating on UM’s defensive line, with Mesidor and Jahfari Harvey starting last weekend on the outside and Darrell Jackson and Leonard Taylor starting at tackle.
“No. 1, he’s a natural,’’ Cristobal said of Mesidor. “He’s physical, very tough. And he’s very heavy-handed. If you watch the tape, he puts hands on guys and...he’s able to get separation and disengage, block destruction and still close on ball carriers, on quarterbacks, be disruptive, defeat blocks, defeat double teams and then the versatility to go inside as well — that makes him a dangerous player.’’
Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said you could take clips of Mesidor’s performance, “put it on a clinic tape and go on a speaking tour. ...It was very, very impressive.’’
But not impressive enough for Mesidor, who said that he needs to have “better leverage, better takeoff, hand placement, just a bunch of things.... I don’t really focus on my good plays.’’
Mesidor, who said he “strikes a pad every day’’ to maintain strong hands, is a hard-hitting, intense opponent. But off the field, it’s tough to hear him.
“Are you always this soft spoken?” a reporter asked Tuesday.
He’s ‘shy’
“I’m a different guy when I’m on the field,’’ Mesidor said. “Off the field I’m a little soft spoken, shy a little bit. On the field you’ve got to flip a switch and become a different guy.’’
On Saturday, Mesidor and his defense need to stop Frank Gore Jr., the son of Miami Hurricanes great Frank Gore — the NFL’s No. 3 all-time rusher with 16,000 rushing yards. The younger Gore rushed for a nation’s-best 178 yards and two touchdowns in the Golden Eagles’ 29-27 loss last weekend in four overtimes to Liberty.
“Obviously his dad’s a legend — he’s been here — so he’s probably going to play with a chip on his shoulder,’’ Mesidor said of Gore. “But Coach Steele is going to game plan around him and we’re planning to limit his yards. ...
“They have big old linemen. They’re going to try to push him off the ball but we’ve got really good D-linemen as well. It’s not the game plan that’s the hardest part. It’s the physicality. You know it’s coming but it’s still pound-for-pound football.
“I’m excited.’’
Southern Miss coach Will Hall said Tuesday that going against UM’s defense will be a “tremendous challenge.’’
“They’re really talented, their D-coordinator has been all the big places in the world and coached at all those places and has always done good. They’ve got a lot of beef up front on the D-line. They’re really athletic.’’
Mesidor likely won’t be dialing down the intensity leading to the game — or beyond. When asked how he felt that Cristobal called him the best player on defense, he got serious.
“It just shows me that I need to become more of a leader on this defense,’’ Mesidor said. “It’s great that he said those kind words about me but I always got work to do, and he’s always going to push me so I can reach my full potential.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 3:42 PM.
