Kinchens, Bissainthe provide ‘great example’ for how Miami wants to recruit South Florida
The underclassmen were the stars for the Miami Hurricanes in their 35-14 win against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday — particularly, a pair of defenders from two of Miami’s biggest inner-city powerhouses.
Kamren Kinchens, a sophomore from Northwestern, tied a Hurricanes record with three interceptions and now leads the nation in picks. Wesley Bissainthe, a freshman from Miami Central, made his first career start and racked up six tackles.
They share a common thread beyond their hometown and experience playing in one of high school football’s best rivalries, though: Their early success is as much about their work ethic and intelligence as it is natural ability.
“They’re the right kind of kids,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “This football thing, whether people want to admit it or not — it’s a way of life. Of course, you want it to be fun, but it’s a way of life. It’s fun when you’re winning. It’s fun when you’re kicking butt. Well to kick butt, you have to put in time. You have to be willing to put in time that other people won’t want to put in, so it’s awesome that they’re local because that’s a great example and a big reason why a lot of us are here.”
Kinchens and Bissainthe are both previous Miami-Dade County Defensive Players of the Year, according to the Miami Herald, and their instinctual, sideline-to-sideline play is already evident at the next level.
Kinchens — a 5-foot-11, 202-pound safety — started games as a freshman last season and is now quietly putting together an All-American resume in Year 2. Bissainthe — a 6-1, 205-pound linebacker — has steadily seen his snap count increase across the past two months and it finally culminated with his first start last week.
They can both — along with other young local stars such as Leonard Taylor and James Williams — form part of a couple important recruiting pitches for Cristobal: There’s a chance to play early a track record of South Floridians finding success in Coral Gables.
Cristobal is looking for more Floridians like Kinchens and Bissainthe.
“We believe in Florida, and particularly South Florida, football — a different level of players and mentality,” the first-year Hurricanes coach said. “You want the right ones, not just any. You want the right ones here, the ones that understand that and are willing to put in the time. ... We want the hard-working, tough, resilient, high-achieving mentality guys that want to go in there and do something about that, make it real.”
Chaney could return, Taylor update
Donald Chaney Jr. is “practicing full speed” this week, Cristobal said, and the Hurricanes (5-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast) are hopeful the running back will be able to make his season debut Saturday when they go on the road to face the No. 9 Clemson Tigers in Clemson, South Carolina.
Chaney, who played in only two games last year because of a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament in Week 2, has yet to play this season because of a different lower-body injury he sustained during training camp.
“We’ll see what this thing looks like throughout the course of the week,” Cristobal said. “He has to experience the physicality of practice to make sure that not only is he physically ready, but he’s also mentally capable of handling what comes with being away from 10, 12 weeks and then all of a sudden going right back at it. There’ll be an acclimation process throughout the week and then hopefully we’ll be in a good place on Friday.”
The 5-foot-10, 208-pound tailback was one of the prizes of Miami’s 2020 recruiting class as its fourth-highest-ranked commit in the Class of 2020, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He played in all 11 games as a freshman in 2020, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy since, first sidelined by a shoulder injury for spring practice in 2021 and then sustaining back-to-back lower-body injuries in each of the last two seasons.
A return would be particularly welcome news for the Hurricanes because of the injuries they’ve dealt with in the backfield this year. Running back Henry Parrish Jr., who leads the team in carries and rushing yards, has missed two of the last five games and is also questionable to play this weekend because of an unspecified injury, although Cristobal said, “I feel good” about Parrish’s status.
Parrish did not travel to Atlanta over the weekend because of the injury.
Cristobal also said he feels good about the status of Taylor, who didn’t play in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium and wore a boot on his left foot. Defensive lineman Elijah Roberts also could return after sitting out last week.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, and defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte are all a little further off, although Cristobal didn’t rule any of the three out for this weekend. None of the three played in Georgia.
Jacob Lichtenstein also did not play and Cristobal said he thinks “it’s going to take a little bit longer” for the defensive lineman to return.
