30 key Miami Hurricanes for 2025 season: Kamal Bonner fortifies linebacker corps
The Miami Hurricanes kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 31 with a marquee matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Hard Rock Stadium (7:30 p.m., ABC).
With the calendar officially flipped to August, the Miami Herald is counting down 30 of the most important players on the Hurricanes’ roster, one per day leading up to the season opener, to provide a closer look at the team heading into coach Mario Cristobal’s fourth season.
Today: The No. 29 player on our list, Kamal Bonner.
What to know
Position: Linebacker
Hometown: Moultrie, Georgia
Year: Redshirt sophomore
How he got to Miami: 2025 transfer (N.C. State)
Key stats: 56 tackles, 7 tackles for loss in 2024
In summary: Bonner went from getting spot playing time to begin last season to a full-time starter over the second half of the season at N.C. State. He started the final seven games — six against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents and then against East Carolina in the Military Bowl — as the Wolfpack’s strong side linebacker, recording at least six tackles in each of those games and being involved in tackles for loss in six of the seven games. Bonner figures to get significant playing time for Miami along with veterans Wesley Bissainthe and Mohamed Toure.
What they’re saying
“We all bring experience. Kamal Bonner from NC State, man, I feel like he’s great. He’s fast, he’s physical.” - linebacker Wesley Bissainthe
“Being in the ACC, I saw a team that played very fast and physical all the time. And I feel like the way Coach Cristobal coaches these guys, he’ll make you a believer.” - Bonner on what appealed to him about the Hurricanes
The rest of the series
No. 30: Running back CharMar Brown
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