30 key Miami Hurricanes for 2025 season: Mohamed Toure in middle of defense’s success
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. 8 player on our list, Mohamed Toure
What to know
Position: Linebacker
Hometown: Pleasantville, New Jersey
Year: Seventh-year senior
How he got to Miami: 2025 transfer (Rutgers)
Key stats: 168 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles in 37 games at Rutgers
In summary: Mohamed Toure showed during his time at Rutgers that he’s a force to be reckoned with when healthy. But the problem is he hasn’t always been healthy. An ACL tear knocked out both his 2022 and 2024 seasons with the Scarlet Knights, but Toure is fully healthy now and has stepped up mightily for the Hurricanes since transferring in this summer. He looks poised to be a starter alongside Wesley Bissainthe in Miami’s new-look defense under new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, who crossed paths with Toure at Rutgers. He can stop the run. He can blitz. And he can communicate. All those traits are integral for linebackers in Hetherman’s system.
What they’re saying
“When it first happened, I almost hung my cleats up,” Toure said. “I felt like I was having bad luck, like ‘Damn. Why me? Is God trying to tell me that this isn’t for me?’ And then I had a reality check. I had to remember who I was. Remember you have a purpose in this life. You can’t give up on your dreams. What kind of tone am I setting for my son, for my brothers, for younger kids that look up to me just to give up when things get tough? Nah. You’ve got to keep going. Keep pushing through hard times. You can’t let anything break you.” - Mohamed Toure on his process of recovering from a second torn ACL.
“Miami’s got some dogs across the board. I saw what they brought in. I saw what they brought back from last season. And it was kind of like a no brainer, especially in this scheme. I played in this scheme before. I’ve seen how effective it is. I’ve seen what it can do when you have the right personnel in the right places. I’ve seen what they did last season and I just feel like we can take this to the next level.” - Mohamed Toure on why he chose the Hurricanes
“He’s got tons of experience. He’s big. He knows how to get to the ball. I feel like we’re going to make an impact on the young guys in the room. That’s the goal.” - Hurricanes linebacker Wesley Bissainthe on Mohamed Toure.
The rest of the series
No. 9: Running back Mark Fletcher Jr.
No. 10: Tight end Elija Lofton
No. 11: Defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor
No. 12: Wide receiver Joshisa Trader
No. 13: Offensive lineman Markel Bell
No. 14: Defensive back Xavier Lucas
No. 15: Defensive lineman Justin Scott
No. 16: Wide receiver CJ Daniels
No. 17: Defensive lineman David Blay
No. 18: Defensive lineman Ahmad Moten
No. 19: Center James Brockermeyer
No. 20: Wide receiver Keelan Marion
No. 21: Defensive back Jakobe Thomas
No. 23: Defensive back Keionte Scott
No. 24: Running back Jordan Lyle
No. 25: Defensive back Damari Brown
No. 26: Defensive lineman Armondo Blount
No. 27: Wide receiver Malachi Toney
No. 28: Defensive back Ethan O’Connor
No. 29: Linebacker Kamal Bonner
No. 30: Running back CharMar Brown
This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
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