Mesidor’s rise, Scott’s vow, Cristobal’s fond memory and UM personnel nuggets
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes, as UM prepares for next Wednesday night’s playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State in Dallas (7:30 p.m., ESPN):
▪ With his 1.5 sacks and relentless play, Akheem Mesidor was one of the linchpins of a grand UM defensive effort against Texas A&M, one that helped propel the Canes into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
He nearly made “metrics” history along the way: His 11 quarterback pressures were the second most by a player in the 12-year history of the CFP.
What’s more, he reinforced the growing belief that the Canes will have not just one -- but two -- edge players selected in the first round of next April’s NFL Draft.
It has long been a given that UM’s Rueben Bain will be a first-round pick, likely in the top 15.
But Mesidor’s exemplary season has raised his stock dramatically. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks him 22nd among all draft-eligible prospects.
Saturday against the Aggies was a “statement game for Mesidor; he’s been unstoppable,” said Matt Miller, one of ESPN’s four prominent draft analysts.
Miller’s ESPN colleague, Jordan Reid, noted Mesidor “will be an older rookie (25), but his pass rush plans and relentlessness will be a welcome addition to an NFL team. Outstanding performance today and what he’s done all season.”
And Kiper, the most prominent of those analysts, says Mesidor “makes his presence felt against both the run and the pass, and he shows good bend, closing burst and power. When his initial move is thwarted, Mesidor never stops battling. He also brings some versatility, with the ability to shade inside to DT and get pressure on the interior.”
So what has transformed Mesidor from a good college defensive lineman to an elite one?
“It’s my mentality,” he said Tuesday. “I love [my hometown] of Ottawa [Ontario], but I refuse to go back. I needed to become the best player I can to maximize everything given to me. The people surrounding me, I have all these resources so you might as well maximize and get the most out of it.”
Among those resources he cited: the team’s strength and conditioning staff and UM defensive line coach Jason Taylor.
“He’s coached me for four years; I picked his brain daily,” Mesidor said of Taylor, the former Dolphins star and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I ask him a bunch of questions. I ask how we would do certain things, how he would play the run and play specific runs.”
He summarized his approach this way: “Like everyone, I’ll get nervous before games. I doubt myself sometimes. But at the end of the day, go out there, have fun, win my one-on-one and everything will take care of itself. That was my mindset all season.”
Mesidor, who transferred to UM early in 2022 after two years at West Virginia, ranked eighth in the nation, among edge players, in quarterback pressures this season with 55. (Bain was second with 66, trailing only Texas Tech’s David Bailey, who had 77.)
Mesidor’s nine sacks rank 19th in FBS.
After producing 9.5 sacks in two years at West Virginia, he has 22 sacks and 34 tackles for loss in 39 games over his four seasons at Miami.
“He’s really one of the most skilled rushers I’ve watched,” said Langdon Tengwall, a draft analyst and former Penn State offensive lineman: “People think he’s all finesse, but he actually has a ton of power moves on his tape too.”
▪ Mario Cristobal and the hosts of his coach’s show -- Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. -- this week fondly recalled the day in early December 2021 when he was introduced as UM’s coach, then had to rush into a car to watch new UM commitment Wesley Bissainthe practice at Miami Central.
“One of the best Uber rides I’ve ever taken in my life,” he said. “I will never forget that day - trying to take off my tie, trying to get over there before practice was over, getting in one Uber, putting my family in another.”
Bissainthe has improved in each of his four years here - a testament to the player development under Cristobal’s staff.
“Wes is one of the reasons we get better every year,” Cristobal said.
Asked this week why UM has finally returned to this elite level beyond player talent, Bissainthe said “coaching.”
▪ On his TV show, Cristobal pointed out two nuances of Bryce Fitzgerald’s game-sealing interception against Texas A&M.
He noted that “twists run by Mesidor and [Armondo] Blount made the quarterback uneasy and made the quarterback off balance.”
He also was pleased that Fitzgerald took a knee after the interception, essentially ending the game, instead of taking the risk of running it out of the end zone.
▪ Cornerback Keionte Scott, who had 10 tackles and two sacks against Texas A&M, ended up returning from a significant foot injury in just 35 days. Cristobal praised how he diligently handled his rehab.
“He played his own doctor,” Cristobal said. “The moment he had the injury, he said, ‘I’m going to be back sooner than later. So don’t count me out.’ He epitomizes what the standard is” here.
▪ A few notable playing time takeaways from Saturday: After playing more than Elija Lofton all season, senior tight end Alex Bauman played 15 snaps compared to 37 for Lofton. UM believed Lofton would be a matchup issue for the Aggies defense..
UM continued to share left guard snaps between Mike McCoy (29) and Samson Okunlola (20).
At boundary cornerback, UM gave 58 snaps to OJ Frederique, 56 to Xavier Lucas and 47 to Ethan O’Connor. Slot cornerback Keionte Scott played 57.
Fitzgerald (38 snaps) wasn’t the only freshman who played on defense. Freshman defensive lineman Herbert Scroggins logged four snaps..
At defensive tackle, UM gave 47 snaps to Justin Scott, 32 to Ahmad Moten and 29 to David Blay and 25 to Armondo Blount. “Blount, Scroggins, the young guys made plays,” Cristobal said.
UM used five linebackers: Mohamed Toure (50 snaps), Bissainthe (57), Chase Smith (19), Raul Aguirre (14) and Cam Pruitt (8).
▪ PFF rated Mark Fletcher, McCoy, Lofton, guard Anez Cooper and receiver Keelan Marion as UM’s five best players on offense against Texas A&M….
PFF’s five best on defense against Texas A&M: Fitzgerald, Mesidor, Bain and safety Zechariah Poyser.
Seldom-used redshirt freshman defensive tackle Daylen Russell is entering the transfer portal, 247 Sports reported last week…
Cristobal said on his coach’s show that he considers Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell to be “elite” and he’s “a guy I watch a lot. He says you can’t give away plays; don’t waste plays.”
Here’s my Tuesday six-pack with lots more UM nuggets.
This story was originally published December 24, 2025 at 12:15 PM.
