How Hurricanes look at a position Cristobal calls ‘critical’ to defense’s success
So much talk, understandably so, has been put on how the Miami Hurricanes are going to replace their top two edge rushers from last season in Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, both of whom are projected to be first-round picks in the NFL Draft later this month.
But one piece of the puzzle that hasn’t been discussed as much is how expected improvement both in overall talent and depth on the interior of the defensive line should be able to help augment those losses and spread out the responsibility across the entire defensive line.
Miami lost just one of its defensive tackle rotational mainstays from last season in David Blay Jr., the Louisiana Tech transfer who has exhausted his collegiate eligibility. A couple depth pieces, namely Donta Simpson and Daylen Russell, left via the transfer portal.
The Hurricanes hope that what’s returning and what they added at the position is enough to offset those departures, though.
And, Hurricanes defensive tackles coach Damione Lewis said Tuesday, it has to be.
“We’ve got to get better,” Lewis said. “You know, ‘25 is ‘25. This is ‘26. It’s a new year. It’s a new team, so the approach has got to be everything is new, including my learning. I’ve got to learn the system all over again like I never heard it before. I’ve got to be invested into it that way, and we’ve got to find ways to get better every single day. I think everybody’s met that challenge.”
It starts with the Hurricanes’ two big returnees in Justin Scott and Ahmad Moten Sr. The two combined for 976 snaps along the defensive line, recording 57 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 46 quarterback pressures between the two.
Moten isn’t participating in spring practices, as coach Mario Cristobal said after the team’s first practice the redshirt senior will be out “due to some stuff” while noting that other undisclosed players will miss time, some due to “recovery.” Moten injured his ankle during Miami’s College Football Playoff run that ended in the national championship game.
So Scott, entering his junior year and his second season as a key contributor, is taking on the onus of being a key leader in the room this spring.
Scott, listed at 6-4 and 303 pounds, showed significant strides as a sophomore but is working on being a more consistent all-around player.
“I can get off the ball,” Scott said. “I can wreak havoc.”
And he and Moten will have talent around them at their position as well.
Miami added a pair of veterans via the transfer portal in Keona Davis from Nebraska and Jarquez Carter from Ohio State.
Davis just finished his sophomore season at Nebraska, a campaign in which he led Cornhusker defensive linemen with 32 tackles while also logging 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 13 games.
Davis played both inside at defensive tackle and off the edge for Nebraska last season, with 204 of his 402 defensive snaps being as an edge rusher and 198 on the interior of the defensive line. This could put him in line for a role similar to that of Armondo Blount, who also played at both defensive tackle and on the edge for the Hurricanes.
“I’m not set in just one box,” Davis said. “I can use multiple tools as a tackle and as an edge. I feel like it’ll be very helpful.”
Carter, who is entering his sophomore season, played in six games for the Buckeyes, who lost in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to the Hurricanes.
He was teammates at Newberry High in north central Florida with current UM defensive lineman Mykah Newton, a redshirt freshman who will also provide interior depth for Miami in 2026.
“We have a great group,” Carter said. “Everybody plays the part.”
Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal praised Lewis, who like Cristobal is a Hurricanes alumnus, for the “sense of toughness” and “sense of accountability” he has brought to Miami’s defensive tackles room, which Cristobal said was a key reason for UM’s defensive improvement in 2025.
“We’re getting better in terms of the simplicity of coming off the ball and striking,” Cristobal said. “I think that never gets talked about — the importance of playing with good pad level, getting your feet in the ground, coming out of your hips, getting hands on people. People like to spit out, ‘Make a play, man.’ It’s not about making a play. It’s about making sure you do your job. And doing your job at defensive tackle is critical. In fact, the progress of our defense was largely due to guys doing their jobs on a more consistent basis. The errors would come in the form of a guy trying to do too much and leaving his gap, not controlling his gap, jumping out of his gap, and allowing a big-time play. ... He pushes his guys hard.”
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