All-American Central OLB Wesley Bissainthe talks visits and why one UM coach ‘like family’
Linebacker remains perhaps the biggest recruiting position of need for the Miami Hurricanes in the Class of 2022 and the best linebacker in Florida happens to be playing just 15 miles away at Miami Central.
Wesley Bissainthe, a four-star outside linebacker and the No. 1 linebacker in the state, is the sort of local prospect the Hurricanes can hardly afford to miss out on and Manny Diaz knows it. The coach is significantly involved in Bissainthe’s recruitment and has ensured Miami will get one of the first cracks at pitching him once it can host recruits again later this spring.
With less than five weeks until a 14-month dead period finally ends, Bissainthe is ready to dive into the recruiting waters this summer. It’ll start right away in June.
“It definitely will be busy,” Bissainthe said Monday after Central wrapped up its first spring practice in Miami.
On the day the dead period ends, Bissainthe will be in Coral Gables for a cookout the Hurricanes are hosting, featuring most of the top recruits in South Florida. He’ll then hit the road for a pair of official visits later in the month, first with the West Virginia Mountaineers and then with the Penn State Nittany Lions. He could wrap up the month with an official visit at Miami, Bissainthe said, although he hasn’t officially set anything.
Typically, the Hurricanes like to wait until just before the early signing period to bring its top targets to campus for official visits.
A previously planned official visit with the Florida State Seminoles, Bissainthe said, is on hold. He plans to take his Florida State official visit in the fall so he can check out the game-day atmosphere in Tallahassee and see what the school is like when classes are in session.
A more formal list of top schools should be coming soon, Bissainthe said. For now, his top group of four is obvious, and Miami is front and center.
While Bissainthe has unofficially visited the hometown school before, it was early in his recruiting process, before he really knew exactly what he should be looking out for. The 6-foot-1 junior has his priorities set now.
“Definitely how they would use me in their defense — that’s one of the main things I’m looking at,” Bissainthe said. “If I like the defense and do I feel like I can play in your defense — that’s the main things I’m looking for.”
Playing time is also a priority and the Hurricanes are in position to offer it. Miami has just one former blue-chip recruit on its linebacker depth chart. Bissainthe, whom the 247Sports.com composite rankings peg as the No. 113 player in the country, would join a group with little proven talent if he picks the Hurricanes.
One of Miami’s challenges has been the turnover on its defensive coaching staff this year — particularly the linebackers coach. When former defensive coordinator Blake Baker left for the LSU Tigers in January, the Hurricanes hired Travis Williams to take over as inside linebackers coach.
About two weeks after Miami hired him, Williams left to become the UCF Knight’s defensive coordinator and the Hurricanes had to find another replacement. They ultimately landed on Ishmael Aristide, a Miami native who had previously worked as an analyst for the Texas A&M Aggies.
At Texas A&M, Aristide helped lure a pair of Rockets to College Station, so Bissainthe heard good things about the new outside linebackers coach.
In the two months since he joined the Hurricanes, Aristide and Bissainthe have built up a good relationship and the linebacker said the assistant coach is “kind of like family” — Aristide’s father, Wallace Aristide, is the principal at Miami Northwestern and Central coach Roland Smith previously worked for the elder Aristide at Northwestern.
“I talk to Coach Ish a lot. We talk on a day-to-day basis,” Bissainthe said. “He’s a very funny guy. We talk, and I just can’t wait to get up there on the first for the cookout to see all the coaches in person and see their vibe.”
Inside linebackers coach Jonathan Patke is also involved in his recruitment, Bissainthe said, as is assistant recruiting director Mike Rumph.
Bissainthe is up to 205 pounds now, he said, after playing last year around 195 and he’ll play both outside linebacker spots once again in 2021 as the Rockets try to complete a three-peat.
In an era prioritizing speed at linebacker, Bissainthe fits exactly the sort of need the Hurricanes have been trying to fill. While Bissainthe doesn’t plan to commit until the fall, the Hurricanes will start their full-court press in June.
“Most schools like my speed. They like that I can get to the ball and make plays,” Bissainthe said. “When I get to a school, I’m going to put on weight automatically, so the focus is just I’m fast, I’m smooth and I can tackle, and I’m versatile.”
