How ESPN’s Kiper rates Canes and where two land in top 20. And personnel news
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:
▪ The Canes have two of the nation’s top 18 draft-eligible prospects, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., the dean of NFL draft analysts.
Kiper rates defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. ninth and right tackle Francis Mauigoa 18th in his Big Board released Tuesday.
Kiper says of Bain: “Bain is powerful and has really strong hands. He routinely gets the best of some very good offensive tackles, often with his dominant rip move, and he knows every trick in the book in getting home to the QB. Bain also shows speed and bend off the edge, and he takes good angles. Plus, he can hold the edge against the run and get off blocks to chase down ball carriers. His tape is just filled with disruption.
“But even with all those A-level traits, it’s actually Bain’s hustle that really stands out to me. He never takes a play off and fires at the ball on every play. His arms are shorter than most scouts prefer, but there’s so much to like with his game. Opponents have to account for him in their game plans, and he can keep them guessing even then with his inside-outside flexibility.”
On Mauigoa, Kiper says: “Here’s a true mauler. Mauigoa is fun to watch for the way he just destroys pass rushers at the point of attack. He has more than 2,000 snaps at right tackle and has the pass protection skill to stick there, but he could absolutely slide inside and become a Pro Bowl-caliber guard at the next level. Mauigoa has allowed one sack and blown only five run blocks since the start of last season.”
▪ Per Pro Football Focus, Bain’s 29 quarterback pressures are tied for ninth most in FBS; Texas Tech’s David Bailey leads with 44.
Bain, who has three sacks, is playing as well as any player Corey Hetherman has been around, the UM defensive coordinator said this week. Sixteen NFL scouts attended Monday’s practice, and Bain has emerged as UM’s top prospect, considered a potential top-10 pick.
“What he’s doing right now at the line of scrimmage, both in the run game and pass game, how physical he’s been, his technique, his pad level, his ability to read the run and pass and get off the ball” all stand out, Hetherman said.
“At practice, usually, I’m trying to chase the ball or swarm to the ball. He’s a guy you never have to get on. The way he practices on a Monday or Tuesday is exactly what you’re going to get on [game day]. He’s constantly improving. That’s why he’s playing at such a high level.”
▪ At other positions, Kiper ranks Carson Beck sixth among draft-eligible quarterbacks and Akheem Mesidor third among defensive ends (behind Bain and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk). Beck, Bain, Mesidor and Mauigoa are the only UM players listed among Kiper’s top five to 10 draft eligible players at each position.
▪ Hetherman, who replaced Lance Guidry as UM’s defensive coordinator this season, revealed this week that he will sometimes ask his veteran players for their thoughts on play calls.
He will ask, “Hey, what play call do you like right now? I’ll see different ideas they have, or a different way they might look at it — it opens up my eyes to certain things.”
Under Hetherman, UM ranks 16th in total defense (276.4 yards per game), 14th in third-down conversion defense (28.8), 14th in rushing yards per carry (2.8) and ninth in points allowed per game at 13.6.
▪ Hetherman made a point this week to praise backup defensive ends/edge players Armondo Blount, Marquise Lightfoot and Malik Bryant.
“Those are guys we can put on the field and feel very confident in them; there are guys ahead of them who are playing at a high level,” Hetherman said of Bain and Akheem Mesidor.
Cristobal said Lightfoot and Blount “are explosive, relentless, play with great effort. Sky is the limit for them.”
▪ We hear UM (in a good way) was very hard on linebacker Mohamed Toure in August drills, pushing him to return to the greatness he showed at Rutgers in 2023, before his second torn ACL in three years.
It’s all paying off; Toure has been playing very well, as is Wesley Bissainthe.
Hetherman mentioned “how physical Wes is playing, how he’s pursuing the football. Mo plays very fast; he’s been more detailed with his eyes and his game is going to the next level.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 12:01 PM.
