Akheem Mesidor and His Potential Impact with Miami
The Miami Hurricanes defensive line, much like the rest of their program, has gone through a bit of a rebuilding phase this offseason.
The defense returns only one player with more than two sacks last season, inside linebacker Corey Flagg Jr., who had three. The Canes struggled, at times, to put pressure on quarterbacks in 2021, ranking 36th in sacks nationally. They have young talent like Leonard Taylor, Chantz Williams and Jahfari Harvey returning, all who could surely improve as they gain experience.
In the meantime, though, Miami will get some immediate help in transfer Akheem Mesidor. The former West Virginia standout piled up 70 tackles, including 14.5 for loss and 9.5 sacks in two seasons with the Mountaineers. He’s a projected starter and many think he’ll be an impact player from the jump given the need and his inside-out prowess up front.
Mesidor’s played almost exclusively on the interior of the line but has expressed his desire to be more of an edge rusher, as he showcased in high school at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International after a move from his native Canada. It looks like he’ll get his wish under co-defensive coordinators Kevin Steele and Charlie Strong as that’s where he projects in Miami’s 4-3.
All Hurricanes takes a look at what Mesidor brings to the table and how the junior will factor into this Hurricane defensive front at 6-foot-2, 272 pounds.
On paper, it’s easy to see why many think Mesidor will make a difference for Miami right away. He brings an immediate boost to the Hurricanes’ lackluster pass rush whether he plays inside or outside. Mesidor’s 33 quarterback pressures in 2021 were fifth most among Power 5 interior linemen and his five sacks were good enough for ninth most in the same field.
He possesses an incredibly quick burst and shoots into gaps quickly to create leverage, then uses his powerful hands to move blockers aside and get into the backfield. Although he is stout and difficult to move when taking on run blocks, he has displayed more skill as a pass rusher and will need to improve his reaction to run if he continues to be used as an interior lineman.
As its projected though, he’ll spend most of his time on the outside opposite of fellow transfer, ex-UCLA Bruin Mitchell Agude. Agude looks like he’ll be playing more nine-technique as a pure outside rusher, which will leave Mesidor to play the C-gap and use his strength to hold that side. He’s got to improve his rushing technique and move repertoire in 2022, as a quick first step and hard charging attitude just won’t get it done against a lot of the ACC’s best pass blockers. Luckily, he’ll be learning under Mario Cristobal, who’s produced a handful of NFL first rounders already, and his staff of field tested assistant coaches.
The junior will also have the benefit of playing under the guidance of Jason Taylor, who’s an NFL Hall of Fame pass rusher and was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. Taylor will surely pass on some veteran moves to the promising young defender as he looks to solidify his game.
Mesidor will be on his biggest stage yet when the 2022 season rolls around. He and the rest of the Hurricanes revamped defense will have a chance to draw some serious attention if they can live up to the hype this fall.
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