Teammates Praise Miami Hurricanes Freshman DE Kelly
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One of the primary units the Miami Hurricanes focused on upgrading this past offseason was the defensive line.
Last year, the group failed to effectively clog up the run game and consistently rush the passer, which led to UM adding five impact defensive linemen through the transfer portal and three in its 2022 recruiting class.
While all three first-year linemen have shown signs of upside, Nyjalik Kelly, a product of Dillard (Fla.) High School, has especially burst onto the scene, and his veteran teammates have taken notice.
"Nyjalik's gonna be a great, great football player," fourth-year defensive lineman Jahfari Harvey said. "He could bend unlike anything I've seen before because he's so tall, he could touch the ground without even trying."
"He could be a great player. He has a lot of the things that make up a great pass-rusher."
The talented freshman enjoyed an illustrious high school career with the Panthers. He totaled 25 combined sacks in his last two seasons, playing against some of the country's best competition in south Florida.
Kelly's athletic traits make him a perfect fit at Miami and an intriguing player at the college level. He's quick and explosive, and he fits the physical archetype of a lot of the edge rushers that have been drafted in the early rounds of the NFL Draft in recent years.
"He's fast, fast and long and just twitchy, just lengthy," defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte said. "He's gonna be a freak in the future, just give him a few years."
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There might not be a bigger fan of Kelly's across Miami's defensive line unit than sophomore Chantz Williams, who like the freshman, is very athletic for an edge rusher.
"He's very young but he's definitely a freak of nature," Williams said. "Nyjalik, he has great bend, great pass-rush moves, very strong, very explosive.
"I see Nyjalik making some noise sooner rather than most people expect. I think Nyjalik is a very good player."
At only 17 years old, Kelly has plenty of time to continue adding strength and athleticism, along with an array of different moves and skills, to his already impressive game.
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