When the news broke on former Hurricanes linebacker Wesley Bissainthe receiving a TRO, it sent our fans into a heated debate on whether the program should bring him back.
Talking to sources, it was a pretty clear no.
Bissainthe's name is the one everybody's asking about at linebacker. I don't think it happens, and after thinking it through the last few days, I don't think it should, nor should there be anything to worry about.
Here's why:
The anchors: Mo Toure and Chase Smith
While other teams look for NFL returnees, this room starts with two guys who've already been through the fire of college football.
Mo Toure is an eighth-year player whose story right now is simply health — when he's right, he's one of the best players on this defense, and he played his best football late last season as he got healthier. Chase Smith is right behind him, a sixth-year player with a similar injury history who looks like he's taken a jump physically. Both are listed around 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, and both are moving noticeably faster than they were a year ago.
Former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards has watched Smith turn into one of the more vocal leaders on the field: "I haven't heard him speak this much on Greentree more than I think I've ever heard from him ever out there ... trying to be vocal, be a leader."
Both players worked back from serious, career-altering injuries, and both have earned the benefit of the doubt heading into what should be a full, healthy season.
The two guys who raise the ceiling
If Miami's linebacker room is going to be great instead of just good, it's on Cam Pruitt and Kellen Wiley Jr.
Pruitt is up to 210 pounds and no longer just a name people associate with the safety spot he came up playing; he's earned real trust from the staff with his speed and versatility. Now wearing No.4, Pruitt brings a coverage aspect to his game that's unique in the room.
Wiley is the total package: size, speed, athleticism, the kind of player coaches want to find ways to get on the field regardless of position, whether that's off-ball linebacker or moving up to the edge.
Richards sees Pruitt as the clear next man up behind the two veteran starters, someone who's essentially locked down the third-linebacker job already: "I see Bobby Pruitt as really that next guy up ... he's that third linebacker."
The kids building behind them
Behind that group, it's Ezekiel Marcelin and Kamal Bonner in one tier — better against the run right now than in coverage, but guys who can help immediately on early downs.
Then it's a true freshman class with real traits: Karsten Busch, Jordan Campbell and JJ Edwards have all had their moments this camp.
Edwards is the most athletic of the group and the lightest, likely to make the biggest jump simply because of the movement skills he brings. Campbell is transitioning from an edge role in high school to full-time linebacker, which takes some natural adjustment time, but the tools are there.
We can talk about camp reps all day, but "ultimately I think with these young linebackers, it's who's going to do their thing when it's actually time to play."
The bigger picture
This isn't a room full of five-star names. It's a room full of high-motor, athletic players that defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman and his staff are developing the right way, on their own timeline, without needing to lean on the transfer portal or a returning veteran to patch a hole.
With Toure and Smith both healthy, both playing with something to prove and their backups having true upside, the ceiling on this group is higher than the name recognition suggests.
We're less than one week out from Stanford and we'll be on the road covering it all next week. Make sure you're subscribed so you catch every bit of it.
Talking to sources, it was a pretty clear no.
Bissainthe's name is the one everybody's asking about at linebacker. I don't think it happens, and after thinking it through the last few days, I don't think it should, nor should there be anything to worry about.
Here's why:
The anchors: Mo Toure and Chase Smith
While other teams look for NFL returnees, this room starts with two guys who've already been through the fire of college football.
Mo Toure is an eighth-year player whose story right now is simply health — when he's right, he's one of the best players on this defense, and he played his best football late last season as he got healthier. Chase Smith is right behind him, a sixth-year player with a similar injury history who looks like he's taken a jump physically. Both are listed around 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, and both are moving noticeably faster than they were a year ago.
Former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards has watched Smith turn into one of the more vocal leaders on the field: "I haven't heard him speak this much on Greentree more than I think I've ever heard from him ever out there ... trying to be vocal, be a leader."
Both players worked back from serious, career-altering injuries, and both have earned the benefit of the doubt heading into what should be a full, healthy season.
The two guys who raise the ceiling
If Miami's linebacker room is going to be great instead of just good, it's on Cam Pruitt and Kellen Wiley Jr.
Pruitt is up to 210 pounds and no longer just a name people associate with the safety spot he came up playing; he's earned real trust from the staff with his speed and versatility. Now wearing No.4, Pruitt brings a coverage aspect to his game that's unique in the room.
Wiley is the total package: size, speed, athleticism, the kind of player coaches want to find ways to get on the field regardless of position, whether that's off-ball linebacker or moving up to the edge.
Richards sees Pruitt as the clear next man up behind the two veteran starters, someone who's essentially locked down the third-linebacker job already: "I see Bobby Pruitt as really that next guy up ... he's that third linebacker."
The kids building behind them
Behind that group, it's Ezekiel Marcelin and Kamal Bonner in one tier — better against the run right now than in coverage, but guys who can help immediately on early downs.
Then it's a true freshman class with real traits: Karsten Busch, Jordan Campbell and JJ Edwards have all had their moments this camp.
Edwards is the most athletic of the group and the lightest, likely to make the biggest jump simply because of the movement skills he brings. Campbell is transitioning from an edge role in high school to full-time linebacker, which takes some natural adjustment time, but the tools are there.
We can talk about camp reps all day, but "ultimately I think with these young linebackers, it's who's going to do their thing when it's actually time to play."
The bigger picture
This isn't a room full of five-star names. It's a room full of high-motor, athletic players that defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman and his staff are developing the right way, on their own timeline, without needing to lean on the transfer portal or a returning veteran to patch a hole.
With Toure and Smith both healthy, both playing with something to prove and their backups having true upside, the ceiling on this group is higher than the name recognition suggests.
We're less than one week out from Stanford and we'll be on the road covering it all next week. Make sure you're subscribed so you catch every bit of it.
