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This Defense could be dominant

Empirical Cane said:
We have to really examine:

What is Heatherman going to do differently from Guidry?

- Scheme?
- Improved communication?
- Improved technique/fundamentals?

If not, just wash, rinse, repeat.
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Realistically, defensive football is pretty much all about gap discipline and communication. The Secondary HAS to communicate. The front better know which gap they are responsible for. Too many times, Guidry’s defenses broke down in both areas last year. It looked like we were playing with 9 guys on Defense at times.
 
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KANE said:
Realistically, defensive football is pretty much all about gap discipline and communication. The Secondary HAS to communicate. The front better know which gap they are responsible for. Too many times, Guidry’s defenses broke down in both areas last year. It looked like we were playing with 9 guys on Defense at times.
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That’s coaching
 
EudocimusAlbus said:
DT is our last seasons DB's
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I wouldn’t go that far. This DT room is talented just isn’t deep, the DB room last year was not talented (with the exception of OJ) or deep.

This is what Miami put on the field in the secondary last season. Not a single difference maker according to the rankings.

2024 CB’s (3 TP 3 stars & 1 HS 3 star)
1. Daryl Porter (Transfer Ranking) 3 star #154 nationally #17 CB
2. Jadais Richard (Transfer Ranking) 3 star #440 nationally #62 CB
3. D'Yoni Hill (Transfer Ranking) 3 star #891 nationally #117 CB
4. OJ Frederique 3 star #779 nationally #67 CB

2024 S’s (1TP 4 star, 1 HS 4 star, & 1 HS 3 star)
1. Mishael Powell (Transfer Ranking) 4 star #114 nationally #7 S
2. Jaden Harris 3 star #541 nationally #51 CB
3. Markeith Williams 4 star #325 nationally #26 S

*did not count Brown because he did not play enough to make any difference at all*

2025 DT (1TP 4 star, 2 HS 5 stars, 1 HS 4 star, 3 HS 3 stars and 1 former All Conference player)
1. David Blay (Transfer Ranking) 4 star #51 nationally #5 DL and former 1st team All Conference player
2. Ahmad Moten 3 star #558 nationally #80 DL
3. Justin Scott 5 star #10 nationally #3 DL
4. Armondo Blount 5 star #28 nationally #8 DL (listed because he played both DT & DE in spring)
5. Artavius Jones 4 star #193 nationally #28 DL
6. Daylen Russell 3 star #1265 nationally #130 DL
7. Donta Simpson 3 star #605 nationally #67 DL (3 star kid getting early practice buzz just like OJ at CB in 2024)

Just from the rankings alone this DT room is much more talented than the 2024 DB room. It would be great to have 1 one more high ranked 6-3 320 vet DT in that rotation, but that room is far from the mess of a DB room Miami rolled out there last season.
 
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@Hstokes1447 I respect your post. But you cannot put Blount in the DT category. He's a boundary 5-Tech DE. Will slide in on passing downs. But will not be stout enough to hold up over multiple snaps against the run. So you really on have 3 guys with experience plus Jones. Simpson is a true freshman who unfortunately may need to play meaningful snaps due to depth. Because Russell is a G5 kid.

I still think our D will be dramatically better than last season. Just cannot believe we let Horton walk without a backfill. And I wasn't a Horton fan due to his injury history. smh.
 
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grover said:
@Hstokes1447 I respect your post. But you cannot put Blount in the DT category. He's a boundary 5-Tech DE. Will slide in on passing downs. But will not be stout enough to hold up over multiple snaps against the run. So you really on have 3 guys with experience plus Jones. Simpson is a true freshman who unfortunately may need to play meaningful snaps due to depth. Because Russell is a G5 kid.

I still think our D will be dramatically better than last season. Just cannot believe we let Horton walk without a backfill. And I wasn't a Horton fan due to his injury history. smh.
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I agree, that he isn’t stout enough to hold up against the run. Again, I only listed him there because the coaches have played him there in the spring. Also when you watch Minnesota the field DT played more like a 3-4 DE so I can see him playing significant snaps there if needed.

IMG_0121.jpeg


If you watch this clip you will see the DT to the boundary at the snap of the ball is attacking the tackles outside shoulder the same way a traditional DE would. I believe used like that Blount can hold his own.



I was a big Horton fan by the way. If healthy, with his length (pause) I thought he would have been the perfect 4th DT in this system
 
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IMG_0123.jpeg




Based on the way Hetherman used the players at Minnesota, here is how I see the defense lining up.

1st Team (six or seven 4 stars and three or four 3 stars)
SDE: Rueben Bain 4 star JR 6-3 275
DT: David Blay 4 star RSR 6-4 303
Nose: Ahmad Moten 3 star RJR 6-3 315
Rush: Akheem Mesidor 4 star 7th YR SR 6-3 280
MLB: Mohamed Toure 3 star 7th YR SR 6-2 236
WILL: Wesley Bissainthe 4 star SR 6-1 215
Star: Keionte Scott 3 star 6th YR SR 6-0 192 or Cam Pruitt 4 star SO 6-2 210
Field CB: Xavier Lucas 4 star SO 6-2 200
Boundary CB: OJ Frederique 3 star SO 6-0 190
SS (Field): Zechariah Poyser 4 star RSO 6-2 190
FS (Boundary): Jakobe Thomas 3 star RSR 6-2 202

*the nickel in this defense is asked to support the run and rush the passer. I think Cam is the perfect fit for that role.*

2nd Team (two or three 5 stars, six or seven 4 stars, and two 3 stars)
SDE: Armondo Blount 5 star SO 6-4 260
DT: Justin Scott 5 star SO 6-4 305
Nose: Artavius Jones 4 star RFR 6-3 315
Rush: Marquise Lightfoot 5 star RFR 6-5 235 or Malik Bryant 4 star RSO 6-2 235
MLB: PoPo Aguirre 4 star JR 6-2 233
WILL: Kamal Bonner 3 star RSO 6-2 215
Star: Damari Brown 4 star RSO 6-2 195
Field CB: Ethan O'Connor 4 star RSO 6-1 170
Boundary CB: Charles Brantley 4 star RSR 5-11 170
SS (Field): Markeith Williams 4 star RJR 6-2 175
FS (Boundary): Dylan Day 3 star SO 6-2 200

*I pray Amari Wallace or Chris Ewald can replace Markeith by midseason.*
 
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Hstokes1447 said:
I wouldn’t go that far. This DT room is talented just isn’t deep, the DB room last year was not talented (with the exception of OJ) or deep.

This is what Miami put on the field in the secondary last season. Not a single difference maker according to the rankings.

2024 CB’s (3 TP 3 stars & 1 HS 3 star)
1. Daryl Porter (Transfer Ranking) 3 star #154 nationally #17 CB
2. Jadais Richard (Transfer Ranking) 3 star #440 nationally #62 CB
3. D'Yoni Hill (Transfer Ranking) 3 star #891 nationally #117 CB
4. OJ Frederique 3 star #779 nationally #67 CB

2024 S’s (1TP 4 star, 1 HS 4 star, & 1 HS 3 star)
1. Mishael Powell (Transfer Ranking) 4 star #114 nationally #7 S
2. Jaden Harris 3 star #541 nationally #51 CB
3. Markeith Williams 4 star #325 nationally #26 S

*did not count Brown because he did not play enough to make any difference at all*

2025 DT (1TP 4 star, 2 HS 5 stars, 1 HS 4 star, 3 HS 3 stars and 1 former All Conference player)
1. David Blay (Transfer Ranking) 4 star #51 nationally #5 DL and former 1st team All Conference player
2. Ahmad Moten 3 star #558 nationally #80 DL
Justin Scott 5 star #10 nationally #3 DL
3. Armondo Blount 5 star #28 nationally #8 DL (listed because he played both DT & DE in spring)
4. Artavius Jones 4 star #193 nationally #28 DL
5. Daylen Russell 3 star #1265 nationally #130 DL
6. Donta Simpson 3 star #605 nationally #67 DL (3 star kid getting early practice buzz just like OJ at CB in 2024)

Just from the rankings alone this DT room is much more talented than the 2024 DB room. It would be great to have 1 one more high ranked 6-3 320 vet DT in that rotation, but that room is far from the mess of a DB room Miami rolled out there last season.
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Thanks for the write up bruv, I agree on the talent level, i didn't clarify i meant lack of depth
 
EudocimusAlbus said:
Thanks for the write up bruv, I agree on the talent level, i didn't clarify i meant lack of depth
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I fully agree with the depth. To make a real run you need at least 8 playable DT’s and Miami currently has only 6 DT’s on the roster with two of them being redshirt freshman Daylen Russell (most here thinks he is a G5 level player) and true freshman Donta Simpson.

Although I am confident in the top four of Blay, Moten, Scoot, & Jones, I also believe Simpson can be very good in a limited role, but to your point this DT depth is scary. Miami desperately needs two of the DE’s to be versatile enough to play 20-30 snaps or consider converting 1 or 2 of the offensive lineman to DT, like Michigan did in 2023 to help them win the National Championship.
 
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Hstokes1447 said:
I fully agree with the depth. To make a real run you need at least 8 playable DT’s and Miami currently has only 6 DT’s on the roster with two of them being redshirt freshman Daylen Russell (most here thinks he is a G5 level player) and true freshman Donta Simpson.

Although I am confident in the top four of Blay, Moten, Scoot, & Jones, I also believe Simpson can be very good in a limited role, but to your point this DT depth is scary. Miami desperately needs two of the DE’s to be versatile enough to play 20-30 snaps or consider converting 1 or 2 of the offensive lineman to DT, like Michigan did in 2023 to help them win the National Championship.
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That’s an interesting proposition and one I haven’t seen mentioned. Which OL do you think could do that?
 
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Hurracanes said:
Total Defense rankings are very misleading. If you think our defense was the 27th best defense in the country last year then I have some land in mars to sell you.
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Totally agree and the same thing can be said for the 24th ranking for the 2023 defense.
 
Hurracanes said:
Total Defense rankings are very misleading. If you think our defense was the 27th best defense in the country last year then I have some land in mars to sell you.
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It wasn't the 27th best defense in any metrics, either. I missed where in the thread someone said we were 27th best in anything, but if they did, they're out of their ******* tree.

We were 70th in PPG allowed to FBS teams. If you look at just conference games, we were 92nd.
We allowed 30.8 PPG to ACC teams in 8 games. And those games included FSU, Wake, Cal, and Duke, who were ALL 77th or worse nationally in yards per play. So half of our ACC games were against objectively bad offenses, FSU and Wake being 2 of the very worst in the entire country, and we STILL allowed 30.8 PPG in the ACC.

This wasn't the 27th best defense in Florida, nevermind the country.
 
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