Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 47 Ahmad Moten

No. 50 Miami DT Thomas Gore … No. 49 Malik Curtis … No. 48 Kaleb Spencer

CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 47, Ahmad Moten.

NO. 47 MIAMI DT AHMAD MOTEN

Why he’s No. 47

Moten arrived at Miami last year as a bit of a project at defensive tackle, needing to tone up and – like all true freshmen – learn the defense. He wound up playing 31 reps and struggling (he had an overall 38.2 defensive grade per Pro Football Focus). But struggles are typical for an interior defensive lineman that’s in his first year. Now it’s Year 2. And Moten showed this spring he’s making strides. Plus there’s this: Miami needs him to step up. With Darrell Jackson and Jordan Miller transferring, the interior depth is questionable. Miami brought in transfers Branson Deen and Thomas Gore to help, and while Deen looked like he can contribute this spring there is still a way to go for Gore. The only returner who has proven himself to this point is Leonard Taylor. Jared Harrison-Hunte has been injury-riddled, Jacob Lichtenstein is a depth guy and the other guy here is true freshman summer arrival Joshua Horton. So Moten will have every chance to be in the rotation and contribute, and don’t be surprised if he does that.

What he needs to do to move up this list

At 6-3 and 300 pounds, Moten has good enough quickness and physical strength to get the job done on the interior, but he has to show coaches they can trust him when the lights come on. That consistency will have to be there in the fall, with no reps off and winning the majority of the time he’s put into pressure situations. Without a lot of competition to be in the two-deep, considering there are only three other returning defensive tackles that played at Miami last year plus two transfers, there’s every opportunity for Moten to emerge in year 2.

Realistic season objective

While we think it’s more likely than not that Moten is a backup, we do expect him to be in the two-deep. And at defensive tackle that means anyone on the second team will be getting into the game quite a bit. So Moten realistically needs to be ready to hold up in those situations and help the team out whenever he’s in the game. When Miami was at its best the backups had very little drop-off – or even no drop-off – compared to the starters. That’s what Moten has to become this season for an interior Miami defense that is very much a question mark area.

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