Miami Hurricanes safeties tabbed as top unit in the country
An obvious struggle for the Miami Hurricanes’ defensive unit last season was their inability to stop big plays through the air, but On3’s Jesse Simonton believes the ‘Canes may be able to turn the page and leave those woes behind under new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry.
With spring ball said and done around the country and the second transfer portal nearing its closing, Simonton examined some of the top safety rooms in the country pre-summer, and he believes Miami has the best safety group in college football.
Here’s what Simonton had to say about the Hurricanes’ safeties…
“The Hurricanes’ defense had all sorts of problems in 2022, but safety play was not among them, as Kam Kinchens earned first-team All-American honors as a sophomore.
The 5-11, 200-pound Miami native had six interceptions — tied for the most among all Power 5 safeties. He added another six PBUs and 59 tackles. Kinchens was paired with former 5-star recruit James Williams, a rangy 6-5, 225-pound playmaker who also had six PBUs and 59 tackles. If Williams plays with more consistency, Miami’s duo might be the best in the country in 2023.
Redshirt freshman Markeith Williams, a former 4-star recruit, is probably the next man up, and the Canes are reportedly mining the portal for an additional body at safety post-spring.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Kinchens and James Williams are among two of the top returning safeties heading into the 2023 season.
After earning first-team All-American honors, Kinchens comes in as the second-best returning safety after leading all safeties in the country with a 90.0 grade and a 90.7 coverage grade. Just two spots under Kinchens is James Williams, who comes in as the fourth-best returner after recording an 89.9 coverage grade over the last two seasons and forcing six incompletions in 2022.
As far as Markeith Williams, In 18 reps on D he graded out at 70.4 percent per Pro Football Focus, so the rising freshman showed some promise in a very limited sample size. With Miami losing Al Blades and Avantae Williams to the transfer portal, who were both ahead of Markeith on the depth chart, you can expect him to be poised to earn some playing time this season in a second-team role behind Kinchens and James Williams.
Also in the Hurricanes safety room but not mentioned by Simonton are Brian Balom, who was a one-time transfer portal entree earlier in the year, and true freshman, Kaleb Spencer, who participated throughout spring ball and flashed at times while going through freshman growing pains.
While Miami’s safety group may boast star talent at the top end, depth may present an issue for the Hurricanes as they continue to scour through the transfer portal for additional depth in one of the top safety rooms in the country.
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