ANALYSIS: With fall drills approaching, Miami Hurricanes’ top talent will need to show out … and Pro Football Focus metrics note a lot of it

Don’t blink, but the start of Miami’s fall drills is right around the corner.

And while Mario Cristobal has worked to right the roster he took over prior to the 2022 season, it remains a work in progress. That much was obvious from last year’s 5-7 finish. But, with that said, some of the nation’s top returning talent – per Pro Football Focus – is on this roster.

So while there are certainly top end talent depth concerns at positions like the defensive tackle, linebacker, cornerback and wide receiver, there also are veteran leaders that graded out as top performers in the nation a year ago along the offensive line, defensive line, secondary and even at running back.

These are the guys that, if Miami is going to surprise national pundits, will lead the way:

DEFENSIVE BACK

At safety the team has the nation’s top two returners in coverage grade over the last two seasons – Kam Kinchens and James Williams. Kinchens (59 tackles, 6 INTs) also is rated the nation’s No. 2 returning safety for this coming season by PFF behind USC’s Calen Bullock; Williams (58 tackles, 1 INT) is fourth behind Georgia’s Malaki Starks. Kinchens led the nation with a 90.7 cover grade in 2023; Williams was 11th with an 88.5 grade.

And Kinchens graded out overall at 90.0, tops of returning ACC players, while Williams was at 73.5 percent (5th best in the conference).

Also notable per Pro Football Focus?

A couple of the team’s offensive linemen.

And, specifically, transfer center Matt Lee and transfer LG Javion Cohen jump out on the rankings.

Lee is the highest graded returning center at 82.5 percent, followed by West Virginia’s Zach Frazier and Michigan’s Drake Nugent. In 1,059 snaps at UCF in 2023, Lee had a 90.3 pass blocking grade (best of returning centers and No. 3 regardless of class last year) and 79.1 percent run blocking grade. Lee also checks in as the ACC’s No. 3 returning lineman based on his overall grade.

Cohen? Last year he was tied as the No. 65 overall guard when it comes to grading out at 72.6 percent. He also was No. 45 in pass blocking grades (80.8). As that pertains to returning players in the ACC? He checks in at No. 7 overall, with the list topped by Duke LT Graham Barton at 88.2 percent. Cohen, of course, started at Alabama before transferring to Miami. He’s part of a reshaped Miami line that includes Lee and 5-star arrivals Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola.

Then there’s also a running back that grades out as a top returner. That’s Henry Parrish, who didn’t put up big numbers last year (616 rush yards, 4 TDs) but PFF took note of his play. He is the nation’s No. 4 returning player based on Pro Football Focus grade at 80.6. That’s just behind Phil Mafah (81.6) and trails Bhaysul Tuten (89.9) and Trey Benson (88.5). Behind Parrish is Clemson star Will Shipley at 78.5 percent.

Then there’s top national talent at defensive tackle and end for Miami.

PFF rates Leonard Taylor (10.5 TFL, 3 sacks) as the nation’s No. 6 returning tackle with an 87.3 grade. Per PFF he had a 19.5% pressure rate and 16.2% pressure rate, which trailed only Pittsburgh’s Calijah Kancey (a first round NFL selection with pick 19) among Power Five interior defensive linemen. Ranked ahead of Taylor: Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton, Cincinnati’s Dontay Corleone, LSU’s Mekhi Wingo and Michigan’s Kris Jenkins. Taylor also had an 85.5 pass rush grade (4th best).

Also on the list? Transfer Thomas Gore. He comes in at No. 7 with an 84.8 grade. Gore was down the depth chart this spring but hopes to emerge in the fall. Undersized at 6-0 and 280 pounds, Miami brought in Gore this spring as a Georgia State transfer defensive tackle. He was All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention in 2021 and played in every game there since the 2020 season, tallying 93 career total tackles, 11 sacks and two forced fumbles as a defensive lineman. He also has 76 career pressures. He had a career high 2.5 sacks in a game against Old Dominion last season and had eight tackles for loss in 2022. He was a three-star high school recruit out of Brentwood Academy (TN) without a Power Five offer but developed at Georgia State.

At end?

The team has back Akheem Mesidor (10.5 TFL, 7 sacks), who per PFF is the nation’s No. 5 returning edge rusher behind Penn State’s Chop Robinson, Washington’s Bralen Trice, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Marshall’s Owen Porter. Mesidor finished last season with 10.5 TFL and seven sacks, and PFF also credited him with 16 QB hurries. Mesidor’s grade also makes him the top ACC returning rusher; No. 7 on that list? Jahfari Harvey at 76.2 percent. This past season Harvey was part of a heavy end rotation in Kevin Steele’s system and started seven times, ending with 31 tackles, 7.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks.

So there is plenty of top end talent on this Miami roster. The question now is if it’s enough to launch this team to the next level, and if some new names will pop up and make these PFF lists a year from now.

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