STATE OF THE U 2023: LB analysis

CaneSport continues its State of The U series with a closer position by position look, unfiltered and objective, based on what Miami has returning, the projections and whether this will be an improved unit or not.

Today’s focus: Miami’s linebacker position:

OVERVIEW

A sign of the deterioration at Linebacker U in recent years: There is only one player that was a linebacker at Miami that has been taken in the NFL Draft since Denzel Perryman went in 2015: That was Shaq Quarterman in 2020. The last linebacker out of Miami to go in the first round of the draft? That was 16 years ago when Jon Beason was taken No. 25 overall. Which brings us back to the current situation. The Miami linebacker play was not good last season, a reason the Canes ranked No. 64 in the nation in total defense and No. 54 in rushing defense. For the stretch run of the season it was Corey Flagg and Wesley Bissainthe as the main starters, with Bissainthe a true freshman. So he should be improved in Year 2 at OLB, and in the middle Flagg is expected to be supplanted by Washington State transfer Francisco Mauigoa, who flashed in the spring and brings more size and athleticism to the position. That will let Flagg provide depth at both MLB and OLB positions. The team added Louisville veteran backup KJ Cloyd to also compete for reps, and other returners (and expected backups) are Keontra Smith and oft-injured Chase Smith. In a defense that is essentially a 4-2-5 under new coordinator Lance Guidry, Miami really just needs two playmaking linebackers that can be joined at times by a run-stopping SLB but most often a nickel (Te’Cory Couch is the returning starter there). We also think true freshman Marcellius Pulliam will work his way into immediate reps – he’s getting a lot of buzz out of summer workouts. And other true freshmen with bright futures are Bobby Washington, Raul Aguirre and Malik Bryant. This position has added a lot of size from a year ago and should be a much better playmaking group. Do we see a guy that will tally 100 tackles here? Not really. But it’s been a few years since Miami’s had that – the last time there was a triple-digit tackler on the team it was Quarterman in 2019. The linebacker play should be better, but probably won’t be in the upper echelon of the conference.

STATE OF THE U: QB ANALYSIS … RB analysis … WR analysis … TE analysis … OL analysis … DL analysis

BIGGEST QUESTION

The depth. We feel pretty good about MLB Francisco Mauigoa after watching him in the spring, and he was productive last year at Washington State – 60 tackles, 5.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks, also forcing three fumbles (tied for the Pac-12 lead) with an interception. In 457 reps per Pro Football Focus he was at a solid 75.7 percent (70 is considered good). He had a 74.1 run defense grade, 69.9 tackle grade, 64.6 pass rush grade and 76.3 cover grade. OLB Wesley Bissainthe also started by the end of the season and had 30 tackles in 275 reps – per PFF he had a 68.1 overall grade, 78.0 run defense, 67.2 tackle grade, 52.3 pass rush grade and 62.6 cover grade. Flagg is a multi-year starter that also can help at both spots. But after those three there are a lot of question marks, and you can see Miami coaches try to address the depth by adding KJ Cloyd from Louisville in the second portal window. But Cloyd was a career backup for the Cardinals. The others on the roster are either true freshmen or guys that haven’t done much to this point (Keontra Smith, Chase Smith). So if there are any issues with the three guys we feel fairly good about (Mauigoa, Bissainthe and Flagg) then you just don’t really know what you’re going to get. And you need more than three linebackers you can count on going into a season.

BOLD PREDICTION

Mauigoa will be in the top three on the team in tackles. We see Kam Kinchens, James Williams and Mauigoa as the three guys that really will be chasing guys sideline to sideline in this defense, serving as the main tacklers. Mauigoa really wowed us in the spring, so while he was good enough at Washington State we think he can find another level in a conference where there is a lot of speed at running back and also with mobile QBs that will constantly be testing him. Look for 70+ tackles from Mauigoa this season, with 7+ tackles for loss. We feel very good about his potential.

PROJECTION: POSITION WILL BE BETTER/WORSE THAN LAST YEAR?

Last year was a failure on many levels at the linebacker position, and you can see some of it just from the amount of missed tackles – per PFF Keontra Smith missed 14 tackles in 290 reps; Corey Flagg missed 12 in 436 reps; Caleb Johnson (graduated) missed 8 in 299 reps; Wesley Bissainthe missed four in 276 reps; and Chase Smith missed 2 in 12 reps. Add it up and that’s 40 missed tackles from the position, so there can be some major improvement there. On top of that there just weren’t game-changing plays from the unit – combined the linebackers totaled 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and one interception. The addition of Mauigoa really will be key here; Bissainthe should be better, but he didn’t have any tackles for losses and wasn’t really a spring standout. So a lot is on Bissainthe to fully grasp the new D and for Mauigoa to bring what we saw in the spring to fall practice and then the season. Depth is an issue as well. So this position could still struggle, but should be a little better. 2022 GRADE … C-; 2023 PROJECTED GRADE … C+

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