Miami D-LINE (In Depth)

As Fall Camp is approaching, we can now turn our attention to Miami. Many of us are anxious to see how the offense performs on opening day. This will be part 1 of a 3 part series I’ll do to take a look at the 3 defensive units of DL, LB, and DB.

Here’s a breakdown of what kind of DL LSU is going up against in Week 1: (Changes could occur in Fall Camp, but this is a projected Depth Chart)

D-LINE
DE- Demetrius Jackson ... 6’3 260lbs Sr. Sat out this spring after having surgery on a torn meniscus. In 2017 he played in 7 games before getting hurt. As the backup to Joe Jackson, he was a solid contributor who logged 18 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 Sacks, 2 PBU, and 1 interception. We know how injuries can affect a player’s performance, but he is a solid player when healthy.

DT- Gerald Willis ... 6’4 285lb Sr. We all know about his recruitment and off the field issues. Miami expects a big year out of him, but that will remain to be seen.

DT- Pat Bethel ... 6’3 272lb Jr. Bethel is taking over after the departures of McIntosh and Norton to the NFL. In 2017 he played in 11 games and recorded 18 tackles and 1 forced fumble.

DE- Joe Jackson ... 6’5 258lb Jr. Miami’s best player on the DL and lone returning starter in this unit. Very good pass rusher. In his first 2 college seasons he logged 82 tackles, 21 TFl, and 14 sacks.

**Notables who will push for PT include:
DT- Jon Ford (So.),
DT- Nesta Silvera (Fr. and the #2 DT in the country)
DT- Tito Odenigbo (Grad Transfer)
DE- Johnathan Garvin (So.)
DE- Scott Patchan (Jr.)
DE- Greg Rousseau (Fr.)

OVERALL GRADE: B
Defensive end is the strongpoint of the Hurricane DL. If we can contain Joe Jackson I like our chances in pass protection vs the other lineman. The question marks are Demetrius Jackson post injury and which Willis shows up? If 5 Star Willis shows up, our OL will have to be strong. If the normal Willis shows up we should be able to get an interior rushing attack going.

Feel free to add your grades and any added information.