Miami football incoming transfers add experience to defense

The Miami football roster was deprived of experience entering the 2019 season. The Hurricanes all senior linebacking corps was the majority of experience that Miami had returning in 2019 before adding four transfers to the defense.

The addition of the four transfers on defense has added a lot of experience to the Miami football roster. Graduate transfer defensive linemen Trevon Hill and Chigozie Nnoruka, rising redshirt sophomore safety Bubba Bolden and linebacker/defensive end Jaelan Phillips are big additions to the Canes roster.

All but Phillips will play in 2019. Phillips is choosing to sit out the season to recover from a variety of injuries. Among the nation’s former top recruit’s wounds were concussion problems. In this era that can never be taken care of enough. Hill, Nnoruka and Bolden are all expected to contribute in 2019.

Hill is a huge addition to a Miami defensive line that lost defensive end, Joe Jackson, a year early to the NFL and defensive tackle Gerald Willis. In many ways signing Hill is a double blessing. He was dismissed from Virginia Tech last season. Hill is entering his fifth season in college.

In 29 games playing for Virginia Tech, Hill had 94 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. Hill is part of a deep Miami football roster at defensive end. The Hurricanes bring back rising junior Jonathan Garvin, senior Scott Patchan and redshirt freshman Greg Rousseau.

Incoming freshman defensive end Jahfari Harvey looked good this spring and should be the fifth player in the rotation on the edge up front defensively. The five players Miami will have in the rotation at defensive end will give Miami one of the best defensive end units in the country.

Hill’s combination of skill and experience make him the front runner to be the starter opposite Garvin. Garvin is a lock to start after a breakout 2018 season. He will be a leader of the Miami front four.

Under Manny Diaz, there have been questions every year about replacing the players lost on the defensive line. The greater focus should be on the players returning not the players lost. The addition of Nnoruka is critical to a very young group at defensive tackle. The returnees at DT behind Bethel are inexperienced.

Rising junior Jon Ford and rising sophomore Nesta Silvera figure to be the backups to Bethel and Nnoruka at defensive tackle in 2019. Neither has had a lot of playing time before this season. Ford and Silvera combined for 21 tackles and 3.5 TFLs in 2018. Ford and Silvera will both figure prominently in the rotation.

Behind Ford and Silvera, rising redshirt freshman Jordan Miller and incoming freshman Jason Blisset should challenge for playing time. The interior of the defensive line behind Bethel and Nnoruka is going to have to grow up quickly for Miami. The leadership provided by the two seniors at DT is invaluable.

Bolden brings a year of experience from USC in 2017 to the Miami Football roster. He has been through a lot of adversity off the field. His ability to make a decision to transfer to Miami should help his career. Bolden has persevered a lot and that should help him challenge to be a starter at safety and a leader at the position.

Trajan Bandy is the only returning starter for Miami in the secondary. Bandy was the only new starter in the secondary in 2018. Bolden, rising junior Amari Carter and rising sophomore Gurvan Hall are expected to be the primary candidates at safety. Keep an eye on rising junior Derrick Smith.

Depending on the defensive system, the safety is often as critical to a defense as a QB is to an offense. Under Diaz, a safety led the Hurricanes in tackles all three seasons he was the defensive coordinator. That is not likely to change. Bolden, Hall and Carter’s leadership and playmaking are critical in 2019.

Diaz has said that the journeys into the transfer portal will not be as extensive in the future as they were in 2019. The addition of the eight players the Hurricanes added as transfer to the roster this season were essential to upgrade the talent and experience on the Miami football roster.