This is the time of the year for the midseason awards and this past weekend on the ACC Huddle pre-game show the panel joined in the fun.
As expected, the Hurricanes were well represented, with Carson Beck and Malachi Toney considered the Newcomers of the Year (transfer and freshman) along with nearly a unanimous pick of Rueben Bain Jr. as the league's Defensive Player of the Year through the first half of the season. But former head coach Jimbo Fisher wanted to show some love to Akheem Mesidor, calling the Hurricanes pass rush duo "1A and 1B."
Ahkeem Mesidor (#3) is that dude
— Randall Slifer (@RandallSlifer) September 30, 2025
- 3 sacks and 3 QB hits already on the year
- Can win with speed and/or power
- sets up his pass rush moves
- has the motor to chase down reverses at the LOS pic.twitter.com/BoWNODYOu5
""Everyone's talking about Bain, but I want to focus on the other guy...the guy on the other side, because he's just as good. Truthfully speaking, his burst main be better than Bain. I think Bain has a little more power, but Akheem Mesidor's burst is as good as any I have seen. They've got two great ones down in Miami and you can call them 1A and 1B as far as I'm concerned.""Jimbo Fisher on ACC Huddle
The man on the other side
Mesidor has certainly held up his end of the pass rush and, together with Bain, it's hard to think of a better duo in the country. On the season so far, Mesidor has five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He's on pace to set career highs in both categories.
A veteran of the college game, Mesidor is a 6th-year senior originally from Ottawa, Onotario and he played his high school football in Clearwater, Florida. He started his career at West Virginia and transferred to Miami in the 2022-23 season. Mesidor is on pace for 60 career college starts and is ranked as the third-best draft-eligible defensive end according to Mel Kiper. His maturity shows up on the field and when he addresses the media.
"I think I've done decent...I don't really focus on what I've done, I just try to keep getting better and better. My goal is to win my one-on-one every play," Mesidor said earlier in the season. "Every game, every play just win your one-on-one and the rest will take care of itself."