Going into the season, Miami was hopeful that the new-look defensive line was going to be able to pick up the slack. With Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. headed to the NFL, some of the in-house defensive linemen were called to step up, and the Hurricanes also looked to the transfer portal for help.
Miami edge defender Damon Wilson's last 2 games:
— Brent Rollins (@BrentRollinsPhD) November 2, 2026
- 61 total snaps
- 41 pass rush snaps
- 1 tackle, zero QB pressures#Canes going to need him to get back to his earlier season form this weekend vs. the #Irish
One of those players who were called upon was Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II. As one of the better transfers coming in, Wilson came into the season with high expectations. He was coming off a nine sack, 54 QB pressure season at Missouri which earned him Second Team All-SEC recognition, so it made sense that Canes fans were excited.
His best performance came against Clemson where he logged 2.5 sacks, 2.5 TFLs, three tackles and 11 QB pressures.
But, in the three games that followed that matchup against Clemson, Wilson has struggled, recording just one tackle, zero sacks and zero TFLs.
Damon Wilson II must rise to the occasion against Notre Dame
Moving into the game against Notre Dame, that is going to have to change. Wilson has 3.5 sacks and six total tackles through eight games (his 2.5 sacks against Clemson account for 71.4% of his season total).
To begin the season, Wilson recorded zero quarterback pressures against Stanford and Florida A&M, and his first sack didn't come until the third game against Wake Forest.
On the other side, Notre Dame's offensive line has allowed only two sacks through eight games, a number that ranks first nationally. It's part of why quarterback CJ Carr has thrown for 1,849 yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception this season.
A deeper look into the Miami defense
Wilson's struggles have not prevented the rest of the defensive front from generating sacks. The Hurricanes still have 24 sacks through eight games, averaging three per matchup. Marquise Lightfoot is a big reason why as he has seven sacks and 29 tackles on the season.
The Hurricanes have allowed 980 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns over their last three games (326.7 passing yards allowed per game). Miami ranks 121st nationally in passing yards allowed at 251.9 per game on the season, despite leading the country in rushing defense at 60.8 yards allowed.
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