Sophomore Jayden Wayne who would likely have had to compete for snaps to be the fourth edge rusher in the Miami football rotation chose to enter the transfer portal on Monday. The departure by Wayne appears to be mutual with Miami. Wayne was reportedly surpassed by other edge rushers this spring.
Wayne signed with Miami in the 2023 class as the 82nd-ranked prospect nationally, the 13th edge rusher and 21st player in Florida out of IMG Academy. Wayne was originally from Tacoma, Washington. In his one season with Miami, Wayne had 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
Marshall transfer Elijah Alston, sophomore Rueben Bain and fifth-year redshirt Junior Akheem Mesidor are locked in as the top three edge rushers for Miami entering the 2024 season. Miami is very inexperienced at edge rusher behind the top three of Alston, Bain and Mesidor.
Wayne played in eight games in 2023 with only 104 defensive snaps. Wayne earned his only start and had three tackles in the Pinstripe Bowl versus Rutgers. The best game for Wayne was four tackles versus Bethune-Cookman.
I'm told UM isn't sweating ANY of these defensive losses. Many were told they wouldn't play much; and this is now like the NFL, where players are essentially cut. In some cases, new players surpassed them this spring. Regardless, depth will need to be upgraded on defense in… https://t.co/R7alvqgiz2
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 22, 2024
Bain was the only 2023 defensive signee ranked ahead of Wayne in the Miami class. At 6'6 and 245 pounds, scouts were intrigued with Wayne's length and size on the DL. Wayne was not able to fill out as projected. Bain was 250 pounds when he signed and is now 275 pounds. Wayne was 245 pounds when he signed and remains at that weight.
Expect Miami to target an edge rusher in the transfer portal. Former Miami commit Romello Height who the Hurricanes targeted as a transfer from USC, chose Georgia Tech. Height is on his third school after beginning his collegiate career at Auburn. Miami signed an elite DL 2024 class.
Five-star 2024 Miami signees Armondo Blount and Marquise Lightfoot could need time to develop. Bain was an anomaly as an impact player as a freshman in 2023. Bringing in an experienced edge rusher will allow, Blount (who also can play tackle) Lightfoot and four-star 2024 Miami edge rusher signee Cole McConathy time to develop.