The Miami Hurricanes defense lost a lot from last season. The bookend pass rushers were drafted in the first round and the experienced players in the secondary of Jakobe Thomas and Keionte Scott were selected in the top 120 picks.
But there is a belief that this year's defense will be as good, if not a tick better, and that faith comes from the emergence of some young guys that played a lot of snaps last season and a couple of key transfers. So, let's project some numbers for a defense that should be among the best in the ACC.
And click here if you want to read the projections for the offense.
EDGE Damon Wilson II: 32 tackles, 14 TFLs, 11.5 sacks
Wilson took the next step as a pass rusher last season, leading the Missouri Tigers with nine sacks. He should be able to add to that number this year because the Hurricanes defensive line is deeper and teams will have to pick their poison should they decide to double-team him too much.
Wilson's ability to defend the run is definitely a work in progress, but I expect he'll slip into a few extra tackles for loss as well. But Miami didn't get Wilson out of the transfer portal to stop running backs. The Hurricanes need him to replace some of the sacks that Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor took with them to the NFL.
EDGE Marquise Lightfoot: 37 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks
DL Ahmad Moten Sr.: 32 tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 sacks
DL Armondo Blount: 24 tackles, 8 TFLS, 4.5 sacks
NT Justin Scott: 30 tackles, 7 TFLS, 2.5 sacks
Lightfoot should make the natural progression in numbers and this projection seems safe, maybe a little conservative, but I think he'll need some adjustment time for the increase in snaps.
Miami DE Marquise Lightfoot is stepping into a starting role in 2026 and he has big shoes to fill but this tape shows why I think he’s more than ready⬇️ pic.twitter.com/pppCq4jNdW
— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) August 15, 2026
Moten's numbers will be similar to last year because I think he'll concede some snaps in the rotation. Blount has a chance to make a significant leap forward as a player that can line up at a few different positions and I think he'll thrive in the interior. Scott will continue to be the steady presence at nose guard.
LB Mohamed Toure: 78 tackles, two sacks
DB Omar Thornton: 70 tackles, five TFLs, three interceptions
DB Zechariah Poyser: 71 tackles, one interception
DB Bryce Fitzgerald: 44 tackles, four interceptions
DB OJ Frederique: 25 tackles, three interceptions
Toure is still the guy that will control the second level. The tackles might be a little more evenly spread out because Thornton is going to stick his nose in the fray regularly. I think he's going to be the biggest key to how good the back-end of the defense is.
"He's violent. He's fast and physical, he's ready to hit you. I love Omar to death. He's a dog," Toure said about Thornton.
The new AGENT 0️⃣ Omar Thornton is making hispresence felt‼️
— BLEED ORANGE AND GREEN (@Brabra_Savage24) August 17, 2026
“He is violent, he plays with violence. He is ready to hit you. Great at man coverage, great at zone coverage. He is a DOG!”#GoCanes #ItsAllAboutTheU 🟧_🟩🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/4Jtp6cfj42
Poyser is another proven consistent tackler, but Fitzgerald is going to have to prove himself in that area. We already know he can track the ball with the best of them. Frederique is ready to prove himself as a shut-down type of corner. He'll get tested early, but he'll pass.
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