Miami Hurricanes Football Position Preview: Linebackers

Welcome to the sixth installment of a complete position-by-position breakdown leading up to the start of the football season. Arguably the weakest link of the team, linebacker play has been one of the biggest disappointments of the previous staff.

Just three Miami Hurricanes linebackers have been drafted since 2012, none of which were selected in the first round. There has been just one linebacker with 100 tackles since 2014 and just three times in that same span a Hurricanes backer led the team in tackles.

The additions of defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and linebacker coach Charlie Strong should be the injection needed to improve linebacker play. Steele has coached standout backers like Deion Jones (LSU/Second Round), CJ Mosley (Alabama/First Round), Rolando McClain (Alabama/First Round), Lawrence Timmons (FSU/First Round), Earnie Simms (FSU/First Round) and Michael Boulware (FSU/Second Round).

Projected Starters

Caleb Johnson, Sixth-Year Redshirt Senior

Keontra Smith, Fourth-Year Junior

Depth

Wesley Bissainthe, Freshman

Chase Smith, Sophomore

Corey Flagg, Third-Year Sophomore

Waynmon Steed, Sixth-Year Redshirt Senior

Avery Huff, Fourth-Year Redshirt Sophomore

You would think with the level of play at linebacker seen at Miami since Manny Diaz's first linebacker trio (Shaq Quarterman, Michael Pinckney, and Zach McCloud) that the talent level would below standard. Coming to Miami, four of the seven players in the linebacker room were four-star prospects.

Keontra was considered a defensive back prospect, as crazy as that sounds, and was among the top 30 at the position in 2019. Bissainthe, just added to the roster, was a top 200 recruit and one of best recruits in South Florida.

Chase is considered a project transitioning to linebacker, but was a top-five athlete in the country for his class. Huff has failed to live up to the billing going into his fourth season, but stirred excitement with fans and recruiting analysts alike due to his plus athleticism and pedigree coming from pipeline St. Thomas Aquinas. He was a Top 200 prospect and the eighth ranked inside linebacker in the country in 2019.

It looks like Chase and Bissainthe have put themselves in a position to earn first-team reps and have opened eyes with their versatility and athleticism. The two highly hyped blue-chip prospects are the closest profile-wise to what Miami needs at the position going forward. Combine their talents with the trio of prospects (Raul Aquirre, Malik Bryant, and Bobby Washington) Miami has committed in 2023 and the future of the position looks prosperous.

Bissainthe looks to be the closest to breaking the youth mold. Coming into spring practice, Strong raved about his football intelligence and how quickly he assimilated to the new scheme, even compared to the more veteran players in the group. A two-time state champion out of Miami Central, his experience in a college-type scheme in high school has him in ready-to-play mode despite being a true freshman.

Chase is the most athletically versatile player in the room and has first-round potential. He's a dark horse for either linebacker spot. His ball skills stemming from his time as a receiver and defensive back allows him to do things in coverage that the majority of the linebacker core cannot achieve.

Despite not starting in the first scrimmage, all reports allude to Johnson showcasing himself as the best linebacker in the room right now. At 6'1" 235-pounds, he is physically what Miami ideally wants to put on the field. He has valuable experience, starting 17 of the last 18 games played at UCLA.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal said that "he saw the light come on" for the senior linebacker in the scrimmage, a good sign that he is positioning himself to lock in the inside linebacker role of this defense.

Based on the first scrimmage, tackling and overall linebacker play should be elevated this season. The talent and athletic traits are there for the group to fly around and make plays.

Players like Bissainthe, Chase Smith, and Huff fit the profile of what coach Steele has turned into first-round draft picks. Combine that potential with the experience of Johnson, Smith, and Steed and you get a balance of youth, talent, speed, and leadership that should blend for success.

A return to above-par play at the position is expected this season and if Steele continues to bring pressure as he did in the spring and in the first scrimmage, the disappointment of the previous seasons could be flipped sooner than later.