In 2022, Miami endured some injuries but was not as nearly decimated as the offensive side of the ball. There are some valuable defenders that the Hurricanes cannot afford to lose to injury to avoid missing a bowl game for the second consecutive year.

One of Miami's biggest and brightest stars is defensive tackle Leonard Taylor. The Miami-Dade County native racked up 45 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, five sacks, and one interception in two years as a Cane, and 2023 could be his best yet.

Taylor is a space-eater that allows others to get free and make plays if he is not making the play himself. Pro Football Focus named Taylor one of the top five returning defensive tackles for the 2023 season.

Behind Taylor on the depth chart are Jared Harrison-Hunte, Jacob Lichtenstein, and Ahmad Moten. Harrison-Hunte and Lichtenstein combine ten years of college experience but over four years Harrison-Hunte was graded at 66.7 and Lichtenstein has a 64.2 grade over three years by PFF. Moten has logged 31 snaps on defense in his career thus far.

Taylor averaged a 79.5 grade over two years, including an 87.3 last season.

The transfer from UCF automatically becomes the Hurricanes' number one corner with starters Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey off to the NFL. Davonte Brown brings efficiency to the DB room scoring as high as an 84 coverage grade in 2021.

Chris Graves officially put his name in the transfer portal, and Jaden Harris, and JUCO transfer Demetrius Freeney are unproven at the power five level. Oklahoma transfer Jaden Davis will likely play at the nickel corner spot or compete for the second corner spot, and Malik Curtis is rumored to leave the team at some point.

Miami also has young budding talent on the horizon, with true freshmen Damari Brown and Robert Stafford in the fold. The corner position will be significantly hurt if Brown and Porter go down with injuries.

Francisco Mauigoa is another transfer that will be vital to Miami's success this season. The former Washington State Cougar was arguably the most impressive defender of the spring and will very likely start for Hurricanes all season if healthy.

The linebacker position was thin last season as freshman Wesley Bissainthe became a starter toward the end of the season, and Corey Flagg and Keontra Smith showed flashes, but neither was consistent enough to instill confidence in the Miami coaching staff.

The addition of Louisville transfer KJ Cloyd certainly helps with depth but Mauigoa staying healthy all season keeps this group at an elite level.

Akheem Mesidor made a significant impact in 2022 and is likely to duplicate those efforts in 2023. The West Virginia transfer graded at 87.1 in 2022 and was a force to be reckoned with all season long. Mesidor racked up 38 total tackles, seven sacks, one forced fumble, and four passes defended last season.

The best attribute about Mesidor is his intangible being able to line up both inside and outside. He's a matchup nightmare for most.

Kamren Kinchens is the most valuable football player on this Miami defense. The All-American has a chance to be the tenth two-time All-American this season (DB Bennie Blades, DL Ted Hendricks, QB George Mira, DL Tony Cristiani, LB Darrin Smith, DB Ed Reed, OL Bryant McKinnie, OL Joaquin Gonzalez, and WR Bill Miller). Hendricks is the only three-time All-American.

The junior contributes as a tackler (led the team in tackles - 59) and in coverage (led the team in interceptions - 6). He also added 1.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and 12 pass deflections. To say he is valuable might be an understatement.

Behind Kinchens is Markeith Williams, and Brian Balom. Williams had a nice spring but saw action in just four games in his career. Balom, now a fourth-year redshirt sophomore who has already graduated, has seen action in 21 games.

The Miami staff is looking to cross-train traditional cornerbacks JaDais Richard and Jaden Davis at the safety position to help with depth, but losing Kinchens to an injury could be tragic.

Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond

• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify

• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @TheCribSouthFLA, @AnthonyYero1, and @MichaelYero

• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County

Follow us on Facebook