Matt Lee? Javion Cohen? Those are NFL guys. Daryl Porter is a good player. Mesidor is an impact player when healthy. Parrish is a solid player who Ole Miss gladly took back (and I expect us to upgrade this offseason).
There are too many extremes in this discussion. Have we used the Portal as well as FSU and Ole Miss? No, those are A+ Portal teams.
But Miami has added some good players and some serviceable players who served as band-aids. We needed a volume of bodies at certain spots when he got here.
The only reason there's so much discussion about adding a 4th/5th DE is because Height ****ed off fans four years ago under another staff. If we take the move for what it is and remove the emotion, it's not a big deal. In the Utah game, I see a decent rusher with a mature body who can give us limited snaps. He's not there to be Rueben Bain or Akheem Mesidor.
They're taking no chances at any positions because they want to win the ACC next year. Pass rush is a volume position due to the need for energy throughout the game. If the argument is we have too much talent at the position, that's a good sign.
Atrocious is probably harsh, but it’s not good. I’ll go player by player so we can properly analyze it. And again my definitions for a hit as compared to a miss will be different from everyone on here, but here’s what I got. I’ll post 2022 first, then 2023 since 2024 is way too early to properly judge.
2022:
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Jacob Lichtenstein: One of his earliest acquisitions to address the lack of size in the middle of the defensive line, and while the expectations weren’t sky high, he was still expected to contribute somewhat in line with his 28 tackle, 4-sack 2021 season for USC. In the end, he totaled just nine combined tackles in two seasons at Miami. In seven games, His two sacks came against USM and Bethune. That’s a whiff.
- Darrell Jackson: Tons of potential coming out of Maryland. Best game was against UNC imo, where he generated a ton of interior pressure and registered seven tackles and a sack. He finished his lone season with a 72.4 grade on PFF, 27 total tackles (4.5 for loss) and 3 sacks. He was up there with LT in terms of our best DT (statistically speaking), but again those aren’t eye-popping numbers. Not a whiff at all, just not a game-changer on the line imo. Solid acquisition despite losing him after one season, in the B-/B range and declared by CIS as overrated/not a hard worker.
- Caleb Johnson: kind of went about his business at the LB spot, lacked the pash-rushing abilities at Miami he showed off at UCLA. Not a whiff, just not very impactful. Average LB on a 5-7 team.
- Johnathan Denis: Virginia Tech game is all I need to say. Whiff.
- Logan Sagapolu: just too small and not the stoutest at the point of attack. Works hard, nothing against the kid. Transfer candidate this spring. Whiff.
- Frank Ladson: Looked like Tarzan, played like Jane. Eight games in 2022, eight receptions for 63 yards to finish up the year against Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Pitt. Didn’t record a stat in 2023. Whiff.
- Henry Parrish: Probably our best acquisition from 2022. Led the backfield in yards (5 less attempts than Fletcher but over 100 yards more), yards per carry and touchdowns, as well as receptions out of the backfield in 2023. A good college RB, but not a game-changer or elite player. Miami is fine letting him walk to make room for someone better.
- Akeem Mesidor: Has all the capabilities of being an All-ACC caliber player. Finished with 38 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and team-high seven sacks in 2022 en route to an All-ACC, Honorable Mention. Injuries have hampered his trajectory for the time being. Still waiting on his special cleats from Adidas so he can get back out there. To classify this as a hit, he needs to produce this season. One season of honorable mention play in a bleh conference doesn’t make you a stud. Until then, he’s a good college DE.
- Daryl Porter Jr: Enjoyed a nice season last year. He was our top corner and had four pass breakups in eight games before getting injured and missing the rest of the season. He wasn’t tested much because teams were too busy picking on Jaden Davis (who we will get to in 2023), but he did a nice job when he was targeted. Hit imo, good player that’s a CB2/CB3 on most 9-10 win teams, but can show another gear before we crown him as a CB1.
- Mitchell Agude: Thought of as a massive recruiting win at the time, coming off a Second-Team All PAC-12 selection in 2021. Had 55 tackles, four forced fumbles and was all over the place at UCLA. Disappointing season in Miami. Production dropped to 39 total tackles, only registered four sacks as a guy thought of as DE1. I’d call it a whiff just in terms of expectations working with our staff vs. UCLA’s. People were talking 10-sack campaign. At best, he was a pedestrian addition.
Antonio Moultrie: A depth addition that could be used in specific pass rushing roles and a knack for getting pressure on the QB. Only had .5 sacks and played sparingly across seven games. Nothing impactful here.
2022 results: By my count, I’ve got Porter Jr, Parrish, DJack and Mesidor as impactful additions. Mesidor needs to get back on the field. Out of these four, are any elite thus far? Anyone that single-handily gets us an extra win or two by sheer talent and skill?
Pedestrian or non-impactful guys: Ladson, Agude, Sagapolu, Denis, Moultrie, Lichtenstein.
Johnson is somewhere in the middle. Not a good class of additions overall. Not even one star player imo. I’ll do 2023 next.
