Miami Football: PFF has eight Miami Hurricanes player in the Preseason All-ACC Team:
Eight Miami Hurricanes were named to the ProFootballFocus.com 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team, the organization announced this week. Among those who earned First Team Honors were Offensive Tackle Zion Nelson, Offensive Guard Javion Cohen, Center Matt Lee) and the defensive players were Defensive lineman Leonard Taylor, EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Safety Kamren Kinchens, and Safety James Williams earned All-ACC first team recognitions. With Kicker Andy Borregales.
Offensive Players:
Nelson, a 2023 first team All-ACC selection, Playing in just one game against Texas A&M, Nelson’s season was cut short by a knee injury. Losing him from the lineup put a damper on Miami’s chemistry and talent up front. That’s especially true with him being a left tackle. He’s been trying to get back into shape and be a player that can make an impact for this upcoming season. Never know exactly how a 300-plus-pound offensive lineman will react to a lower body injury, but there has not been any official word that Nelson is not going to be back.
Cohen, a 2023 first team All-ACC Offensive Player selection, Cohen was a starter in the last two years for Alabama after being named to the All-SEC freshman team in 2020. Miami has not developed OL recently. Adding Cohen and will help stabilize the Miami OL until the younger players develop. Miami should have a deeper corps at OT entering the 2023 season. He adds experience (25 starts and over 1,500 snaps at Alabama) and hopefully production (posted 17 knockdown blocks and allowed just 1.5 sacks this season). Cohen has two seasons of eligibility remaining, so his impact will be felt for a while in the ACC.
Wrapping up the offensive players is Matt Lee, a first team All-ACC Offensive Player selection. During his three seasons as a significant contributor, Lee showed progress year-over-year. In 2022, Pro Football Focus graded Lee as one of the best pass protectors in the country with a 90.3 pass blocking grade while allowing only four pressures and zero sacks. Lee wanted to transfer to Miami for a new opportunity of developing at a big program that is away from home. Lee grew up down the street from UCF and was looking for a new challenge and growth opportunity at the college level.
Defensive Players:
Taylor, is 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.
Mesidor, he has a 87.1 PFF grade. Mesidor had seven sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss last season for the Hurricanes. Mesidor is expected to up his level of play alongside the talented Leonard Taylor in new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s scheme.
Kinchens, a junior from Miami, Florida, was named preseason First-Team All-American after racking up the 2022 season with 59 tackles and led the ACC with six interceptions. After some inconsistent play in the first half of the 2022 season, Kinchens took his play to another level in the second half of the year. His best game was against Georgia Tech as he totaled eight tackles and three interceptions—returning one pick 99 yards for a touchdown. The next week, Kinchens totaled 13 tackles against Clemson.
Williams, Williams showed his ability as a playmaker in 2022 with seven pass breakups and one interception. After seven starts as a true freshman in 2021, Williams became a mainstay on the Miami defense in 2022. The best game for Williams in 2022 came with seven tackles and two pass breakups versus Texas A&M.
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Trinton is the owner of CanesToday. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, he is a freshman in high school and wants to graduate from the University of Miami
