CaneSport's Inside The Lines: The Ahmad Moten 24-hour grind to earn a spot in the Miami Hurricanes defensive line rotation
It always came at midnight, a simple knock on the door. It didn’t matter what Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Ahmad Moten was doing at that hour. He would hear the knock at the door and immediately knew it was time to rise up, that fellow linemate Rueben Bain was craving extra work.
All summer long, several nights a week, they would head across campus to Miami’s indoor practice facility in the dark of the campus night. They would be in there alone, two big men with the drive to get better, working on their hands and feet for hours while everyone else associated with the program, even maniacal head coach Mario Cristobal, slept. Their seasons would sometimes last until almost three in the morning.
CaneSport sat down with Moten to discuss the influences of Bain and he strives to work his way into the Miami defensive line rotation. We also spoke to Bain about their joint efforts. You can watch those interviews here.
INSIDE THE LINES SERIES: C Zach Carpenter … QB Emory Williams … WR Jacolby George … OL Francis Mauigoa
“You can’t beat it, you know. It’s just us working us, just doing our thing,” Moten said. “He should be good. I should be good. Bain is the young guy, but nobody sets a greater example on the work ethic, right? But don’t get me wrong, I teach Bain stuff too.
“So we are just working. We are just working. You know, that’s all we can do. Just work. Get better. We just perfected our craft, doing what we are not good at, trying to make it better. Him coming from 95th Street in Miami, and me coming from Cardinal Gibbons, both winning programs, we just show each other what we did, how we did it. It’s him just wanting me be great. We are just pushing each other.”
“Iron sharpens iron. We’ve got one of the best offensive lines in the country and one of the best defensive lines in the country”
Ahmad moten
Cristobal has built this team from the inside out, focusing first on the offensive line and now the defensive line. Miami is expected to be highly competitive on both fronts this season.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Moten said. “We’ve got one of the best offensive lines in the country and one of the best defensive lines in the country. So it’s just time to get to work. Coach wants us to compete.”
Conditioning has been an issue for Moten throughout his career as he tried to play football at a weight well past 320 pounds. He has shed a lot of that excess weight now and feels the difference as he competes for his place in what has become a very crowded Miami defensive line room.
“I just want to focus on staying in shape for being in the game for more than three plays, you know, to be able to play five or six plays in a row,” Moten said. “So that’s the main thing I’m focused on this camp. I’m down to 310 now? So I’m feeling good, feeling lighter, can move better, compete.”
