Jared Harrison-Hunte after Thurs. practice: Rotation keeping us fresh, DL "looking great"

New Miami defensive coordinator Kevin Steele says he considers 6-8 defensive linemen on this team starters, and he plans to use a heavy rotation. So it’s a good bet that returning DT Jared Harrison-Hunte will be one of those guys. Harrison-Hunte’s always possessed a world of athletic ability as a former basketball player who can dunk, but the 6-4, 295-pounder is looking for a breakout season.

He’s certainly gotten plenty of competition for reps this fall, with the transfer arrivals of DTs Jacob Lichtenstein, Darrell Jackson and Antonio Moultrie. Plus DE arrival Akheem Mesidor previously has played tackle and could kick inside in passing situations.

And then there are experienced returners Leonard Taylor along with others like Jordan Miller (who wasn’t at practice today for undisclosed reasons), Allan Haye and Elijah Roberts along with a new face like Ahmad Moten.

It all makes for a lot of competition.

And a lot of depth.

“The D line is looking great, everyone is looking sturdy,” Harrison-Hunte said. “We’re all strong, know the scheme and now we’re just taking it day by day. … Everybody can play.

“It’s mix and match with different personnel. They want to see everybody work with everybody. They want to see a whole bunch of different guys working with different people, different looks, a whole bunc hof different stuff.”

That means the linemen will stay fresh.

“It feels great, everybody is fresh,” Harrison-Hunte said. “It’s nice knowing when I’m off the field I know we’ll get the three-down stop, we’re going to be fine.”

Harrison-Hunte is a fourth-year redshirt sophomore, and he’s flashed greatness in small spurts in the past including that blocked field goal against Clemson two years ago that was returned for a TD.

The New York native saw action in one game in 2019, then in 2020 played in eight games and made one start, finishing with 17 tackles, six for losses and three sacks. This past season he started eight games and had 18 tackles, 6.5 for losses, with two sacks and four quarterback hurries.

The knock on him, from those on the inside, is that he just has to get that fire inside him, that will to do anything and everything each and every rep and snap of a game.

“I’m always going to criticize myself the hardest,” Harrison-Hunte says.

Harrison-Hunte missed Miami’s spring with a foot infection and was banged up for a few days this fall but is back in action.

This off-season he also made physical strides, gaining 10 pounds of muscle and going up in his squat from 600-645 pounds.

“I’m just trying to win, do my job,” Harrison-Hunte said.

Last year Harrison-Hunte’s Pro Football Focus grades were decent. He had a 67.7 pass rush grade and 71.2 percent run defense grade. That’s good, but there’s another level he can take this to.

So where does Harrison-Hunte seeing himself fitting in with such a deep DT corps expected to roll in and out of games?

“It doesn’t change anything,” Harrison-Hunte said. “Everyone has to be ready all the time.”

*With Miami’s next scrimmage coming up Saturday, Harrison-Hunte says the goal is to “be more precise with details, on our plays. Just bringing effort. Have to bring effort and technique to everything you do.”

Harrison-Hunte said the defense did well in scrimmage number one by “playing hard, smart and we used technique.”

*Of the freshmen OL, Harrison-Hunte says Anez Cooper is a standout. And he says overall the offensive line is going hard and playing as a group.

“It’s kind of hard to go against them,” Harrison-Hunte said. “We just play hard the whole practice.”

*Asked about freshman DL Nyjalik Kelly, Harrison-Hunte said, “He’s fast, long and just twitchy, lanky. He’s going to be a freak in the future, just give him a few years. He’s going to be good.”