Miami Hurricanes LB Waynmon Steed ready to persevere once again: “We want to become the best defense in the ACC”

If you want a tale of perseverance, look no further than Miami Hurricanes LB Waynmon Steed.

Steed arrived at UM out of Miami Central High in 2017 and quickly underwent surgery for a torn ACL. He redshirted and rehabbed, then played in five games off the bench in 2018 before suffering a torn ACL in the same left knee. That cost him the 2019 season, and there was some thought he’d medically retire.

He didn’t.

“I was raised different, always told never give up,” Steed said. “Just having that mindset of never giving up, that was the main focus of me being who I am today.

“It wasn’t (easy), it was tough. My teammates kept me focused, did  a great job of keeping me up.”

Steed didn’t just work his way back to the practice field, but started two games in 2020. This past season? He won the starting job and had 54 tackles, 3.5 for losses with one sack.

Now Steed will look to persevere once again this fall, with his nemesis not injury but the depth chart.

Under a new staff he’ll try to win a job at WILL or MLB, although at the latter spot it’s pretty much a guarantee that UCLA transfer Caleb Johnson will be the guy. At WILL he’s competing with Keontra Smith, Chase Smith and Avery Huff. Keontra could be tough to beat out after he started four games last year (38 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks) and has earned strong reviews from coaches.

But Waynmon will do what he always does.

Head down.

Work hard.

Wait for an opportunity.

Take advantage.

“My body mass went up, I gained almost 10 pounds this offseason – muscle, lost body fat also,” the 220-pounder says.

Steed’s heard the talk from Miami fans. He’s too slow. He takes bad angles. He can’t tackle. Does it bother him? Sure. But Steed’s a veteran who just goes about his business with a professional mindset.

“I just focus on the task at hand, block out all the noise,” Steed said. “I just look forward to getting better. I watch film, become better than I was yesterday.”

As he looks to try and be a major piece at linebacker, he says “it’s open, a competition for sure.”

Steed and Keontra Smith at WILL and money (nickel/dime WILL). Johnson and Corey Flagg in the middle. Gil Frierson, Tyrique Stevenson and Te’Cory Couch at STAR (SLB/nickel back).

Is the personnel there to the point that this linebacker spot won’t be the question mark area it’s been the last few seasons?

“I’d say the position we were put in (with the Manny Diaz defense) caused us to be off balance a little bit,” Steed said. “We could have had better games I would say, a better plan. But also the position we were put in didn’t make it a big difference either. We had a lot of off games, but we didn’t do as bad as everyone says we did. We are looking to improve, are not worrying about what they say from last year. We’re worrying about this year and today. We’re focused on the task at hand.”

The task at hand includes learning a new Miami defense under Kevin Steele.

Steed says that also includes a renewed emphasis on “how to get away from blocks, defeat blocks. The emphasis (is) on tackling, things like that, in that category.”

So how big a jump can this defense make in one year?

“We’re just putting in work every day, we’re not worrying about looking ahead, are worrying about today, how to get better each and every day,” Steed responds to that query. “The results will come in as they come.”

He does share that the goal is “We want to become the best defense in the ACC.”

Maybe this D can mirror Steed’s own journey.

Rise up after things weren’t looking so rosy.

Work hard. Drown out the outside noise. Get the job done.

“Oh, man, we’re becoming a great linebacker corps,” Steed said. “We’re putting in the work each and every day. Coach (Charlie) Strong is doing an awesome job on the emphasis of playing linebacker. … We’re looking to do big things this year.”

Through it all, Steed will value his journey.

And his health.

“I appreciate the game a lot more,” he said. “Coming out here every day, I appreciate that the rest of the my life.”