Miami’s front has needed someone to grab the wheel early this season, and junior defensive lineman Blount has done exactly that.
On Friday night in Winston-Salem, the former five-star out of Miami Central kept building his case as one of the Hurricanes’ most reliable defenders, helping No. 5 Miami survive Wake Forest 33-20 and improve to 3-0. Through three games, he has been one of the most steady, physical, and disruptive pieces on a roster that has plenty of talent.
Blount’s rise has been a natural one. Last season, he was working behind first-round picks Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. Now the snaps are there, and he has made the most of them.
He opened the season with a sack and two tackles in Miami’s 45-6 win at Stanford, then added four tackles in the 77-7 rout of Florida A&M. Even with the Hurricanes building huge early leads in those games, he kept showing up. Through those first two outings, he had already piled up six tackles and a sack.
What stands out is how complete his game looks. He can line up on the edge or inside, hold his ground against the run, and still bring pressure.
Coaches and teammates have talked up his motor and work ethic for a while. Now the production is backing up the reputation.
Against Wake Forest, he kept that momentum going. He moved inside and outside, played with force at the line, and helped steady a defensive front that needed more consistent pressure early in the season. The front’s work mattered even more after Miami’s offense stalled with a 31-7 lead and Wake Forest started pushing back.
“A ton of credit goes to the defense for just bowing up and executing at a high level. They affected the passer,” head coach Mario Cristobal said about the defense.
Miami’s defense finished the job from there, getting a safety, two fourth-down stops, and an interception in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. Blount was part of the group setting that tone.
Through three games, he has been Miami’s most consistent defensive lineman. He has pressured quarterbacks, held up at the point of attack, and filled a major void after the Hurricanes lost two first-round picks to the NFL. That combination of size, twitch, and effort gives Miami real flexibility up front.
He is still only a junior, but the early tape says plenty. If he keeps playing like this, he is going to keep drawing more attention - from opposing offenses and from NFL scouts.
For Miami, though, the story right now is simpler than that: a homegrown five-star is giving the Hurricanes exactly what they need.
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If either one has to miss time, Miami will likely have to lean more heavily on the next layer of backs behind them, including Javian Mallory and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey. That kind of depth test is hardly ideal for a team already sorting through the physical toll of league play, and it puts a little more pressure on the staff to figure out who can handle the workload if the injuries linger. For now, the Hurricanes are waiting on the evaluations, and the real answer to how serious this gets is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]