Mario Cristobal might’ve waited until after the National Championship Game to fully dive into the transfer portal, but make no mistake - he’s playing catch-up with purpose now. The Hurricanes’ head coach is moving quickly to reshape a 2026 roster that just lost some serious firepower, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Let’s start with the headline name: Damon Wilson II. The former five-star edge rusher, who began his college career at Georgia before breaking out at Missouri in 2025, is now firmly on Miami’s radar. And if Cristobal gets his way, Wilson could be the next big piece in a defense that’s suddenly got some major holes to fill.
Wilson’s numbers speak for themselves: 54 quarterback pressures and nine sacks last season with the Tigers - production that puts him among the most disruptive edge defenders in the country. According to 247Sports Composite, he’s the second-highest-ranked uncommitted transfer in the portal right now, and Saturday Blitz has him pegged as the **No.
3 EDGE** available. That’s elite territory.
And Miami? They need elite. Badly.
The Hurricanes are coming off a season where their pass rush was nothing short of dominant. Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor were a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, finishing first and fourth in the nation in pressures with 83 and 67, respectively. That kind of production doesn’t just grow on trees - it was a massive reason for the success of Corey Hetherman’s defense in his first year as Miami’s defensive coordinator.
But now both Bain and Mesidor are off to the NFL, and the Hurricanes are left trying to fill a pass-rushing void that might be the largest in the country. Marquise Lightfoot, a 2024 five-star recruit, is expected to step into a bigger role. And Hayden Lowe, the five-star from the 2025 class, is waiting in the wings - though he didn’t see the field at all last season.
Cristobal clearly isn’t waiting to see if Lowe can make the leap. That’s where Wilson comes in.
At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Wilson has the physical tools and the experience to make an immediate impact. He’s not just a name or a former high school star - he’s proven he can get after the quarterback at the highest level.
His 13.5% pass-rush win rate ranked 42nd nationally last season. Not quite Bain’s absurd 23.5% or even Mesidor’s 20.8%, but it’s still strong enough to make him a serious upgrade for most programs.
Let’s be clear: Wilson isn’t Bain. There’s no one-for-one replacement when you lose the most productive edge rusher in the country.
But landing a player like Wilson would go a long way toward keeping Miami’s defensive identity intact. It would also give Hetherman more flexibility heading into Year 2 - a chance to build on what worked without needing to completely rewire the system.
And that’s the key here. Miami’s defense in 2025 was built around pressure.
It was their calling card. Without Bain and Mesidor, they risk losing that edge - literally and figuratively.
But with Wilson, Lightfoot, and eventually Lowe stepping up, there’s at least a path to maintaining that aggressive style.
The Hurricanes are still going to feel the loss. You don’t replace that level of production overnight.
But Cristobal’s pursuit of Wilson shows he understands the stakes. Miami doesn’t just want to stay competitive - they want to stay disruptive.
And if Wilson ends up in Coral Gables, they’ll be one big step closer to doing just that.