Miami’s linebacker room is getting a real test before the season even settles in.
Sophomore Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. will be out for “a few weeks” with a lower-body injury, head coach Mario Cristobal said Monday on the Joe Rose Show. That news comes on top of the injuries to running back CharMar “Marty” Brown and wide receiver Joshua Moore, and it leaves the Hurricanes looking for answers behind their top two linebackers.
The headliners are clear enough: eighth-year Mohamed Toure and sixth-year Chase Smith are the starters. The question is who fills the next spots and keeps the rotation steady while Marcelin Jr. is out.
Marcelin Jr. had started to build some momentum. Through three games and 35 snaps, he produced nine total tackles, including three solos and six assists, plus a tackle for loss. The 19-year-old looked on track for a breakout before the injury interrupted his progress.
That opens the door for several names, starting with Cam Pruitt. The Theodore, Ala., native has been in Coral Gables for three seasons and officially joined the program in 2024 as a three-star recruit. Over the past two years, he has played in 28 games and posted 21 total tackles, 11 solos and 10 assists, along with two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a pass broken up and an interception.
Another player who could push his way into the mix is redshirt junior Kamal Bonner. He played in nine games last season, mostly on special teams, but he brings a stronger resume from his time at North Carolina State in 2024, when he piled up 56 total tackles, 23 solos and 33 assists, seven tackles for loss and a sack in 13 games with seven starts.
Bonner also enters this stretch with the best run-defense grade on the roster at 81.9, and he is tied for the best tackling grade at 82.5 with sophomore Kellen Wiley Jr. Wiley Jr. is another linebacker who could crack the rotation. He appeared in nine games last season, largely on special teams, after arriving as a four-star recruit out of Armwood High School in Seffner, Fla.
The room also includes three freshmen: Justin “JJ” Edwards, Jordan Campbell and Karsten Burch. Cristobal has made it clear that snaps will go to whoever earns them, but every one of those players will have to prove it on Greentree Practice Fields and the Carol Saffor Indoor Practice Facility.
Miami now has to manage the injuries while getting ready for Saturday’s game against Central Michigan at Hard Rock Stadium. After that comes a demanding stretch of seven Atlantic Coast Conference opponents and a primetime road trip against Notre Dame.
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