The hurricane stemming from southern Florida transpired into nothing more than a passing breeze in the grand scheme of the 2024 CFB season. Miami’s missteps down the stretch had major repercussions. Losing 2 of their last 3 games meant the powers that be kept them out of the playoffs. However, there was a rather discernible Achilles’ heel for HC Mario Cristobal to contend with. That is largely the reason why the Canes were even left to lean so heavily on their Cam Ward-spearheaded offense. There’s no way to sugarcoat this—Miami’s defense was quite tragic. However, peep over the proverbial horizon, and there are a lot of positives heading into next season.
All season, the offense pulled more than its fair share of weight to even be a prominent team in the playoff discourse. Eventually, the last-gasp heroics and comebacks caught up to them. Something had got to give. Whether the issues stemmed from his ineptitude or from the personnel at his disposal, defensive coordinator Lance Guidry got the boot from Cristobal and the Canes brass. They hired Corey Hetherman as the replacement from Minnesota. By all accords, Hetherman has the makings of a home-run hire. Just like Mario Cristobal, he’s also a branch off the Greg Schiano coaching tree. That said, there’s an existing player on Miami that’s gaining plaudits as a game-breaker.
Everyone in the football sphere is in unison about one thing. The Super Bowl reiterated to the hive mind that one football cliché still holds and will forever. The game is won and lost in the trenches. The Eagles’ triumph was a testament to this. Control the line of scrimmage, and you control the game. Well, Mario Cristobal and Corey Hetherman may not have a Jalen Carter in their D-line. But they do have Akheem Mesidor. Canes fan and insider Alex Donno is predicting Mesidor will have a huge 2025. The premise for this is straightforward. The 280lb DL was a force while playing out of position in the interior last season while struggling with health and not partaking in spring camp by extension. With all 3 of those facets resolved, in conjunction with a new DC, Donno’s “very bullish” on Akheem Mesidor.
Speaking over the “Locked on Canes” podcast, Alex Donno said, “Defensive End- the EDGE- that’s the best spot for [Mesidor]. The promise has been that’s where Mesidor is going to play full-time this year, on the EDGE. Also, last year, he didn’t have the benefit of a fully healthy off-season because he was dealing with a foot issue and waiting on custom cleats. This year, he does have the benefit of a fully healthy off-season.” He even proceeded to assign a benchmark checkpoint of sacks that he expects Mesidor to breach. “I think he’s a guy who’s going to get near, if not at double-digit sacks this year,” claimed Donno. For context, Mesidor garnered 5.5 sacks OOP last season. Doubling his output seems far-fetched, but the rationale from Donno is sharp.
Double digit sacks for Akheem Mesidor in 2025?
The stars are aligning for him to have a big season for #CanesFootball pic.twitter.com/bZLWPsl0dS
— Locked On Canes (@LockedOnCanes) March 7, 2025
The Canes were the 69th-ranked defense in the country last season in terms of points allowed. Coincidentally, Hetherman’s Minnesota team was ranked the exact same before he walked in as DC last off-season. The difference he made is resounding. The Golden Gophers went from 69th to 9th in points allowed last year. They were the 9th best passing defense, 12th best rushing defense, and 5th overall in total yards allowed.
If you offered Mario Cristobal this exact upturn, he’ll snap your hand off for it. On the topic of snapping off hands, there’s an update on new QB1 Carson Beck’s elbow injury. He’s going to begin throwing in week 2 of spring camp. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in southern Florida for Beck.
The intangibles of Carson Beck, or lack thereof, a potential issue for Mario Cristobal
After initially declaring for the NFL draft, Carson Beck pulled a stunning U-turn. He’s now playing out his final year of collegiate eligibility with Miami. A move that theoretically makes sense for everybody involved. Whatever your opinion of Beck, he’s perceived better than 90% of QBs at the college level. Mario Cristobal sure could do worse than a vet like him to fill his Cam Ward-shaped void. However, Ward was more than just the signal caller for Cristobal. He was the leader. Something that 247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Bud Elliot reckons is not a part of Beck’s repertoire as a player.
“A lot of concern over leadership on offense for Miami,” he said. “Losing Cam, losing [Xavier] Restrepo. Losing some guys who had been there a while, who cared. I don’t mean that’s a shot at Carson Beck, but maybe it is.” If this wasn’t an indictment, Bud Elliot proceeded to lay one. “I was in Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and a couple of other stops over the last week on the recruiting circuit. That’s what came up a couple of times. Just talking to people I trust, leadership is the concern,” he resounded.
Even during his final days at Georgia, Beck’s intangibles and leadership came into question. When he got injured and promptly replaced by backup QB Gunner Stockton in the SEC Championship game, the whole team seemed to be invigorated by Stockton’s relentless efforts to drive the team back into the game. He fought through a couple of big hits that permeated extra energy to the other players. Everybody concurred with this sentiment. While Beck was the better quarterback, Stockton’s introduction propelled them to a win.
When last season ended, there was a certain level of concern reverberating within the Canes’ faithful. They were losing their best player to the NFL. No QB1 in-house and the defensive directive was unclear. Those personnel issues are resolved now, in addition to a healthy Akheem Mesidor. What prospectively seemed like a stagnant or even backward season could actually be progressive. It remains to be seen if this fabled program will reach the CFP this time around, but the make-up of the team is definitively more complimentary. That’s a great foundation to build off for Mario Cristobal. Albeit whether Beck can develop as a leader or if anyone else can step up to the mantle remains a question mark.
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