The Defensive Tackle position at Miami is an historically dominant group. The ‘Canes have produced the 1st overall draft pick from the DT spot, as well as NFL Hall of Famers and All-Americans.
The defensive tackle position at the University of Miami has a long and storied tradition dating back to the early 1980’s and the emergence of Jerome Brown as a household name. Since Brown Miami has produced NFL Hall of Fame DT’s in Warren Sapp and Cortez Kennedy, as well as the 1st overall draft pick in Russell Maryland.
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Miami DT Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson went on to Hollywood and WWE stardom while Big Vince Wilfork won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. Whether the DT’s were more traditional like Brown and Sapp, or the lanky speedsters like Jimmie Jones and Patrick Riley, Miami spent the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s as “DT U.”
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For a time, the no.98 was considered a special number reserved for only the best players in the program along the defensive line. Brown’s 98 is now being worn by former five-star recruit Justin Scott. Scott has all of the tools to put up a dominant performance in the middle in ‘25.
2025
Miami didn’t hit big in the transfer portal this off-season at the DT position. The Hurricanes will have to rely heavily on development and flexibility inside in ‘25. That means expect Rueben Bain Jr. to move inside on passing downs and potentially Akheem Mesidor as well.
The Best
The development piece comes in the form of blue chip prospect Justin Scott. Scott, a sophomore out of Chicago, IL, played in 11 games in 2025, but only recorded two TFL’s and one sack as a reserve during his true freshman season. The former five-star is a natural 3-technique DT, which means he’ll likely play on the outside shade of the guard to the run strength side.
Ahmad Moten Sr. is a 300+ pound 1-technique in the Miami 4-2-5 defense ran by Corey Hetherman. Moten is the perfect hoss to put on the center’s shoulder and eat up the a-gap. As a redshirt sophomore a year ago, Moten played in 13 games with 3.5 TFL’s, one sack and two PBU’s.
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David Blay Jr., the transfer DT from Louisiana Tech, is also in play for a job in the starting rotation. In ‘24, Blay was named to the All-CUSA first team on defense after logging 10.5 TFL’s and 6.5 sacks this season. Blay played the 0-technique (head up on the center) and 1-tech at La. Tech this season.
The Rest
Artavius Jones and Donta Simpson are likely to get the back-of-rotation reps as younger players. Both were highly regarded prospects coming out of high school and have the size to contribute in short spurts. Jones is a redshirt freshman while Simpson will be a true freshman in ‘25 but did early enroll and participate in spring drills.
The Wrap
Teams like the Florida Gators and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will attempt to take advantage of a young DT group early on in the season. Miami DL coach Damione Lewis will be asked to truly develop the DT’s this off-season and throughout the ‘25 campaign. Four of the top five in the rotation are homegrown talents.
Lewis, a former Miami Hurricanes star and 10 year NFL veteran, has experience developing DL with the Seattle Seahawks and Colorado Buffaloes. This will truly be an interesting watch to see how Lewis co-exists with Jason Taylor, Miami’s other DL coach, and how the development pans out for the ‘Canes.
Don’t expect Blay to dominate the ACC like he did the CUSA, that conference is a far fall from the Sun Belt let alone the American. Scott and Moten will be Exhibits A and B on the development ability of Mario Cristobal’s program both in the weight room and on the practice field and we’ll see that progress in Week One when Miami hosts Notre Dame under the lights at Hard Rock Stadium.