Miami lands instant impact transfer DL Akheem Mesidor
Miami fought off multiple major programs to land former West Virginia defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, who was offered by USC, Auburn, and Tennessee. The Hurricanes were able to host for an official visit while holding off the Lincoln Riley-led Trojans who made a push for one of the top transfers in the portal.
Mesidor, the fourth defensive lineman to transfer to Miami since Mario Crsitobal took over, becomes an instant impact addition for the Hurricanes on the defensive front.
The Canadian, who played his high school football at Clearwater Academy International, emerged onto the scene early for the Mountaineers. After collecting five sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman in 2020, Mesidor was named a Freshman All-American by multiple outlets and was recognized on the All-Big 12 second-team by the conference’s coaches.
Last fall, Mesidor was credited with 4.5 more sacks and 33 quarterback pressures, eighth best in the country amongst Power 5 defensive tackles, in 608 defensive snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He was most effective as a pass rusher, earning a 75.6 grade when getting after the quarterback.
A majority of those snaps came from the interior defensive line with 226 coming at nose tackle and 207 coming at defensive tackle, per PFF. That’s after playing primarily on the outside as a true freshman.
At Miami, Mesidor could give Miami looks at both spots on a defense that values position versatility. He joins Jake Lichtenstein (USC), Antonio Moultrie (UAB), and Mitchell Agude (UCLA) as new additions up front.
He also becomes the Hurricanes second addition from West Virginia this spring with Miami landing former Mountaineers cornerback Daryl Porter Jr., who started multiple games for the program last fall.
