Miami Football: Ranking the top five linebackers going into spring

Miami spring football is less than a couple of weeks away. The Hurricanes have added plenty of players to their roster and have lost several via the transfer portal.

Miami has officially lost 14 players to transfer and added 10 players to the roster.

There will be plenty of position battles to analyze down the line, but here are the top five linebackers.

This is the sixth of a series in which CanesCounty.com will rank Miami’s best players going into spring football.

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Ranking the top five Miami players on defense going into spring

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Ranking the top five defensive linemen going into spring

Ranking the top five tight ends going into spring

With the departures of Corey Flagg, Jr. to the transfer portal and K.J. Cloyd and Keontra Smith graduating to the NFL, there will be plenty of opportunities for the young pups to make some noise. Four sophomores got their feet wet in 2023, but the foursome should have more of a significant impact in 2024.

Two of the sophomores, Malik Bryant and Bobby Washington, were neck and neck for the fifth spot on this list. The two saw a decent number of snaps last season, with Bryant tallying 46 and Washington registering 40 on defense and special teams. Bryant had more total snaps, but Washington had the slight edge on defensive snaps (14-to-12).

Both give you tremendous speed off the edge, but the pair needs improvement in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Washington’s lowest grades were in coverage compared to the other categories in the two games played against Miami (OH) and Bethune-Cookman. His numbers were solid overall: defense – 76.5, run defense – 73.8, tackling – 79.1, pressure – 67, and coverage – 62.5.

Bryant’s grades in the two games were significantly lower than Washington but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a significant jump in production from the Orlando Jones product this season.

Sophomore Marcellius Pulliam made the biggest play of the four second-year backers, snagging an interception in the regular season finale against Boston College. According to PFF, Pulliam scored a 99 on defense and 91.9 in coverage with his three snaps against the Eagles.

Pulliam saw action in one other game last season against Bethune, registering a 74.5 defensive and a 73.6 tackling grade.

He played 104 snaps, with 11 on defense, the second-most among the sophomore quartet of linebackers.

Raul Aguirre was the only sophomore to play in more than two games last season on defense.

He totaled 169 snaps playing in five games, including 38 on the defensive side of the ball. His season tackling grade was the highest among all categories (79.2) for the Georgia native. Aguirre received his best grade in tackling against Boston College (76.5).

With little statistical data, one clear indicator is the snap count, which reveals that the coaches have confidence in Aguirre more than his peers.

Wesley Bissainthe is due for a breakout junior year on the national stage. Each year, the homegrown talent from Miami Central improves his game.

The uber-athletic tackler improved each year in the orange and green. He played 12 games in his freshman year and recorded 30 total tackles in year one. In his sophomore year, he recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bissainthe ranked 16th among 2026 draft-eligible linebackers with a minimum of 20 percent of the snaps.

He ranked second in total tackles last season with 38 and will be heavily relied upon to exceed that production level in 2024.

The heart and soul of the defense clearly Francisco Mauigoa. His 17 tackles for loss led the team, and he tied for the lead in sacks with 7.5.

According to PFF, Mauigoa ranked 45th in defensive grade among 2025 draft-eligible linebackers with a minimum of 20 percent of snaps.

Mauigoa is one of the best run-stoppers in college football. As a team, when it came to stopping the run, Miami ranked 17th according to PFF and 11th in FBS, allowing 1373 rushing yards in 2023.