Edge rusher Rueben Bain, along with linebackers Jaylin Alderman and Francisco Mauigoa, are three key players for the Miami football team returning for the 2024 season. They rank in the top 20 in the ACC for producing tackles for loss or stops for no gain.
Virginia Tech and Wake Forest also boast three players each in the top 20 for tackles for loss or stops for no gain in 2023. Mauigoa, tied with Ashton Gillotte of Louisville, had the most tackles for loss or stops for no gain in 2023 among returning ACC players with 26.
Bain ranks 10th with 19 TFLs/stops for no gain among returning players, while Alderman is 14th with 17. In 2023, Miami was fourth in the ACC with 88 tackles for loss and third with 35 sacks. Mauigoa led the ACC with 18 tackles for loss in 2023 and tied for fifth with Bain and Jasheen Davis of Wake Forest with 7.5 TFLs.
Bain also tied for ninth in the ACC with five other players, producing 12.5 TFLs in 2023. Alderman had a breakout season, ranking 37th in the ACC with 7.0 TFLs and recording 1.5 sacks along with 62 tackles. Mauigoa was 16th in the ACC with 82 tackles, while Alderman ranked 39th.
Most tackles for loss/no gain in 2023 (returning ACC)
Ashton Gillotte, Lou – 26
Francisco Mauigoa, Mia – 26
Jasheen Davis, WF – 25
Keye Thompson, Pitt – 22
Kaimon Rucker, UNC – 22
Elijah Roberts, SMU – 21
A. Powell-Ryland, VT – 21
Kevin Pointer, WF – 20
Patrick Payton, FSU – 19…— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) April 29, 2024
Miami’s defense is poised to maintain its effectiveness in producing negative plays, especially with Alderman and Mauigoa joining Wesley Bissianthe to form one of the ACC’s most experienced and productive linebacker units. Alderman, who transferred from Louisville, adds another disruptive element to Miami’s defense.
Meanwhile, Bain will collaborate with defensive tackles Simeon Barrow, C.J. Clark, and Marley Cook, along with edge rushers Elijah Alston and Akheem Mesidor, forming a front four capable of generating negative yardage plays. Alston, who had 11.5 TFLs in the Sun Belt in 2023, adds to the defensive line’s potency.
The front seven is anticipated to be Miami’s defensive stronghold in 2024, with Alderman, Alston, Bain, and Mauigoa expected to be key disruptors. Miami is likely to return to its base 4-2-5 defense in 2024 after playing a 3-3-5 for most of the 2023 season due to injuries on the defensive line.
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