93 days to Miami Hurricanes Football: Top Canes to wear No. 93

With yesterday’s schedule news break giving all of us a nice end of May shot in the arm, we’re just 93 days away from Hurricanes football! (I know, I know, “just 93”. I’m getting impatient too here.) The most notable ‘Canes to ever wear #93 just happen to be a father-son duo—with father Randy Bethel from back in the glory days and his son Pat Bethel, part of the current roster trying to return Miami to its glory days, both donning the number.

A fixture of South Florida football, Randy played tight end at Miami from 1987-1990, totalling 44 receptions for 541 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in his career, winning two national titles with the Hurricanes.

However, Randy’s contributions extend well beyond his playing career, as he currently serves on the football coaching staff of Vero Beach High School and filled the post of head coach at Sebastian River High School in Sebastian, Florida for 16 years before that.

In the early 2010s, Randy coached his son Pat Bethel, a tenacious strong-side defensive end who graduated from Vero Beach in 2016, but not before committing to brand new Miami head coach Mark Richt in December of 2015.

Pat was a four-star prospect out of high school, rated as the 14th-best SDE in the nation by the 247 Composite Rankings. An Under Armour All-American, he chose Miami over offers from a prolific list of powerhouses that included Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others.

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Now a sophomore transitioning from defensive end to defensive tackle to fill a seemingly endless void for Miami, Bethel acquitted himself well in spring practice and will push for playing time this fall within the best Miami front seven in recent memory. As a freshman last season, he recorded six tackles and a blocked punt and saw action in 11 games.

Watching Bethel’s development at DT will be fascinating as the guy clearly has a world of athletic talent and a seasoned family pedigree. Baring disaster, he’ll certainly get playing time in 93 days when Miami takes on Bethune-Cookman at Hard Rock Stadium.