In this installment of the Recruit Notebook, we meet a tough player with strength and quickness at the point of attack: DT Nesta Silvera.

Bio

With the talent at DT in the 2018 recruiting class being more scarce than in previous years, it was imperative for Miami to close the deal on top prospects at this position. Mark Richt, Craig Kuligowski and company did just that by getting Plantation (FL) American Heritage DT Nesta Silvera to commit to Miami early, and sign with the Canes on National Signing day.

Silvera has been a known commodity in the recruiting world for a while. After starring as a freshman at Davie (FL) Western HS, he transferred to American Heritage, and was one of the best players on one of the best teams in America over the last 3 years.

At 6’2” 308lbs, Silvera has good size, and used that size to great success in HS. He was a 2-time 1st Team All-State player, and helped Heritage to a 37-2 record over the last 3 years, including back to back State Championships in Florida’s 5A Classification. During that run, Silvera routinely made play after play from the interior of the DL, and commanded double teams to free up other defenders to be impact players as well.

As I said, Miami was after Silvera hot and heavy early, and that’s what led to the talented defender giving his commitment to the Hurricanes. Silvera, like most of the other elite players from American Heritage (of which there are many over the course of the last 7 years), received over 20 scholarship offers from around the country. As his senior year progressed, teams like Florida tried to get him to flip his commitment, but Silvera was locked in with Miami and signed with the Hurricanes on National Signing Day.

This was a case study in good early recruiting by Miami. Assistant Head Coach and DL coach Craig Kuligowski identified Silvera, a top local player at a position of desperate need, early on in the process, and never let off the gas. He continued to recruit Silvera until he signed, and that persistence has paid off in a big way for the Canes.

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite, Silvera is a 4-star prospect, #2 DT in this class, #11 in the State of Florida, and #54 recruit overall. No matter how you slice it, that’s elite.

Silvera committed to Miami over Florida, Tennessee and Ohio State from a list of 22 other scholarship offers from around the country.

Silvera as a Player

At 6’2” 308lbs, Silvera has good size for Defensive Tackle. He’s built powerfully, especially in his lower body, and has a solid base when he plays.

Silvera uses his hands well, something that he needs to do as he lacks ideal height and arm length. Silvera is strong, but not the strongest player you’ll find. He can hold is own, and beat blocks, but he’s not going to make a habit of just chucking offensive linemen all over the field, at least not early on in his college career.

Playing for one of the top HSFB programs in America, Silvera has developed very good technique. He routinely beat opposing linemen throughout his HSFB career, at camps, combines, and even the U.S. Army All-American game. He’s consistent and polished and gets the job done.

On top of the above listed stuff, 247sports named Silvera the single nastiest player in the 2018 recruiting class. That’s HIGH PRAISE, in case you were wondering. Here’s the narrative offered for that accolade:

Nastiest – Nesta Silvera, DT, Miami

You’re going to feel Silvera’s presence on the field. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a game, camp or All-American setting, the active interior defender has the type of motor and mentality that you’ve got to have to be elite on the defensive line. He’ll talk trash but it’s really the style of play that makes him nasty. Silvera is just relentless and plays with an edge that is hard to miss and will be contagious for his teammates on the next level.

Strengths

• Technique
• Pad level/leverage
• Quickness
• Production
• NASTY

Weaknesses

• Speed
• Strength (good, but can improve)

2018 Outlook

Not only is Silvera one of the best players at his position in this recruiting class, Miami lost 3 of the top 4 DTs from the 2017 team to either the NFL Draft or Graduation. The losses of Kendrick Norton, RJ McIntosh and Anthony Moten from the Canes’ roster means that new players will have to step up and play major snaps in 2018. And, newsflash, one of those guys is going to be Silvera.

Chance for a redshirt: 0/10

Nesta Silvera will play on the DL this year and he’s going to play a lot. Plain and simple.

That’s it for this installment of the recruit notebook.

Go Canes