2022 Miami Hurricanes player preview: Jared Harrison-Hunte

Jared Harrison-Hunte was one of my favorite Hurricane players to watch during the 2020 season. He made big plays in big moments and appeared to have the potential to be a true force on the defensive line. Despite his increased playing time in 2021, his stats were basically the same:

2020: 264 defensive snaps, 17 total tackles, 6 TFLs, 3 sacks

2021: 403 defensive snaps, 19 total tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 2 sacks

So why the drop off in production? Missed tackles! Of course. Missed tackles were the defining defensive stat of former coach Manny Diaz’s tenure. Phew, I’m glad he’s gone. Anyway, JHH had seven missed tackles last season with a 24.1 percent missed tackle rate, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2020, he missed only one tackle with a 4 percent missed tackle rate. That is a huge difference!

I love that head coach Mario Cristobal brought in transfers on the defensive line that are hungry and eager to prove themselves with a new team: Akheem Mesidor from WVU, Darrell Jackson from Maryland, Antonio Moultrie from UAB, and Jake Lichtenstein from USC. That’s A LOT of new faces. Further, these guys already have good college game tape coaches can trust. As always, competition is great.

Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

2022 season

This coming season, his fourth, will be JHH’s best chance so far to reach his potential. New defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, puts a strong emphasis on physicality, mental toughness, and TACKLING. JHH has the physical ability to be a consistent force on the defensive line. Let’s hope coach Steele figures out how to get the best out of him. Bottom line: JHH will have to step up his game if he wants to see a similar number of snaps he did in 2021. Reading about him as a recruit and having watched him in 2020, there’s no doubt in my mind he can do it. I think 2022 will be his best season yet.

2022 prediction: 360 defensive snaps, 30 total tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 sacks

GO CANES!