‘I made the wrong call’ — ESPN analyst admits he overlooked one of Miami Hurricanes’ top units going into 2026 season
The Hurricanes could be in position to again have a dominant group up front in Corey Hetherman’s defense.
The Miami Hurricanes’ defensive front was the best in the nation last season. With first-round draft picks Rueben Bain, Jr. and Akheem Mesidor terrorizing quarterbacks and ballcarriers off the edge, the Canes’ defense wreaked havoc on opposing offenses on the way to the national championship game.
Bain and Mesidor are now off to play on Sundays. That has created a perception that perhaps the Hurricanes’ defensive line is going to take a step back in 2026. That would be a mistake to assume.
And even ESPN college football TV commentator Greg McElroy admitted he made a mistake by leaving the Hurricanes off his list of top 10 defensive lines. He admitted as much on his recent show “Always College Football”.
ESPN announcer Greg McElroy says he made a mistake leaving Miami Hurricanes defensive line out of his top 10
“Miami should have been on the list,” McElroy said. “I think going back, if I could do it over again, I’d have them somewhere between number eight and number ten. So, the Hurricanes, they should be on there. I made the wrong call. The Hurricanes are the right call. We do not guess on this show. We verify, we try to watch the tape, and when we get it wrong, we tell you we got it wrong.
“Miami belongs in the top ten, so we’re fixing that now. At least some of you can calm it down a little bit. You were right, I was wrong. They are in our top ten moving forward.”
The Hurricanes have two potential impact players coming in to try to fill the big shoes of Bain and Mesidor. Standout Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II should start on one side. He had nine sacks last year for the Tigers. Marquis Lightfoot and Hayden Lowe have the ability to make an impact on the other side.
And McElroy acknowledged the strong production that Miami is getting in the middle of their line with Ahmad Moten and Justin Scott. Moten was dominant in the middle at times last year, and Scott is a promising and disruptive interior defender.
The Hurricanes should still be very good again near the line of scrimmage on defense. While it’s tough to ask them to repeat last year’s success, with the Hurricanes’ offense looking formidable this fall, they might not have to be for Miami to make another run at a title in 2026.