All Hurricanes

Does Miami Have Another ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year On Their Hands?

Marquise Lightfoot's Headline Worthy Performances Have Fans Thinking He Could Be A Top Contributor Next Season

Liam Willerup

In this story:

Rueben Bain was a force to be reckoned with at Miami Central, but questions about his frame kept him from earning that illustrious five-star ranking. However, it wasn't long before he established himself as one of Miami's best defensive players and becoming ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

While what Bain did may go down as one of the best true freshmen season in Miami's history, there's some talent coming into the program from this 2024 recruiting class that could very well impact the program to the level Bain did.

With immense talent across the defensive line coming in, Marquis Lightfoot has been one of the hottest names in the Class of 2024 as of late.

Lightfoot made his presence known at this year's All-American Bowl, as the Chicago native tallied two sacks and captured the attention of major recruiting websites.

It's no surprise though that Lightfoot was able to dominate, as he was a force in his junior and sophomore seasons. He combined for 25 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, which helped him earn status as one of the top five edge prospects in his class. 

In terms of the major recruiting outlets, Rivals is the only one to rank him as a five star prospect. 247Sports did give him a bump in their recent rankings, moving him from #60 to #34 just on the edge of five star status.

Which Miami Hurricanes Signees Raised Their Stock In Final 247Sports Class Of 2024 Rankings?

In terms of getting on the field, he'll have some stiff competition to go up against. In terms of returners on the edge, he'll compete with Nyjalik Kelly, Akheem Mesidor, Jayden Wayne, and Bain. That's not including the other freshmen as well as transfers.

However, Bain came out and took the starting job on a defensive line that was viewed as a strength going into the season. At the end of the day, Mario Cristobal showed that the best man gets the job in Coral Gables. From what we've seen so far, he could very well burst onto the scene and continue the run of success at the position.

AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball, and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.

Published
Liam Willerup
LIAM WILLERUP

You can find Liam on Twitter @theleftyliam where he shares news on University of Miami basketball and football as well as opinions

Home/Football