Steed battles back to become game-ready
Miami Hurricanes redshirt junior linebacker Waynmon Steed has had two anterior cruciate ligament surgeries impact his ability to get onto the field in his first three years at UM.
After the second one cost him all of 2019, Steed now has the opportunity to play meaningful snaps in Miami’s two-deep rotation.
Steed was listed as redshirt senior linebacker Zach McCloud’s backup at weak-side linebacker on the depth chart thatwas releasedMonday ahead of Thursday night’s opener againstUAB. McCloud, whoredshirted during his original senior season last year to retain eligibility, figures to play both on the weak and strong sides in UM’s linebacker corps.
“I’m excited for Waynmon,” said Miami defensive coordinator Blake Baker. “He’s been through it — a couple of ACL surgeries. For him to battle back and earn that backup role, [we] couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Said McCloud: “I got to commendanybodythat goes through anything close to that. That’s something that you don’t see too
often. I’ve seen it a couple times throughout my career, but it’s something that’s kind of hard to fight back from the first time.
“So for him to have done it twice, come into camp and compete the way he has, I’m extremely proud and excited to see what this year has for him.”
Steed’s most recent knee injury cost him a season in which the Hurricanes could’ve used another linebacker for depth behind senior starters Shaq
Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, both now graduated. In addition to Steed, Bradley Jennings Jr. was out with a hip/groin injury. The team moved Patrick Joyner from defensive end to linebacker at the time, but he also missed most of the season.
Jennings is nowlisted as Miami’s starting middle linebacker in a battle that could continue into the season with sophomore Sam Brooks. As with Jennings, Baker feels comfortable playing Steed due to his experience in the defense he and coach Manny Diaz run.
“I know he’s been banged up along the way, but he is very knowledgeable about what we’re going to do on defense,” said Baker. “[He’s a] really smart football player that’s had a lot of reps in the defense.”
Steed is listed at 6-foot, 222 pounds, but Baker says he’s probably closer to 230. He lauds Steed’s physicality at linebacker.
“He’s a guy that, inside of the box, he can really thump you,” Baker said. “He’s probably about230poundsbut [a] greatcommunicator among the defense.”
Steed, out ofMiamiCentral, didn’t see any game action in the 2017 or 2019 seasons. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, he played in five games in which he totaled three tackles. Two of those, one of which went for a loss, came
in the win over Savannah State. He alsowore theTurnover Chain for the only time thus far with a fumble recovery.
McCloud is looking forward to starting alongside Jennings after spending much of his first three seasons with the Hurricanes starting with Quarterman and Pinckney.
“The leadership capabilities that he’s shown, we got to see that this offseason,” McCloud said.
Joyner is now back at defensive end as the team is more comfortable with its depth at linebacker, having Brooks and Steed able to rotate in on the two-deep while also having redshirt freshman Avery Huff and true freshmen Corey Flagg Jr. and Tirek Austin-Cave in the unit.