Chase Smith had to bide his time. Injuries kept the Miami Hurricanes’ linebacker sidelined far more than he cared to be early in his college football career. His waited, and waited, and waited some more for that opportunity to showcase his talent.
It finally arrived last season.
Smith played in all 16 games for the Hurricanes on their run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. While not a starter, he was a steady fixture in Miami’s linebacker rotation with Wesley Bissainthe, Mo Toure and Raul “Popo” Aguirre as first-year defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman put an emphasis on utilizing his depth throughout the season.
But Smith doesn’t care about the starts.
At last, he was playing meaningful football.
“It feels amazing getting over that hump and being able to actually produce and be with my guys each and every day,” Smith said. “It’s just been a blessing, for sure. I’m just glad to be out there.”
He was more than just out there. Smith finished the season with 31 tackles, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and six quarterback pressures. His two fumble recoveries were tied with Zechariah Poyser, Jakobe Thomas and Keionte Scott for the team lead.
Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus rated Smith as Miami’s second-best linebacker in run defense with a 77.9 grade (Aguirre had an 86.3 grade while Toure had a 72.9 grade and Bissainthe a 64.9).
“I thought Chase, really, as the season went on, really played at a starter level,” Hetherman said. “Especially when we got into the postseason, he was playing as well as anyone on the field.”
Miami Hurricanes linebacker Chase Smith (41) celebrates with teammates after intercepting the ball in the second half of the NCAA football game against the South Florida Bulls at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, September 13, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
Smith’s personal expectations — and that of the Hurricanes as a whole — is that last season was merely a stepping stone for him.
“It was good getting the experience,” Smith said, “and it’s got to translate into this year.”
Smith and Toure are the Hurricanes’ top linebackers entering spring practices. with Bissainthe out of eligibility and Aguirre transferring to NC State.
But behind them is a group of players the Hurricanes will need to step up entering 2026.
Redshirt junior Kamal Bonner, who transferred to Miami from NC State last season, played just 30 defensive snaps last season because of an early season injury that knocked him down the depth chart.
Sophomores Kellen Wiley Jr. and Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. are both players Hetherman believes can produce this season after primarily playing on special teams as freshmen.
Bobby Pruitt will also be in the linebacker mix full-time after the Hurricanes experimented with him playing occasional reps at nickel corner last season when Scott missed time with injury.
“I think having him play in space in the secondary last year, whether it was as a nickel or as a boundary safety, will help to improve his game,” Hetherman said. “Now he gets to come a little bit tighter in the box. He’s put on some really good weight. He’s competed all off season. He’s getting stronger in the weight room.”
A pair of freshmen in JJ Edwards and Jordan Campbell round out the group.
“There’s definitely a lot of experience in the room,” Smith said. “And we also have two young guys that came in, and we’re making sure we get them on the same page. They’re coming along really fast.”
Added Hetherman: “You always want to have the experienced guys back, because they understand the communication, the calls, how fast we play with the tempo, what the style is. … There’s a lot of guys in that room that’ll push to compete, and some of it might just be situational football. It might just be on third down. It might just be on first or second down. Some guys will be earning special teams shots. But there’s a lot of guys that played good roles last year that return with really good experience.”
After years of waiting, Smith can finally be included in that regard.
“It builds a lot of resiliency,” Smith said, “and it allows you to really learn and sit back and kind of just take in what you need to work on and whatever has brought other people’s success, and just kind of building off that. So it’s been a real big benefit.”
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Miami Herald
Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.