Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Armondo Blount (18) reacts after recovering a fumble by Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) in the first half of the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff at Kyle Field at College Station, Texas, on Saturday, December 20, 2025.
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
For two years, they played behind a pair of future first-round picks. They watched and learned from the stars at their position, the duo that set the standard and that they would eventually have the tall task of replacing.
That time has now come for the Miami Hurricanes’ Armondo Blount and Marquise Lightfoot.
The juniors will be heavily involved in leading the charge on the outside of the Hurricanes’ defensive line as Miami replaces the one-two edge rushing punch of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, who were respectively selected No. 15 and No. 22 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
And while they do that, they will be channeling everything they picked up from practicing with and playing behind Bain and Mesidor for the past two seasons.
Their biggest takeaway: Success on game day starts well before the game actually starts.
“They showed me that if you put enough work in, anything is possible,” Blount said. “Just with the weight room, football, technique walk-throughs, those guys did everything 100%. They didn’t just go hard on the field. They went hard in meeting rooms, in the film room. It showed me a lot.”
Added Lightfoot: “The biggest thing I learned from both of them is their attention to detail. They let me know that you have to act like a pro now. There’s no time to be waiting. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Start now.”
Things in essence really do start now for Blount and Lightfoot, both of whom were five-star recruits in the Class of 2024 according to the 247Sports composite ranking.
And those who they are replacing have full confidence they will be able to take their game to the next level.
“The whole D-line is in great hands,” Mesidor said at Miami’s Pro Day in late March before the NFL Draft. “They’re gonna continue to uphold the standard that me and Rueben had in the room.”
Southern Methodist University Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) is sacked by Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Armondo Blount (18) and defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot (12) during the first half of an NCAA football game at Gerald Ford Stadium on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in Dallas, Texas. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
After playing sparingly as freshmen, both saw their roles increase substantially as sophomores last season. Together, Blount and Lightfoot combined for 42 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks and two pass breakups and 60 quarterback pressures.
Blount was on the field for 401 defensive snaps, getting time on the edge and at defensive tackle. Lightfoot played 292 snaps almost exclusively on the edge. Both were primarily on the field in pass-rushing situations. This year, the two of them along with Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II will be relied upon to handle the majority of Miami’s edge rushing duties against both the pass and run.
Wilson, who was second-team All-Southeastern Conference at Missouri last year, sees the room for growth in both of his teammates.
“They can become whatever they want to become,” Wilson said. “They’re elite players right now. They can obviously keep getting better. Armondo Blunt is a big man who’s violent and physical. Marquise is fast, electric, but he’s violent as well. Just being able to play with those guys just raises my competition up and make me get better every day.”
That’s the goal, Lightfoot said.
“I’m just tying to keep the same standard,” Lightfoot said. “Keep the same mentality.”
That standard starts with Blount and Lightfoot pushing each other daily at practice, just like Bain and Mesidor did.
“He wants to see me be great, and I want to see him be great,” Lightfoot said. “We did come in at the same time. He’s my brother.”
Added Blount: “We push each other every day. You can’t have any off days with this d-line. We just go relentless every day.”
It’s the mentality they were taught for two years, and it’s one they will make sure doesn’t waver now that they’re part of the group enforcing it.
“They’re carrying the torch,” said junior defensive tackle Justin Scott, who was part of Miami’s 2024 recruiting class with Blount and Lightfoot and is projected to start on the interior of the defensive line with Ahmad Moten Sr. “They picked it up from Bain and Mez. They were with them for about two years. They kind of learned the standard, learned how to practice, what to do, how to take care of your body and kind of just kept it and implemented it to their own routines. I’m really proud of those guys, just seeing them grow into leader roles.”
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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.