Part 3 of a four-part project from @chris_hummer<\/a> and me:<\/p>\n After talking to a number of sources, here\u2019s the latest intel on teams around the ACC and a rundown of more than 20 lesser-known ACC players poised for breakout seasons: https:\/\/t.co\/Mo03O2wSEO<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/aYTxi1550d<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YdV2wNJ5UN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) June 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n “He’s a f—ing savage,” a source said to Hummer. “Violence, twitch, explosive. Limitless gas tank. Can play the end on first and second down and knock back o-linemen and then go inside and win pass rush on third down.”<\/p>\n Armondo Blount has been waiting in the wings and now his\u00a0time has come<\/p>\n Now in his third year, Blount is a perfect choice as a breakout candidate. Blount had an eventful recruitment, originally committing to Miami and then flipping to Florida State only to come back to Miam<\/a>i about a month later. Then he reclassified from the 2025 class to enroll at 17 years old. Blount appeared in eight games as a freshman, getting most of his snaps on special teams and in games where the outcome was no longer in doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, Blount got his opportunity in the rotation. He was one of the primary backups for Bain and Mesidor and made the most of his opportunities with 17 tackles, six quarterback hurries and 2.5 sacks in 15 games. Blount, however, took a lot out of watching Bain and Mesidor put in the work and the results that came from it. It’s something that he wanted to carry into the spring and continue through the rest of the offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Miami will have a defensive line loaded with 5-star players in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n “I’ve been focusing on what I can control and what I can do right now. That’s been my main focus, just getting better in every way possible that I can,” Blount said back in April. “”Being under guys like Rueben and Akheem. We [understand] the standard and what the work ethic is. \u00a0It’s a new year, so all the guys in our room have just been competing and getting better.”<\/p>\n The Miami defensive line is a mostly new group in terms of starts, but they’ve played plenty of key snaps over the past couple of seasons. Mario Cristobal brought in Damon Wilson II out of the transfer portal from Missouri to give the group a proven, elite pass rusher. But Blount’s going to be battling with Marquise Lightfoot for significant snaps on the other side. Lightfoot is another breakout candidate and former five-star prospect. Two former top recruits going heads-up to see who gets to be named the starter is the kind of competition that Miami\u00a0Hurricanes football is built on.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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