The Miami Hurricanes will have a revamped defensive line when they open their season against the defending national champions, Alabama, on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
With Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche now in the NFL after being UM’s top pass rushers last year, third-year redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey and sixth-year redshirt senior Zach McCloud will step up as Miami’s starting defensive ends against the Crimson Tide, with Chantz Williams and Deandre Johnson listed as their backups.
While Harvey was listed as a starter, UM coach Manny Diaz doesn’t expect the difference in snap count between him or Johnson — a Tennessee transfer who’s entering his fifth college football season — to be significantly different on Saturday.