Safety Jaquan Johnson with five starts and cornerback Malek Young with four were the only Miami Hurricanes in the secondary that had started a game at the Football Bowl Subdivision level entering this season.
Miami was expected to be carried by the return of most of its deep defensive line and the Sophomore starting linebacker core. Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney were named Freshman All-Americans at linebacker in 2016.
The Hurricanes have been surprisingly stout on the backend. The rebuilt secondary has been the strength of the defense this season.
The Hurricanes are third in the country in passing efficiency defense against.