Matt Salopek and Ty Wise are back for the MAC champs to lead an incredibly dangerous front seven.
You can call them champions.
The Miami RedHawks claimed the conference title last December, earning the label as MAC champions for the second time in a five-year span.
Miami (OH) entered the contest as touchdown underdogs to Toledo, but that spread didn’t account for one aspect — the potency of the RedHawk defense. Miami’s defense proved to be the superior unit in that contest, limiting a 30 points per game Toledo offense to a mere two touchdowns in a 23-14 decision. The Rockets’ high-powered rushing attack couldn’t shake Miami and they were held to less than half their season average pitted against the RedHawks’ dominant front.
A stellar defense was the driving force to Miami’s MAC championship — not just against Toledo — but throughout the entire season. The RedHawks ranked seventh nationally in fewest points allowed per game at 15.9, and they finished 26th in total defense, producing solid numbers against both the run and pass.
The best news for the 2023 RedHawks is the amount of returning talent, and they’re operating under a familiar face in Bill Brechin who enters year 11 on Chuck Martin’s staff and year three as the team’s defensive coordinator. More than half of the starters return including three All-MAC selections, headlined MAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek.
Defensive line
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Miami’s defensive line anchored one of the MAC’s most potent pass rushes. The RedHawks picked up 2.5 sacks per game and three different players — two on the defensive line — racked up at least eight sacks. Those defensive linemen, Caiden Woullard and Brian Ugwu, both qualified for the All-MAC teams. But Woullard who produced a team-high 9.5 sacks transferred to Oklahoma this offseason, leaving Ugwu as the main fixture in the pass rush.
Ugwu has been a consistent playmaker for two seasons and counting in Oxford, OH, leading the defensive line with 62 tackles in 2023 in addition to tying for the team-high in tackles for loss (12) and forced fumbles (2). It was his first season as a full-fledged starter, and he’ll maintain that role into 2024, hungry for another defensive-led conference championship.
Without Woullard, Ugwu’s partner in crime at defensive end is likely Corey Suttle and there shouldn’t be a significant drop-off, if any. Suttle was the team leader in sacks in 2022, producing 6.0 in a season that featured 13 appearances and four starts. The former Iowa State commit remained impactful as a full-time reserve with 20 tackles and 2.0 sacks last year, and there shouldn’t be any concern with the veteran RedHawk joining the starting ranks in 2024.
Kobe Hilton is guaranteed to occupy one of the defensive tackle spots after starting all 14 contests at the position during the championship season. Hilton was vital in plugging up the middle to his defensive ends’ benefit, creating sack opportunities for guys like Woullard and Ugwu. He also added 28 tackles and two fumble recoveries to the stat sheet, including one fumble recovery in the MAC title game and another in the ensuing Cure Bowl.
Miami did lose a four-year starter in Austin Ertl at the other defensive tackle spot, so there’s a vacancy that must be filled there. A potential candidate could be Nasir Washington who accumulated 26 games of experience as a backup the last two seasons, tallying seven tackles in 2022 and nine in 2023. Another option is FCS transfer Savio Frazier, who put together quite the résumé at Mercer in 23 starts over the past two years. Frazier provides much-needed size at 290 pounds, arriving at Miami after producing 33 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss last year.
With the aforementioned names assembling the likely starting defensive line, what does the depth behind them look like?
At defensive end, Josh Lukusa is the next man up after a 2023 campaign which featured eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. The RedHawks also brought in Eli Shereshovech IV as a transfer from Washington University in St. Louis where he recorded 11 stops and a sack for the Division III program. They also tote several veteran edge rushers yet to make their collegiate debuts, including Logan Neu, Sam Williams, Roosevelt Andrews III, and Ethan McDowell, as well as true freshmen Javon Hammonds and Ben Nash.
Defensive tackle features the 6’1”, 303 pound Malachi Clark who contributed one tackle in two appearances in 2023. Redshirt junior Dalton Norris is another returning RedHawk looking for expanded playing time this fall. But defensive tackle also features a slew of true freshmen trying to get in the mix, including Devin Bell, William Goodvine III, Donovan Davis, and Oyeka Alexander.
Linebacker
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Miami runs a 4-2-5 defense, so the position group that’s least represented on the field most times is linebacker. However, it’s the strongest position group on the team, headlined by an All-MAC tandem which includes the best defender in the conference. Matt Salopek and Ty Wise return as a dynamic duo with eyes fixated on their second-straight MAC title.
Salopek was crowned MAC Defensive Player of the Year last fall for a spectacular season which featured 143 tackles — ranking first in the MAC and third in the FBS. The outside linebacker also added 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, and a MAC Championship Game Defensive MVP to an unforgettable year. The three-time All-MAC selection and two-time MAC champion is eyeing his fourth-straight 100+ tackle season, which could make him the first RedHawk in history to accomplish that feat.
Wise hasn’t been in Oxford as long as Salopek as 2024 will mark his third season in the MAC, but he’s already budding into one of the conference’s top superstars. The Second Team All-MAC honoree was right behind his colleague in the tackles department with 122 at middle linebacker last season. Wise wound up serving as one of the team’s premier pass rushers with 8.0 sacks, but his coverage skills were nothing to scoff at either, tallying one interception and five pass breakups.
Linebacker isn’t just a top-heavy position for the RedHawks — they bring experienced depth to the table as well. Corban Hondru was an instrumental component of the unit in the MAC title game and he logged 28 total tackles and two interceptions in a breakout 2023 season, including one pick in the Victory Bell rivalry at Cincinnati. Oscar McWood, the younger brother of recent program graduate Ryan McWood, also saw the field quite often a year ago with 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a pair of sacks as the No. 2 WILL linebacker behind Salopek.
Adam Trick was a staple in the rotation last year with 14 in-game appearances and six tackles, while Jackson Kuwatch registered 10 tackles and one behind the line of scrimmage in his first year after transferring from Ohio State. Minor contributors included Eli Coppess who had two tackles in seven games, Grant Lyons who checked into 10 games primarily on special teams, and Luke Myers who suited up in four outings. Returning linebackers without any snaps under their belt include Malcolm McClain, Christian McKinney, Malik Ray, Brock Uihlein, and Tyler Dykos. Cameron Myers is another backer who didn’t play last year but accumulated playing time at his former program Indiana, as early as 2019.
The true freshmen linebackers are Carter Herriman, Brach Rice, and Jayden Fuller.
Secondary
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Miami finished 36th in run defense in 2023, holding opponents to 132 yards per game on 3.6 yards per carry. As stellar as that was, the RedHawks performed even relatively better against the pass, checking in at 27th in the country by allowing just 198 yards through the air on average — on a remarkable completion rate of 58.7.
Starting cornerback Yahsyn McKee was essential to the pass defense success, picking off a team-high four passes and batting down 11 balls. However, McKee tested the waters of the NFL this offseason, opening up a cornerback vacancy that was once filled by a Second Team All-MAC selection.
The RedHawks can be comfortable about the other starting cornerback position as Raion Strader is running it back after a phenomenal true freshman season. Strader earned 12 starts in his first year out of Penn Hills High School, breaking up 13 passes and accumulating 57 tackles and an interception. While Strader was surprisingly snubbed of All-MAC honors, he was named to the FWAA Freshman All-American team, and the second-year RedHawk should only improve as he sheds his true freshman status.
The other starting cornerback could hail from the same recruiting class as Strader. Michigan native Mychal Yharbrough earned substantial playing time in his true freshman season, making nine appearances and totaling four tackles on the boundary. Another option for this slot is William Hardrick, a former Mississippi State transfer who proved his abilities in the Cure Bowl with five tackles and a forced fumble in a defensive-orietend slugfest. And speaking of Mississippi State, the RedHawks consulted Starkville, MS for another transfer addition at cornerback this year in Luke Evans, who redshirted his true freshman season in SEC country.
The safety room doesn’t leave as many question marks with veteran starters Eli Blakey and Ambe’ Caldwell back in the mix. Blakey first earned a starting role in 2022 where he was on pace to lead the team in pass deflections but suffered a season-ending arm injury after just five games. He returned with a full slate of health in 2023, producing 46 tackles without missing a single week. Caldwell saw his most action to date in 2022, adding 37 tackles and five pass breakups to his résumé. The senior safety’s playing time dipped last fall, but it should ramp up again after the departure of 2023 starter Jacquez Warren.
One other DB to keep an eye on when Miami rolls out its defense is Silas Walters, but at the moment he’s known for his contributions in another department. The special teams savant ranked first in the FBS in special teams tackles in 2023 and totaled 34 takedowns, 1.5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups for the reigning MAC champions. Walters was recognized for his efforts as a National Special Teams Player of the Year finalist. With 2023 starter Michael Dowell no longer on the team, Walters could step up and claim the starting nickel role.
Defensive backs with in-game experience, albeit not substantial, include redshirt junior cornerback Caleb Tubbs and redshirt junior safety TJ Rush. Upperclassmen defensive backs who have yet to make their debut for Miami include Devin Johnson, Ryan Kahn, and Steven Favazzo. The true freshmen completing the secondary, hoping to become the next Strader, are Kaleb Martin, Toney Coleman Jr., Jackson Pons, Gino Blasini, Leo Colombi, and Jermaine Agee.