CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes are racking up more injuries as the football season progresses. Some of them are mere nicks and bruises, and the news is positive, but one UM starter is likely out for the remainder of the year.
Starting defensive end Nyjalik Kelly is likely done for the season with an undisclosed injury, Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday.
“It’s a little bit more significant,” Cristobal said.
On the bright side, Cristobal said he expects starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to return from injury after missing Miami’s win over Clemson last Saturday.
“He’s good to go,” Cristobal said “That’s what I can tell you. I think last week, again caught us off guard. I know on gameday, people look up and say, ‘Whoa, wait a second.’ But it caught us off guard through the week. … He doesn’t have anything that’s serious, but if it takes a certain turn, it could delay it. That’s really what ended up happening. We’re in a good place right now, and everything was back to normal at today’s practice.”
Miami is also hoping standout defensive end Akheem Mesidor could return soon. Mesidor has been out since the Hurricanes beat Texas A&M on Sept. 9.
“I feel like he’s close,” Cristobal said. “I feel like maybe not ready to comment completely on him right now. We do have some evaluations later today and then another one later this week. We’re doing a lot of stuff with him. I think we’re close, but we also want to just keep the confidentiality of his situation, and also just not fully having a complete knowledge of where it’s at to make a comment.”
Several running backs are dealing with injuries old and new. Henry Parrish Jr. did not play against Clemson, but Cristobal said he expects him to play this week. Don Chaney Jr. is also doing well after getting up “really slowly” late in the win over the Tigers.
“It was concerning at the time, but we feel like he’s in a good place right now,” Cristobal said.
Additionally, redshirt freshman running back TreVonte’ Citizen is getting closer to seeing the field. Citizen, a touted prospect coming out of high school, suffered a torn ACL injury in fall camp last year and has yet to make his college debut.
“He’s close,” Cristobal said. “He is. He’s repping (in independent drills). He is due for some work, some team work, this week. He’s doing all the running, all the cuts, all the drills. He’s due for some contact this week, as well. We’re very careful about that stuff. His was a very significant injury. There was a lot that went on there, and then he had a setback during his recovery process. He looks great. He’s at that point where you can’t tell he had an injury.”
Safety Kamren Kinchens has also been banged up. He returned from what defensive coordinator Lance Guidry described as a concussion that he suffered against Texas A&M but has been dealing with a nagging injury, Guidry said. Kinchens had six tackles and an interception against Clemson.
“Kam hasn’t been healthy,” Guidry said. “He’s been having a bad ankle. He comes off the concussion deal, and he’s had (a) bad ankle since. This morning … was the best I’ve seen him with his ankle. He wasn’t taped up. He wasn’t hobbling. So I think he’ll have a good week this week. He’ll be more like the old Kam this week. It’s been a while.”
Bain honored for stellar performance
Miami star freshman defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. had a coming-out party against Clemson, and the ACC recognized him for his great game.
Bain had eight tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the Hurricanes’ win. Pro Football Focus gave him a 90.7 grade for the game.
The ACC named him the conference’s defensive lineman of the week and rookie of the week, his first conference honors of his career.
Bain has an 89.2 defensive grade for the season from Pro Football Focus. That ranks 19th in the nation among defenders with 100 or more snaps and second-best among ACC defenders.
Highest graded Edge Rushers from Week 8🔥 pic.twitter.com/40acICU4Wp
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 23, 2023
Game times announced
The ACC has announced the times for the Hurricanes’ next two games.
Miami will host Virginia at 3:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Cavaliers are coming off a huge upset win over North Carolina.
After their game against Virginia, the Hurricanes will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, and face N.C. State at 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.
