Miami depth chart all but solidified. Cristobal on injuries, freshman stars, LT gem

Game week is inching closer, and the University of Miami depth chart is all but solidified.

Eleven days before the University of Miami’s 2023 home opener against the Miami of Ohio Redhawks, Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal spoke about his team’s progress, some elite freshmen, two injured players who returned to practice Monday and the overall health of his team.

“By Wednesday we’ll have a pretty good idea of the two/three-deep for us going into game one, but until then, it’s all focused on the Miami Hurricanes,’’ Cristobal said of the depth chart, which he did not release last season until game day.

“The competition has been pretty thick at certain positions throughout camp.’’

Before Monday, Cristobal had not addressed media at practice since Aug. 9, three days before the first scrimmage. He likely won’t be available again until game week, which begins next Monday as the Canes count down to that 7 p.m. opener.

One significant difference between last season and this season is team injuries — or lack thereof. Cristobal said true freshman running back Christopher Johnson and fourth-year junior defensive end Akheem Mesidor returned to practice Monday after being out several days.

Johnson is the state track champion out of Fort Lauderdale Dillard High School. He is not expected to play a major role early in the season, unless things go incredibly wrong.

But Mesidor, listed as 6-3 and 280 pounds, is an integral part of the defensive line. Mesidor, who transferred to UM from West Virginia before last season, had some injury problems but still started eight of his 11 games and finished with a team-leading seven sacks and tied with tackle Leonard Taylor III and linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. for a team-leading 10 1/2 tackles for loss.

Mesidor ready

Mesidor has not competed in the fall scrimmages, but according to Cristobal, seems ready to go.

“He’s doing good,’’ Cristobal said of Mesidor. “You know, he got nicked up in a camp-kind-of-way, not anything serious. He practiced early in [fall camp] extremely well. We held him out for about four or five days, because that’s what the doctor felt was best. It was a resting, as opposed to a structural thing. And today he practiced full and seems back to form, so we don’t foresee any issues with Akheem.

It’s not yet known if Mesidor’s situation will keep him from starting, but the defensive line appears to be a strong unit with a vibrant rotation. One of the youngest Canes, who has excelled from the moment he arrived this spring in Coral Gables, has been getting first-team reps at defensive end, including as a starter in Friday’s scrimmage at Greentree Field and the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility.

That freshman is 6-3, 275-pound Rueben Bain, the former Miami Central standout, and Cristobal was asked if Bain could start in the opener. If sophomore Nyjalik Kelly starts at one side, or perhaps Jahfari Harvey, Mesidor and Bain are the other top ends.

Freshman standouts

“Well, I mean, you’ve watched him play for a long time in high school,’’ Cristobal said of Bain. “That guy, he’s different. Playing time around here is earned. He has earned playing time. And yes, he is fighting to be the prominent guy, as well as all the other guys that we have mentioned in previous press conferences. And that’s something that doesn’t end.”

“I guess for us is more than establishing, ‘Hey, you’re a one, you’re a two, you’re a three,’ we’d rather establish, ‘You can play championship football, you can play winning football for the University of Miami,’ and play and rotate those guys. Where he falls in right now, I don’t want to say that right now. But I know this: Rueben Bain is gonna play a tremendous factor for us this year. He’s as good as any freshman I’ve been around — anyone.’’

The other defensive freshman Cristobal raved about Monday is cornerback Damari Brown, the Plantation American Heritage alum and younger brother of UCF transfer Davonte Brown, who is expected to start. Damari is a big-bodied, physical player who has been excelling since he arrived for fall camp.

“Don’t get big brother mad,’’ quipped Cristobal. “I’m not talking about the older brother. [Damari] is just a physical guy — physical, fast, knows how to play football and understands the game. Where he played high school ball, that is high, high-level training. ... He came in with a really strong knowledge of what we do in the secondary. And he doesn’t even flinch. ... He’s going to play a tremendous role this year.

“He’s fighting for a starting spot.’’

Rivers shines

Cristobal, on offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, who switched from left tackle to left guard this camp:

“He has excelled at all five positions, which is rare. If you get one of those guys every five years, you feel really blessed. We feel like we’ve practiced ourselves into having four to five guys that we feel we could play winning football with at that position — but that can also slide inside and give us some help there as well. So, his versatility, his approach to the game, his durability, was something that last year hurt us when he wasn’t around. He’s exactly what you want.’’

▪ Cristobal, on the “general health’’ of his players during camp: “camp-banged-up.’’

“Last year, we had some devastating ones early. We haven’t had that — knock on wood. But we have had a physical camp. ...The issues that we that we have are more just the rigors that come with camp.”

▪ Cristobal said running back Don Chaney Jr., who sat out most of the past two seasons with injuries, is having “an excellent camp.’’

▪ The Canes will not have a third scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium before the opener, but will clean up anything they need to do logistically or otherwise at Greentree.

▪ Hurricanes safety Kam Kinchens on Monday was named an Associated Press first-team preseason All-American.