Greg Rousseau Opts Out: What It Means For Miami

News broke on Tuesday that star defensive end Greg Rousseau would opt out of the 2020 season and instead focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. Rousseau is one of the best pass rushers in all of college football and will be missed by the Hurricanes and college football fans everywhere. We look at the impact his decision has on the Miami football team and how the Hurricanes will attempt to fill in for the superstar pass rusher.

Losing the Top Dog

Greg Rousseau entered the 2020 season ranked as the #1 defensive end in our initial DE Rankings after a phenomenal 2019 season. The 6’7″ 265 pound Rousseau was expected to be an absolute terror off the edge in 2020. In addition to being an extraordinarily disruptive player, the Hurricanes hoped the elite pass rusher would garner the attention of opposing game plans and open up one on one pass rushing opportunities for his teammates.

Rousseau has tremendous length for the position and does an excellent job of converting speed to power. His athleticism at that size is very rare and will not be replaced easily. The redshirt sophomore totaled 19.5 TFLs, 15.5 sacks, and 7 quarterback hurries in a season where he was not named a starter until the middle of the season. Rousseau was second in the nation in sacks (only to #2 overall NFL Draft pick Chase Young). The Canes utilized his talents primarily at defensive end but would have him rush the passer from the interior in obvious passing situations, a role Rousseau excelled in. There are some players that are simply irreplaceable, and Rousseau certainly fits that description.

Turning to the Impact Transfer

Miami did receive some excellent news earlier this offseason when Temple grad transfer Quincy Roche (#4 in our DE Rankings) announced he would be heading to Coral Gables to finish out his collegiate career. Roche was named the AAC Defensive player of the year in 2019 after a very productive junior season. Roche totaled 13.0 sacks, good for 7th nationally, to go along with 19.0 TFL (10th nationally). The pass rush specialist was expected to benefit from the attention drawn by Rousseau as he adjusted to the step up in competition.

Now Roche will be counted on to be the lead man as a fifth year senior who has had success. He will need to prove he can handle the attention at the power five level on a weekly basis but it should be noted that Roche has gotten it done against power five teams in the past. Roche has adequate size (6’4″ 245 lbs) and good athleticism to go along with a solid arsenal of pass rush moves. Despite not being the biggest end, Roche is surprisingly effective at setting the edge against the run and is far from a one trick pony. Look for him to step up with Rousseau out. For more on Roche check out our transfer spotlight article here.

The Former #1 Overall Recruit

The Hurricanes will also look to the uber athletic Jaelan Phillips to fill the massive void left by Rousseau. As we previously stated, Rousseau is an irreplaceable talent, but if there was ever a player that could replicate that freakish athleticism, it is Phillips. As the #1 overall recruit in the class of 2017 according to the 247Sports composite, Phillips signed with UCLA. Despite some early success, his career was derailed by injuries. Phillips sought a change of scenery last season and transferred to Miami, where he redshirted in 2019, hoping to get healthy and regain the size and strength he had lost while recovering from injuries.

Phillips appears to be primed to live up to his recruiting ranking as he is now listed at 6’5″ 266 lbs. Phillips is a freakish athlete who returned kicks for his high school team and is known for his explosion, closing speed, and fluidity. Assuming he can stay healthy, there is no reason to think that Phillips cannot make a strong move this season. In his true freshman season Phillips played in only seven games, but recorded a TFL in all but one game (7.0 TFL total). With all the tools to be a disruptive presence off the edge, look for Phillips to look to make a statement in Rousseau’s absence.

A Promising Youngster

There has been plenty of hype surrounding redshirt freshman Jahfari Harvey since he signed as a four star prospect in 2019. Harvey used his redshirt year to add the extra bulk he will need to succeed at the college level. Harvey, who is now listed at 6’4″ 245 lbs, appeared to be in line for a rotational role behind Rousseau, Roche, and Phillips. Now he will be counted on to be a key contributor and will have significant role this season.

Harvey was extremely productive at the high school level, racking up TFLs and sacks at a ridiculous rate. Known for his tremendous fast twitch and natural athleticism, Harvey looks in line to continue a run of long, athletic pass rushers that began when Manny Diaz took over as the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes in 2016. There is little doubt that Harvey has the tools to provide a pass rushing presence but he will need to show he can translate those tools to the field on game day. If he lives up to the hype, the Hurricanes will have a chance to be very productive on the edge, despite losing the nation’s best returning player.

Conclusion

There is no sugar coating the impact Rousseau’s decision will have on the Hurricanes defensive end room. Considered one of the best defensive end rooms in the country with him in the fold, Miami was expected to go four deep with a mixture of talented, experienced, and promising pass rushers. That being said, the Hurricanes have one of the few defensive end rooms in the country that can make a case as one of the top groups in the nation, even after losing the best player in the country at the position. This will be a major loss, but it is hard to find a more talented trio to rely on in Rousseau’s absence.

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