Hurricanes added accomplished defensive end who played for UM’s Guidry at Marshall

Hours after landing Arizona safety Isaiah Taylor in the transfer portal, the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday evening snagged a commitment from a skilled and experienced defensive end in Elijah Alston, who played for UM defensive coordinator Lance Guidry for two years at Marshall.

Alston has one season of college eligibility remaining. Alston had no sacks in 2022 but blossomed last season, finishing with 45 tackles, six sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. One of those sacks came against North Carolina State. He also forced two fumbles and returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown against Old Dominion. Pro Football Focus gave Alston a very strong 91.0 overall grade and 90.5 pass-rush grade in 235 pass rush snaps last season.

He had 36 quarterback pressures in addition to the six sacks. He has 101 tackles and 8.5 sacks over his last three seasons. The 6-3, 256-pound Alston committed to Texas A&M on Monday but changed his mind a day later. Alston reportedly also considered Georgia and previously announced an offer from West Virginia.

The Canes already were strong at defensive end, with Akheem Mesidor and Nyjalik Kelly returning from injury and Rueben Bain coming off an exceptional freshman season. Alston gives UM a potential fourth rotation player at defensive end and compensates for the loss of Jahfari Harvey, Chantz Williams and Cyrus Moss in the transfer portal. Jayden Wayne, Anthony Campbell and several highly-rated freshmen also will compete for playing time at defensive end.