Welcome to the first installment of our RedHawk defense preview series. Over the next few weeks, we’ll break down every unit on the Miami (OH) defense. Today, we’re starting in the trenches. We’ll then do LB’s and DB’s before pivoting to special teams and, finally, a full schedule preview as the season inches closer. The Redhawks D-Line is a group that mixes proven production, transfer portal reinforcements, and a wave of young talent hoping to force its way into the rotation.

The Anchors Up Front

No player better represents this defensive line than Roosevelt Andrews III. The redshirt junior out of Barberton, Ohio, played in all 13 games last season. He racked up 19 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery, and two QB hurries. He’s the established centerpiece of this group, and everything up front runs through him.

Alongside Andrews, Bai Jobe gives Miami a legitimate breakout candidate. Last season’s transfer, who began his career at Michigan State before a stop at Kansas, arrived in Oxford last year. He immediately showed why he was a four-star prospect: 16 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. If he builds on that debut season, Jobe has real all-MAC upside.

James Schott is right there with him. The 6-foot-4, 246-pound Michigan State transfer edge put together an excellent first year in Oxford: 18 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. A repeat of those numbers puts Schott firmly in the all-MAC conversation as well.

Interior Reinforcements

Miami bolstered the interior through the portal, headlined by Marcus Moore, a 6-foot-1, 310-pound transfer from Purdue by way of Akron. Moore saw limited snaps at Purdue (three games, two tackles) but was a solid contributor at Akron in 2024, starting eight games and finishing with 31 tackles. His size and portal production make him a name to watch as a potential interior difference-maker.

Kam Wilson brings a different kind of intrigue. The redshirt senior missed all of last season injured after transferring in from Cincinnati. In his final year with the Bearcats 12 games, 10 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks showed a real disruptive ability. Getting him back on the field healthy would be a boost.

OJ Alexander (6-foot-2, 291 pounds) played in 12 games last season and finished with 13 tackles, highlighted by a career-best three-tackle outing against Fresno State. He’ll be counted on to hold his ground in the interior rotation again this fall.

William Goodvine III, a 6-foot-1, 279-pound interior lineman, played in 11 games but managed just five tackles and half a TFL. He’s shown he can be a consistent presence on the field, now he needs to translate those snaps into better production.

Donovan Davis is one of the more interesting development stories on this roster. After failing to crack the rotation as a redshirt freshman, he’s expected to take a real jump this year and start subbing in along the interior.

Two names worth tracking as the depth chart takes shape: Sam Williams, a 6-foot-2, 234-pound redshirt junior who has yet to appear in a game but adds another big body to the room.

The Edge Group

Devin Bell enters as one of the more experienced returning edge pieces. The 6-foot-1, 236-pound redshirt sophomore out of Akron played in every game last season, totaling 13 tackles, 2 TFLs, half a sack, and a QB hurry. Miami will lean on him to replicate that steady workload.

Brach Rice flashed real playmaking ability in a part-time role last year. The redshirt sophomore started four games and finished with 16 tackles, including a two-sack performance against UNLV. He’s fighting for a starting job, but he’s shown he can be disruptive when the opportunity is there.

Carmine Oroco is a 6-foot-4, 308-pound redshirt product. He had a monster senior year of high school (70 tackles, 13 TFLs, 4 sacks) and is ready to make his college debut.

The headliner among the newcomers is London Schackleford-Vickroy, a freshman edge rusher out of Columbus who earned second-team all-state honors and enters as a three-star prospect (No. 101 in Ohio per the 247Sports Composite). He’s expected to push for playing time right away.

Zhaiylen Scott is a name to watch on the health front. His 2025 season was cut short by injury, but he’d already shown flashes at North Texas — 14 tackles and 2 sacks before going down. If he’s back to full strength, he could climb the depth chart in a hurry. Similarly, Javon Hammonds missed the entire 2025 season with injury after posting seven tackles across nine games in 2024. Both are wild cards worth monitoring in fall camp.

The Freshman/Development Wave

Miami’s edge room is stacked with young, high-upside pieces still waiting for their opportunity:

• Anthony Ludington (6-foot-4, 234 pounds, redshirt freshman) put up eye-popping high school numbers: 13 TFLs and 10 sacks as a junior. However, he remains a bit of an unknown quantity heading into his first real shot at snaps.
• Aariz Taylor (6-foot-3, 242 pounds, redshirt freshman) is looking to break into the rotation after a redshirt development year.
• Isaiah Harris, a freshman out of Saline, Michigan (6-foot-2, 210 pounds), was a first-team all-state selection as a junior. He will likely use this season primarily to add mass before he’s ready for a featured role.
• Logan Howell (6-foot-4, 295 pounds, redshirt freshman) arrives with a strong pedigree. He was an all-state honoree out of Cass Technical High School in Detroit and a three-star prospect ranked 41st in Michigan’s recruiting class.
• Carson Noonan (6-foot-3, 273 pounds, redshirt freshman) adds more size and depth to the edge room.
• Mohamed Bangoura, a 6-foot-7 freshman out of Westerville, Ohio. He earned all-district honors in 2025 as a three-star prospect (No. 149 in Ohio). His length alone makes him a name to track as he develops.

The Outlook

This is a defensive line built on a solid returning core: Andrews, Jobe, and Schott give Miami legitimate all-MAC-caliber production up front. The portal additions like Moore and Wilson add size and experience to the interior. Behind them sits one of the deepest, most talent-rich freshman classes this program has brought in along the edge in recent memory. Health will be a storyline to track. Both Scott and Hammonds are working back from injury. If a couple of these guys work out, this could be one of the more complete D-line rooms Miami has fielded in years.

Next up in the series: the linebackers. Stay tuned.