They beat the Canes, then joined them. New Miami DTs (one lifted 705 lbs) meet media
Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal covets his big men, strong men and apparently, at least a couple men who already beat his Hurricanes.
This season, the University of Miami head coach, known for his exceptional recruiting skills, earned the addition of two defensive tackle transfers whose teams defeated UM in 2022 (Middle Tennessee State) and 2023 (North Carolina State).
NC State tackle CJ Clark and MTSU tackle Marley Cook each recorded sacks in their victories against UM, and despite the Canes’ losses, each liked what they saw on the other side. Now, one of them has further elevated his status by last month setting the Miami football weightlifting record for squats: 705 pounds.
“Man, all work,’’ said 6-2, 305-pound Cook, a sixth-year redshirt senior who “started off’’ that day “at 500’’ and “ended up at 705.’’
Incredibly, Cook said he also squatted 705 pounds at Water Valley High in Mississippi.
“At Middle Tennessee State the most I did was like 635 and they made me stop,’’ Cook said Tuesday. “When I got here they kept lowering the bar [to raise the weight] and coach Feld was like, ‘Yeah, keep going! Keep going!’ I looked at it and said, ‘Yeah, it’s on now.’’’
Feld, UM’s strength and conditioning coordinator, was among the coaches and assistants and linemen who witnessed Cook’s feat and gleefully erupted when he broke the 700-pound record set in 2022 by former offensive lineman Justice Oluwaseun and current fifth-year senior offensive guard Logan Sagapolu.
The previous all-time UM record for squats was defensive tackle Jim Burt’s 680 pounds in 1980.
‘Ridiculous’
“They’re both very good at playing D-tackle, playing 3-tech,’’ said sixth-year redshirt senior defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte of Cook and Clark. “They’re very strong, athletic, fast and play with a good motor. Marley is a powerhouse. He benches like 400 and squats 705,’’ the latter of which Harrison-Hunte described as “ridiculous.’’
“You don’t know how much 700 pounds is,’’ said Harrison-Hunte, whose squat max is 645 and described the atmosphere during Cook’s megalift as “very, very loud, like Hard Rock Stadium vs. FSU. Marley hit a number that shouldn’t be hit.’’
Cook finished 2023 with 22 tackles, 18 pressures, a forced fumble, interception and sack in 12 games. He had 10 1/2 sacks and 19 tackles for loss in 39 career games, including a fourth-quarter sack of former UM quarterback Jake Garcia in MTSU’s 45-31 victory at Hard Rock Stadium in September ‘22.
Clark, a 6-3, 305-pound sixth-year redshirt senior from New London, North Carolina, was rated the 13th-best defensive lineman in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings. Last season he had 22 tackles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a sack of Tyler Van Dyke in UM’s 20-6 November loss at NC State. His NC State career stats: 42 games, 23 starts, 73 tackles for loss and four sacks.
“It’s definitely been a great experience,’’ Clark said of UM. “Just been enjoying it, getting to know teammates. Nice weather as well.”
Clark said he was impressed with “the aggression’’ and “the want’’ displayed by the Hurricanes last season, despite their loss. “Those guys — the offensive line, [former center] Matt Lee — were dominant from snap one to the end. I just kept that thought in my head.’’
Cook can still barely believe he’s at Miami. He said he watched the majority of last year’s games and saw the potential.
Talent everywhere
“You got talent everywhere,” Cook said. “Man, I would have never thought I’d come here. I ain’t gonna lie. Now that I’m here I’m giving this program everything I got.’’
Cook, who had three tackles against Miami, was asked what he remembers from the 2022 game, when UM went in as a 25 1/2-point favorite and Van Dyke was intercepted on his first two passes. “Maaaaan,’’ he said, laughing. “That was a good little moment. You feel me? Because I knew Miami was a top-25 team.”
He said players have said to him, “You been on the team where they beat Miami?’’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ No bad blood. ...That was probably one of my best games of the season.”
Cook agreed that his 705-pound squat immediately brought him respect from his new teammates.
“Yes, sir,’’ he said, acknowledging that his weight-lifting prowess can translate to out-muscling those giant offensive linemen. “I’d say I’m very disruptive, a real good competitor, great leader. I just want to put all the chips in and give this program the best I got.’’
Cristobal, a former UM offensive lineman who won national championships in 1989 and ‘91, has long espoused that “physicality reigns supreme.’’
Among the Hurricanes’ defensive tackles are standout fifth-year senior lineman Akheem Mesidor, who is returning from injury, and often plays at end but can move inside; sixth-year redshirt senior Thomas Gore; third-year redshirt sophomore Ahmad Moten; and soon-to-be incoming five-star true freshman Justin Scott out of St. Ignatius in Chicago.
“We’re going to demand a lot of our defensive linemen,’’ Cristobal said Tuesday. “We’ve got to create an edge in our football team, and the edge starts up front. Both our offensive line and defensive line have to play with more grit, toughness, physicality. They’re committed to improving.
“We are getting better, but it’s never enough at that position.”
Added Cook: “This team is pretty young, but as long as they get a couple old guys in, and get the right pieces to be able to lift the younger guys, you got talent.’’
