Mesidor responded with 5.5 sacks as an interior rusher in 2024 to once again garner Honorable Mention All-ACC honors.
After multiple seasons at Miami, Mesidor had caught the eye of Beidelschies, who first studied him in the summer of 2023.
“OK, let me put this guy on the radar,” Beidelschies noted. “You put a little highlight or asterisk next to a guy in case he decides to come out or has an amazing year in 2024.”
But with Mesidor set to enter his final season at Miami in 2025, the Hurricanes unlocked his full potential by moving him outside as an edge rusher. Miami’s defensive ends coach is Jason Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Famer with 139.5 career NFL sacks.
“He benefitted greatly from learning from a Hall of Famer in Jason Taylor,” Alexander said.
Mesidor helped make the transition by taking up swimming, an activity he joked burns “hella calories.” All in all, Mesidor went from roughly 285 pounds to 265, making him a leaner and more agile to deal primarily with offensive tackles.
“It’s one of the most impressive transitions I’ve seen,” said Chargers outside linebackers coach Dylan Roney. “It’s never easy to play a new position, and to play it as dominantly as he did was so impressive.
“I think the big thing for him was cutting some weight, getting to a weight he felt his best at in terms of movement ability,” Roney continued. “From there, he’d already developed the hands, the strike, technique.
“Then just difference of rushing the edge, there’s a little more space there,” Roney added. “But when you move him back inside, it’s so easy for him because he’s done it so much.”
As Miami’s 2025 season began, the Hurricanes had aspirations of a deep playoff run led by Bain, who ended up being the 15th overall pick to the Buccaneers.
But Mesidor was a key catalyst, too, as he would soon produce a dominant senior season.