CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Hurricanes were back in action on the Greentree Practice Fields for their second day of preseason camp, and after Thursday’s practice, tight end Elijah Arroyo, linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, offensive lineman Anez Cooper, and defensive back Mishael “Meesh” Powell all spoke with reporters.

Here are some of their best quotes after Thursday’s practice, along with some team notes, as Miami moves one step closer to its Aug. 31 season opener at Florida.

Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe

On what he learned last season about what it takes to be a starter at a major college football program:

“It was definitely development. It comes with extra work, you know? Putting the work in, man. You’ve got to put the work in to be where you want to be. And that’s something I just made up in my mind that ‘I’m going to do this every day’ and you’ve got to be consistent.”

On what it’s like to face Miami’s tight ends in practice:

“[They’re] very athletic. I feel like we have very athletic tight ends; tight ends who can run [and] catch the ball. So, I feel like that’s a big advantage on our part. I feel like I’m getting better every day just going by them, because I know when I go against opposing teams, I’m going to have to cover their tight ends, so I feel like I’m going to be ready for it.”

On finding his voice as a leader on the defense:

“Just coming out of high school, you know, I had no choice but to become vocal. So, I feel like just coming here, I feel like I carried that over, being more of a role model to the younger guys, just helping them lead the way, you know? They look up to me. They go off my actions, so I’ve got to lead them.”

On the opportunity to face some new ACC opponents, with the addition of teams like California, Stanford and SMU:

“Honestly, I just want to win. [I’m not] worried about where I’ve got to go. I just want to win. I’m taking it day by day, step by step, game by game.”

On which of his younger teammates have come to him for guidance and what it’s like to mentor them:

“I’d probably have to say there’s [Adarius] Hayes, Cam [Pruitt], Bobby Washington, Jr.. … They’re in my group. They come to me asking me questions and I’ll give them tips or things they could do, you know, to make them better on the field.”

Tight end Elijah Arroyo

On how it feels to be back on the field, after dealing with injuries the last two seasons and how he’s adjusted:

“Man, it feels great. You know, I feel like myself again. It’s just good being able to play without thinking about any injuries or anything that’s going on, just be able to focus on the task at hand. … I feel like with injuries, confidence is a really big thing. So, being able to get back to doing everything I’m doing, it’s been great for me.”

On the plays being made during the first two days of practice:

“It’s been good. You know, the guys, we’ve been competing. Same way as they feed off me, I feed off of them. So, I’m making plays. They’re making plays. Shoot, even [the] defense. If the defense is making a play, you know you’re going to have to get after it.”

On the progress of fellow tight ends Riley Williams and Elija Lofton:

“Both of those guys are beasts. Coming in, they’ve already got the size, the speed. … they can both do it all. … They’re doing a good job on becoming professionals. They’re learning how to carry themselves off the field, just keeping their heads down and working.”

On the difference quarterback Cam Ward can make for the offense:

“He’s going to be a big difference for our whole team, our whole offense. Just off the field, being the guy that he is, the leader that he is, I think he’s going to be able to push our team to another level.”

Offensive lineman Anez Cooper

On what it’s like to face Miami’s defensive line in practice and how it’s going to make the offensive line better:

“It’s exhausting because we’ll be in there, probably do one play, we go in the huddle, we turn around and it’s a whole other set d-linemen out there. We’ll go back to the huddle, turn around, and there’s a whole other set. It’s hard, because o-linemen don’t rotate. … I feel like it’s making us better because all the d-linemen here, nobody’s really the same. Everybody’s got their own way they can get past somebody. … going against all those types of guys, we shouldn’t face anybody in the season that we really haven’t seen yet. I feel like that’s good for us.”

On how his game has grown:

“I’ve lost weight, so I feel like I got faster. I feel like I can move better. I feel like I elevated [from] the past. … I feel like me being faster and losing the weight, I get lower in the run, so I feel like that’s elevated from the last two years.”

On how the offensive linemen cross training at various positions will help once the season starts:

“I feel like it’ll be good because you don’t ever know when somebody will go down and somebody’s got to go replace somebody’s spot. … Cross training helps us know what the other side’s [got to do] or help us know what the center’s got to do. … I feel like that’s good.”

Defensive back Mishael “Meesh” Powell

On how he’s adjusted to playing at Miami after spring football and the off-season program:

“I would say I’ve got a really good flow of it. This coaching staff, these players, the strength staff, they did an amazing job of making sure I was dialed in, as well as all the other transfers, Cam Ward, Damien Martinez, Samuel Brown. These guys are dialed in and locked in … Tyler Baron. These are guys that they’re making sure they’re all dialed, locked in so we have a great season.”

On how he feels Miami compares to his previous school, Washington, which was in the College Football Playoff last season:

“I would say it feels like looking in a mirror, honestly. We’re really deep in depth. I think that’s the first thing you’ve got to have. You’ve got to have a really good team on all cylinders. We’ve got a great o-line, best quarterback in the country, great on the outside, great d-line, linebackers, back end. I think that’s one of the things that we’re elite at here and I just think our discipline, that’s the biggest thing I think that would get guys to that stage is the discipline they have. And then not only that, also being healthy. … That’s also of big importance. But overall, I think this team is going to be great. I think it’s going to be elite. I wouldn’t have come here, be with this staff and this team if I didn’t think we had a shot to win it all and I’m very confident in that.”

On the versatility in his game and being able to play multiple spots:

“The game’s evolving where you’ve got to be able to play both ways, at both sides. You can’t just be a corner. You can’t just be a safety. Being able to slide in the slot a little bit, being able to go into the box, then being able to slide back in the post. I think that just shows your availability. If a guy goes down and you play one spot, you might not be able to go to that spot because, hey, you know, I’ve never played that before. But just giving yourself versatility, it’s something … I don’t want to come off the field, basically. So, any package, anything, like I said, if [defensive coordinator Lance] Guidry has a d-line package, I’m going to learn that package, too, so I don’t have to come off the field.”

On how he thinks the defense has looked through the first two days of practice:

“I think we looked good. I think we looked pretty good. I’ve got to go back and watch the tape. It’s never as good as it seems, never as bad as it seems. So, we’ve got to look back and watch the tape. But it was competitive. It was back and forth. I love going against a quarterback like Cam [Ward]. He’s going to make it challenging every single time. And an offensive coordinator like coach [Shannon] Dawson , as well as a defensive coordinator like coach Guidry, [they’re] going to make games feel like the Super Bowl every time you’re out there, so I’ve been enjoying it.”

On what it’s like to compete against Ward in practice every day:

“I would say it’s a little bit of a mental battle. He’s the quarterback of the offense. I see myself as the quarterback of the defense, being able to see everything. Just kind of giving him different looks and just kind of picking his brain after practice, I’ll say, ‘Hey, like on this play, how did you feel out there? Did this work? Did this kind of throw you off?’ and he’ll be like, ‘Uh, no’ or ‘Oh, no, that really got me.’ And [he’ll] ask me vice versa. … So, me and him going back and forth, just making each other better. He’s a hell of a competitor. …”

Ward Named ACC Preseason Player of the Year

Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward was named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year on Thursday.

Ward, who transferred to Miami earlier this year after a two-year career at Washington State, earned 71 of a possible 170 votes for the honor after a vote by the media. He is the lone quarterback on the Preseason All-ACC Team.

In his two seasons with the Cougars, Ward started 25 games, threw for 6,963 passing yards and 48 touchdowns, and rushed for another 13 scores.

Cam Ward, Rueben Bain, Xavier Restrepo, Francisco Mauigoa and Andy Borregales earn a spot on the All-ACC Preseason Team 🙌

🔗: https://t.co/7NDSTaXbtd#GoCanes | #AccomplishGreatness pic.twitter.com/XjfVyUbOdy

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) August 1, 2024

Restrepo, Bain, Mauigoa and Borregales Honored

Ward wasn’t the only Hurricane to earn a spot on the Preseason All-ACC Team.

Receiver Xavier Restrepo, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, defensive lineman Rueben Bain, Jr. and kicker Andy Borregales were also recognized by members of the conference media.

Restrepo, a fifth-year senior, had a record-breaking 2023 season, his 85 receptions setting a new Miami single-season mark. He also posted just the sixth 1,000-yard season in program history with 1,092 yards and six touchdowns.

Bain, meanwhile, was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and a consensus Freshman All-American last season after a stellar freshman campaign in which he totaled 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

Mauigoa was an All-ACC Second Team selection in 2023 after notching a team-high 82 tackles, along with a team-high 18 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks and Borregales earned first-team All-ACC recognition after finishing 22-for-26 on field goal attempts and 44-for-45 on extra-point attempts.