Miami defensive end Akheem Mesidor works out during the school's NFL Pro Day, Monday March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

By The Canadian Press

Ottawa’s Akheem Mesidor still ‘same kid’ despite NFL hype, high school coach says

Mar 24, 2026 | 2:18 PM

Football success, it seems, hasn’t changed Ottawa’s Akheem Mesidor.

Since heading to the U.S. in 2019, the defensive lineman has developed into a projected first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. But Jesse Chinchar, Mesidor’s former high school coach, says he remains the same thoughtful player he coached more than six years ago.

“He’s the same Akheem, kind of soft-spoken, but when he speaks, you can tell he’s thought about what he’s going to say,” Chinchar said. “Just a really good energy about him, and he’s got a smile that can light up a room.

“He’s always been a professional mindset-type kid, so I’m not surprised with how things have worked out for him. We knew how special he was and that he had a chance to be this type of guy.”

Mesidor attended Clearwater Academy International, a Florida prep school, in 2019. That season, he had 92 tackles (18 for loss) and 10 sacks in leading the Knights to an 8-2 record before heading to West Virginia.

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Chinchar played on Clearwater’s first football team in 2008 and later served as head coach. He led the program to multiple state titles before the school’s board of trustees cancelled the football program in February 2024.

Clearwater actively recruited Canadians such as Mesidor and even had former CFL coach Rich Stubler on his staff before his death in 2023. The program sent more than 80 players to American universities.

Mesidor made an immediate impact at West Virginia, earning True Freshman All-America First-Team honours before transferring to Miami in 2022. The six-foot-three, 280-pound Mesidor capped a stellar run with the Hurricanes last season, registering 60 tackles (36 solo, 15.5 for loss) with 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, Miami’s defensive ends coach.

The 24-year-old Mesidor had three tackles (two solo) and two sacks in Miami’s 27-21 NCAA championship loss to Indiana. Afterwards, he participated in the Senior Bowl, and the NFL combine and is expected to be a first-round draft pick next month.

“He’s become so polished,” said Chinchar, now the head coach at St. Petersburg Catholic High School. “When we had him, he was just beginning the journey of being a high-level defensive lineman.

“But he has banked so many reps through games and practices and had so much high-level coaching … all of these things have formed him into who he is today.”

As Mesidor pondered his university options, Chinchar was someone he leaned on. Not surprisingly, NFL officials have reached out to Chinchar about Mesidor.

“When they ask me to talk about Akheem’s character, that’s like the easiest thing to do because he’s such a good kid,” Chinchar said. “Everybody at Clearwater Academy loved him — teachers, faculty, coaches and his host parents.

“He’s someone you just enjoy spending time with and being around.”

Chinchar said NFL coaches can trust Mesidor to continue being a consummate professional — on and off the field — long after signing a lucrative pro contract.

“(NFL money) won’t change him,” Chinchar said. “He’s going from being one of the most experienced guys in the room to the newbie, and I think the biggest thing in the beginning is going to be the schemes because they’re going to be different no matter where he goes.

“The NFL game is just different in the offences that you see, and he’s going to have to learn the schemes on both sides of the ball, and wherever he goes, I’m sure there’s going to be some technical aspect of slightly different stances or how they defeat these types of blocks? Those are things he’ll work his butt off to master, for sure.”

Mesidor saw time at tackle at both West Virginia and Miami, but Chinchar said being on the edge works best for Mesidor, preferably in a four-man front.

“He played great (at tackle), but you’re just not making as many splash plays,” Chinchar said. “To be honest, I think if he was playing on the edge earlier, his name would’ve been out there in a bigger way.

“I think you’d want (an NFL team) that majors in a four-down system where Akheem can truly come off the edge and rush the passer. He could (play in a 3-4 alignment), I just think his skillset and experience better suit a four-down defence.”

He is also the top-ranked player for the ’26 CFL draft on April 28, but Chinchar doesn’t expect Mesidor to ever play in his native land.

“He isn’t coming up there anytime soon,” Chinchar said. “There are so many factors, but if I were a betting man, I’d say that he’s going to be successful in the NFL.

“I wouldn’t bet against him.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2026.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press