Daylyn Upshaw didn’t arrive in camp with the loudest recruiting buzz, but that hasn’t stopped the sophomore receiver from turning heads once the work started.
Darian Mensah is among the people paying close attention. The quarterback praised Upshaw in a media session last week, and the comments line up with what he was already saying about the receiver in the spring. Upshaw is part of a crowded Miami wideout group fighting for snaps behind presumed starters Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, but he’s making his case one practice at a time.
"I think he's stepped more into a leadership role. He's one of the guys who is staying after practice to catch extra ball. He's one of the examples in the leader room and I think that just speaks to who he is as a person and a player," Mensah said.
That kind of praise matters in a room where the competition is stacked. Joshua Moore brings size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.
Transfers Vandrevius Jacobs from South Carolina and Cam Vaughn from West Virginia each piled up over 300 catches and 500 yards for their previous schools. Then there are the true freshmen, Vance Spafford and Somourian Wingo, both pushing for reps and trying to become this year’s version of Toney.
Upshaw doesn’t sound intimidated by any of it. He sees the group as a chance to sharpen his own game while helping everyone else get better.
"I know I can get some tools from other receivers because they're so great," Upshaw said. "I can steal some things out of their bag, and they can steal some out of my bag. It makes us better because, at the end of the day, we're all one team."
The former Central High School standout in Phenix City, Alabama, already showed enough as a freshman to suggest he belongs. He finished with seven catches for 105 yards, then had carved out a steady role in the rotation by the end of the regular season before a foot injury sidelined him for the playoffs. Now healthy, he’s showing he can hold his own with anyone in the room.
Upshaw’s recruiting profile didn’t exactly scream instant stardom. He was a fringe four-star on the 247Sports Composite, ranked as the 67th wide receiver and the 474th overall player in the 2025 class. He took official visits to Florida and UCF before committing to Miami.
He may not have been the flashiest name in the class, but that’s not the point now. With one of the deepest receiver rooms in the country, Upshaw has put himself in position to be the one who breaks through when the Hurricanes line up this fall.
In Other News...
Miami Camp Is Clarifying Two Position Battles That Could Define September
The second week of fall camp is starting to sharpen Miamis biggest roster questions, especially along the lines where the Hurricanes are trying to settle rotations before September arrives. On the defensive side, Damon Wilson II is moving into a more visible leadership role as the staff works through how the front will be pieced together, while the offensive line continues to be part of the same early-summer sorting process that usually tells you a lot about how a season will look once the games begin.
There is a similar sort of sorting happening at wide receiver, where Miami is still figuring out its depth chart beyond the top options. The No. 3 job is beginning to separate into a real battle, with Joshua Moore and Daylyn Upshaw both pushing to carve out a larger role behind Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, and the outcome there could matter more than it sounds like in a camp setting. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Jackson Cantwell Could Be Headed For A Surprising Early Role
Jackson Cantwell arrived at Miami with the kind of physical reputation that gets attention before he ever takes a snap. The freshman has already been singled out for his rare athletic tools, landing No. 4 on Bruce Feldmans 2026 college football "freaks" list, and he came in with the expectation that he might eventually anchor the Hurricanes line at left tackle. For a program that needs to keep building around young talent, his development has been one of the more closely watched stories in camp.
Early in training camp, though, the path looks a little different than many assumed. Miamis staff appears intent on easing Cantwell into the lineup instead of handing him the blind side right away, and the initial plan may have him working inside at guard while he gains experience. It is a reminder that even for a player with his upside, the Hurricanes are thinking about the long term first, with the bigger challenge of protecting the quarterbacks blind side still waiting down the road. [Read more 🡒]