We haven’t spent enough time on Dre Jacobs, and Miami is starting to feel the payoff for that oversight.
Jacobs was slowed in camp by a lingering issue, and for a player whose whole game is built on speed, that mattered. It kept him from becoming a bigger piece of the rotation early.
But once he was right against FAMU, the difference was obvious. He ran right by the defense.
This isn’t some long-term development project. Jacobs already showed what he can do in the SEC at South Carolina last year, and he put up real numbers there.
He also sounds like the kind of player teammates gravitate toward. From what’s being heard, he’s one of the most well-liked guys in the room, and that showed on the touchdown photo with Somourian Wingo cheering him on and Daylyn Upshaw in the background.
Darian Mensah was the first to bring up Jacobs this week, and he also mentioned getting Cooper Barkate more involved. When the quarterback starts naming receivers like that, it’s worth paying attention.
The timing is important, too. Joshua Moore’s injury changes the math for the receiver room, and players who weren’t locked into the deep rotation now have to move up. Jacobs suddenly looks like a very real answer.
Saturday’s matchup with Central Michigan gives Miami a chance to lean into that. The Chippewas are expected to run the ball and keep the game moving, which should limit possessions. That makes it a good spot to get Malachi Toney his three or four catches, maybe a touchdown, and keep it moving.
But if Miami can’t control games with the run the way it did last year, it needs another way to stress a defense. Jacobs and Vance Spafford bring legitimate speed on the outside, and that changes how opponents have to line up. It doesn’t solve the interior line issues, but it does make them easier to manage.
And if Miami hits one deep ball to Jacobs Saturday night, the place will come alive. Just as important, it would get him rolling for Clemson.
We broke down the receiver room, the Central Michigan game plan and more on the full show.
In Other News...
Sean Taylor Tribute Gives Miami Fans One More Reason To Feel This
Adidas is bringing back the look of Miamis 2001 national championship team, and the rollout has given Hurricanes fans a fresh dose of nostalgia at a time when the program is already carrying real momentum. Former players Clinton Portis, Ed Reed and Jeremy Shockey were part of the jersey release, tying one of the schools most iconic eras to the present as Miami sits sixth in the AP Top 25 and starts looking ahead to a future equipment change in 2027.
The most powerful touch came in the tribute to Sean Taylor, with an empty seat left for him during the launch. For a fan base that still holds tight to the memory of that era and the players who defined it, the gesture fit the moment perfectly, especially with the program about to move from Adidas to Nike and this throwback serving as one more reminder of what Miami football has meant at its best. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have Found The New Pass-Game Threat It Needed
Elija Loftons emergence has given Miami another layer to work with as the offense keeps sorting itself out. The Hurricanes tight end has trimmed down and taken clear steps forward as both a blocker and a receiver this season, which has helped him carve out a more noticeable place in the passing game. Against Wake Forest, Lofton caught five passes for 39 yards and a touchdown, the kind of production that catches the eye when a team is looking for reliable options beyond its usual names.
For Miami, the timing matters. Injuries have forced the Hurricanes to keep searching for more targets, and Loftons development offers a promising answer in a spot that can be difficult for defenses to account for. His expanded role may still be taking shape, but the way he is being used suggests Miami believes there is more production to mine from a player who is starting to look like a genuine playmaker. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Title Game Finish Now Has A Controversial New Twist
A strange footnote from last years national championship has resurfaced, and it has added a fresh layer to Miamis painful ending against Indiana. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said President Trumps movement inside a stadium can interfere with coach communication headsets during games, then pointed to the title game between the Hurricanes and Hoosiers as an example of how briefly lost communication can become part of the competitive picture.
Miami sources have offered a different read on the sequence, saying the disruption came only for a play or two and did not materially change the outcome. Still, the detail has given new attention to the fourth quarter of a game that ended with Miamis final drive in an interception, the play that sealed Indianas championship and left the Hurricanes with one more what-if to sit with. [Read more 🡒]