The Miami Hurricanes are gearing up for the 2026 season with a defense that has plenty to prove, according to the latest EA Sports College Football 27 rankings. While the Hurricanes boast several talented players, only one defender, Ahmad Moten Sr., cracked the top-10 lists for cornerbacks, defensive tackles, linebackers, and edge rushers.
Moten, a redshirt senior defensive tackle, is ranked sixth at his position with a 91 overall rating. His standout performance in 2025, where he started all 14 games, racked up 31 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, earned him second-team All-ACC honors.
Highlights included a dominant showing against Virginia Tech with three tackles for loss and two sacks, and a solid performance against Pittsburgh with 1.5 sacks. His ratings include a formidable 92 strength, 88 awareness, and an impressive 98 injury rating, placing him among the elite in his position.
Despite Moten's high rating, Miami's defense faces the challenge of filling the void left by NFL-bound talent. Edge rusher Damon Wilson II, with an 89 overall rating, is just shy of the top-10 cutoff, trailing Arkansas' Quincy Rhodes Jr., who holds a 90 rating. Wilson's attributes include 87 speed, 84 strength, 89 agility, and 87 awareness, making him a key transfer to watch.
The cornerback unit, led by Ethan O'Connor at 87 overall, didn't make the top 10 either. O'Connor, along with teammates Frederique and Xavier Lucas, all boast at least a 90 speed rating, with O'Connor also having a 92 change-of-direction rating. Notre Dame's Leonard Moore tops the cornerback rankings with a 97 overall, setting a high bar for the position.
Linebacker remains the lowest-rated position for Miami, with Mohamed Toure leading the group at 84 overall. His 92 awareness is notable, but the overall rating leaves him outside the top 10, where the floor is a 90 overall. Middle linebacker Chase Smith and Kamal Bonner have ratings of 74 and 73, respectively, highlighting a need for increased production from this unit.
Safety Bryce Fitzgerald narrowly missed the top 10, sitting just outside with an 87 overall rating. His speed (91), agility (93), and change of direction (91) are strong, but an 84 awareness rating kept him from breaking into the elite group. Zechariah Poyser is the top-rated free safety for Miami at 85 overall, while newcomer Omar Thornton is rated 82 at strong safety.
As the Hurricanes prepare for the upcoming season, the focus will be on these players to step up and meet the program's high expectations. The talent is there, but the challenge lies in translating these ratings into on-field success.
In Other News...
Miami Just Lost A Chaminade-Madonna Playmaker To A Bitter Rival
A familiar South Florida recruiting name came off the board with a choice that will sting plenty of people around Coral Gables. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Armani Strong, a four-star prospect in the 2028 class, is headed to Florida after drawing serious attention from Miami, USC, Notre Dame and Michigan, giving the Gators an early win in a battle that had plenty of local significance for the Hurricanes.
For Miami, the miss is especially notable because Strong has long been part of the South Florida talent stream the program works so hard to keep home. He enters the cycle as one of the more highly regarded receivers in the country and in Florida, while Floridas new staff under Jon Sumrall gets its first commitment of the 2028 class. Even this early, the recruiting board is already starting to show which battles the Hurricanes can afford to lose and which ones they probably cannot. [Read more 🡒]
EA Sports Just Sent Miami Fans A Clear Message About This Roster
EA Sports latest College Football 27 ratings offer a pretty clear snapshot of where Miami sits in the national conversation heading into the games July 9 launch. The Hurricanes come in at 88 overall, tied with LSU and Ole Miss and trailing a group that includes Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana, Notre Dame and Texas, which is the kind of placement that suggests respect without quite reaching the sports top shelf.
The bigger takeaway for Miami fans is how much talent the roster carries beneath that team number. The Hurricanes have 15 players rated 85 or better, with the group split across both sides of the ball, a sign that this is not just a team built around a few headline names. Early access opens July 6 for eligible players, so plenty of fans will be getting their first close look at how the roster is stacked and where the game thinks Miamis strengths really lie. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Lost Ground In A Key 2027 Recruiting Battle
Miamis push for one of the countrys top 2027 tight ends hit a setback this week when Anthony Cartwright III came off the board after a recruiting process that had included a look at Coral Gables. The Detroit Country Day standout had taken official visits to Miami and Oregon in June, and his profile as a Rivals four-star prospect made him a priority name for a Hurricanes staff trying to build early momentum in the class.
Cartwrights decision matters for Miami because he had been one of the marquee targets on the board at his position, and the Hurricanes had spent June trying to make a strong impression on him. His final group also included Michigan, LSU and Michigan State, so the interest was broad and the competition was real, but Miami now has to turn the page and keep working a tight end board that was already starting to take shape. [Read more 🡒]