Jai Lucas isn’t acting like a coach entering a second year on the job. From his perspective, the grind is basically the same.
The recruiting never really stops, and Miami still had to rebuild around 13 new players. That kind of turnover keeps everything moving at the same speed, no matter what the calendar says.
Even with all that change, there are familiar pieces in place. Shelton Henderson, Dante Allen, and Malik Reneau are back for the Hurricanes, giving Lucas a few returning anchors as he reshapes the roster.
But the bigger story is the way Lucas wants Miami to look this season. The foundation is still physicality, but he’s asking for more layers now.
"Just kind of some of the things that we really showed last year," Lucas said in ACC Media Day. "You know, the way we're built and it will kind of be how we're built moving forward.
We'll tweak it a little bit. Like this year we're tweaking it, but one would be just our physicality.
That leads to multiple things, but one of it is winning the glass, being able to rebound."
That rebounding edge was already part of Miami’s identity. Last season, UM finished among the top 30 nationally in rebounding and dunks, and inside the top five in conference play. Lucas wants to keep that strength intact, but he also wants the Hurricanes to do more with it.
"Second part of that is defending without fouling and using our size," Lucas continued. "Then the third part of that would be getting fouled and getting points from the free-throw line.
This year with the way we're built -- part of this has to do with Acaden [Lewis] also -- is our ability to play faster in transition. It's something that we really wanted to do.
"Then being able to have multiple guys now being able to space the floor and being able to shoot with some of the guys we brought in, like Brent Bland, a Nick Dorn; Dante Allen has also grown in his shooting; freshman Caleb Gaskins has grown in his shooting. So just that ability to play faster, space the floor. But I would say the physicality is kind of where we start."
That last piece matters because Miami’s perimeter production was a real problem in 2025-26. The Hurricanes were one of the worst shooting teams from three, and while they didn’t exactly force a barrage of attempts, the lack of outside threat was obvious. Lucas attacked that issue through the portal, looking for players who could change the shape of the offense.
Put together, his three-part blueprint is built to push Miami into contender territory. The Hurricanes open the season against Florida, and Lucas has made it clear he’s aiming higher than just a roster refresh.
In Other News...
Miami Bye Week Put One Defensive Problem Under The Spotlight
The bye week gave Miami a chance to step back and look hard at a defense that has been good enough in stretches, but not clean enough in one of the most basic areas of the game. Through five games of the 2026 season, the Hurricanes sit 115th nationally in tackling grade according to Pro Football Focus, and the number fits the eye test for a unit that has at times let routine stops turn into extra yardage.
The encouraging part for Miami is that the problem does not appear to be universal. Chase Smith and Justin Scott have been among the defenders showing strong tackling consistency, while several others have missed at rates above 15 percent, a level that stands out compared with recent National Championship teams. As the season moves on, the Hurricanes will be judged not just by how often they get to the ball, but by how reliably they finish the play once they are there. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Sent A Clear ACC Message Before Florida State
The ACC race is tightening in a hurry, and Miami has put itself squarely in the thick of it with a decisive win over Clemson. Around the league, Florida State answered with a dominant showing against Virginia, Pittsburgh held off Virginia Tech despite losing starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to a torn ACL, Louisville has now dropped back-to-back games, and Wake Forest keeps hanging around as one of the conferences steadier teams.
What makes Miamis statement so important is the timing. With only three teams still unbeaten in ACC play, every week now feels like a separator, and the Hurricanes have given themselves a chance to shape the conversation before the Florida State matchup. The leagues depth is showing up in the standings and on the field, which means Miamis margin for error is getting smaller even as its own momentum keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Miami's Unbeaten Start Just Made The Canes' Road Far More Dangerous
Miamis 5-0 start and No. 4 ranking have made the Hurricanes impossible to ignore, but the real test is still in front of them. What looked like a manageable early path is giving way to a much tougher finish, and the back half of the schedule now carries the kind of stakes that can reshape a playoff case in a hurry.
Notre Dame looms on November 7 as the headline matchup, with Pitt, Virginia Tech and Duke also waiting in conference play. The case for Miami is stronger than it was in September, but the margin for error is shrinking because the remaining opponents have combined for a strong record, including three unbeaten teams, and the schedule debate is only going to get louder from here. [Read more 🡒]