The Miami Hurricanes were back on Greentree Practice Field on Wednesday morning for their second fall camp workout, and the early look says plenty about why this team is drawing so much attention.
The offense has the pieces to be dangerous right away. Miami is bringing in quarterback Darian Mensah from Duke after he threw for nearly 4,000 yards in 2025, and he joins a group that already features Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, both coming off 1,000-yard receiving seasons. In the backfield, Mark Fletcher crossed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground in 2025 and found another gear once the College Football Playoff arrived.
There’s also a runway for the offensive line to come together. With Stanford, FAMU, Wake Forest, and Central Michigan on the schedule in the first month, Miami should have time to let that group settle in and build chemistry.
Defensively, the Hurricanes are going to look different after losing a number of high-impact players from the 2025 team. But they did add a real difference-maker in the portal in Damon Wilson, who comes over from Missouri after posting nine sacks and more than 50 pressures in 2025. Up front, Ahmad Moten is back after a breakout season that included nine tackles for loss and 27 pressures.
Miami is also counting on former five-star recruits Marquise Lightfoot, Justin Scott, and Armondo Blount to take another step in year three. At linebacker, the veteran presence belongs to Mo Toure, who is entering his eighth year at the college level.
The secondary has a strong foundation, too. The Hurricanes return their top four corners from 2025 - OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas, Ethan O'Connor, and Damari Brown - and bring back safeties Bryce Fitzgerald and Zechariah Poyser. They also added versatile defensive back Omar Thornton.
Another important detail: Miami is bringing back both coordinators from last season, with Shannon Dawson again handling the offense and Corey Hetherman leading the defense.
Football is back.
In Other News...
Miami Suddenly Needs Third Scroggins In A Much Bigger 2026 Role
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Scroggins is part of a broader group the Hurricanes will lean on, with Damon Wilson, Marquise Lightfoot, Booker Pickett and Asharri Charles also in line for bigger contributions. Miami has spent the last stretch sorting out who can handle more responsibility as the rotation changes, and the next step is finding out which of those younger defenders can turn opportunity into a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Secondary Suddenly Has A Bigger Freshman Question Than Expected
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Wyman has announced he is stepping away from football for the 2026 season, though he says he intends to return in the future. Mario Cristobal confirmed Wyman is no longer with the team, leaving Miami to adjust its depth picture while one of its most intriguing young defensive backs puts his career on pause for now. [Read more 🡒]
Ethan O'Connor Sees Unfinished Business In Miamis Secondary
Ethan O'Connor arrived in Miami with plenty to prove, and the junior cornerback has already leaned into the kind of accountability that tends to earn respect in a secondary. After transferring from Washington State, he looked back on a difficult showing in the National Championship game, but just as important was the support he said he felt from his teammates as the season wound down. It helped frame a first year in Coral Gables that ended with 28 tackles and five pass deflections, a solid starting point for a player still chasing a bigger role.
Now O'Connor is talking like someone who sees unfinished business in a Miami defensive backfield that expects to be tested again. He wants to raise his interception total this fall, and he sounds convinced the group is in position to make that happen after the work it has already put in for the new season. For a Hurricanes team that has been building around its secondary, O'Connor's confidence adds another layer to a unit that knows the margin for error gets smaller when the games matter most. [Read more 🡒]