From a promising reset to a rough opening stretch, three Miami Hurricanes have spent this season fighting uphill battles against expectation, circumstance and, in one case, discipline.
Junior running back Jordan Lyle is the clearest example of how quickly things can change. He beat out Mark Fletcher Jr. for the starting job in last year’s opener against Notre Dame, but the momentum never held.
Injuries limited him to six games, and he finished with 108 rushing yards on 35 carries with one touchdown. This year was supposed to offer a chance to settle back into a steady role in a backfield Miami kept intact, but that plan unraveled in fall camp when Lyle was arrested for alleged fleeing from police.
He served a team suspension and has only gotten 19 offensive snaps across two games, against Central Michigan and Clemson. Freshman Javian Mallory has moved ahead of him, and Lyle has just 16 rushing yards on six carries.
The situation has been just as disappointing for five-star freshman offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, one of the biggest names in Miami’s 2026 recruiting class. The 18-year-old arrived with huge buzz after piling up 459 pancake blocks in four years at Nixa High School in Missouri, and he was expected to compete for a starting job right away.
Instead, he has seen only 78 snaps along the line. With veteran redshirt junior Samson Okunlola holding down left tackle and redshirt senior Matthew McCoy at right tackle, Cantwell’s only real avenue has been the interior.
He has played 59 snaps at right guard, but the 6-8, 330-pounder has not been able to lock down the spot.
Wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs also came to Coral Gables with a track record that suggested a bigger impact. Miami overhauled its receiver room around rising Malachi Toney, and Jacobs was one of 13 transfers brought in, arriving from South Carolina after a strong season.
He caught 32 passes for 548 yards and four touchdowns last year, including a 74-yard score against Clemson. But so far, the production has not matched the résumé.
Even with sophomore Joshua Moore sidelined for the season with an upper-body injury, Jacobs has only five catches for 81 yards and one touchdown. There is still time for him to get more involved before the regular season ends, but through this point, the numbers have not met the expectation.
In Other News...
Miami Just Raised The Stakes On Its Unbeaten Start
Miamis unbeaten start now carries a little more weight. The Hurricanes moved up to a season-high No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 after Texas lost to Oklahoma, giving Mario Cristobals team an even stronger national perch as it heads deeper into the fall. For a program trying to turn a fast start into something more durable, the ranking only sharpens the spotlight.
Florida State is next, and that is where the real test of Miamis place in the poll begins. Rivalry games have a way of reshaping the conversation quickly, especially when a team is still perfect and climbing, while the rest of the rankings continue to churn around it with Kentucky up to No. 15 and Florida dropping out after a loss to South Carolina. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Could Get A Massive Rankings Boost Without Even Playing
Recent college football chaos is set to shake up the next projected top 25, and Miami stands to benefit without taking a snap. After a weekend that featured multiple upsets and a key Georgia win over Oklahoma, the Hurricanes are slotted at No. 3 in the new outlook, a placement that reflects how much the sports pecking order can change even when a team is idle.
Georgia appears headed for the No. 1 spot in the projection, while Miamis rise keeps it squarely in the thick of the College Football Playoff picture. For a program trying to stay positioned near the top of the national conversation, a rankings boost like this is exactly the kind of development that can matter later, especially with so much still to play out across the sport. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Unbeaten Start Just Raised The Stakes For Florida State
Miamis unbeaten start suddenly looks even more valuable after Week 6 shuffled the college football picture at the top. Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama left the Bulldogs as the top-ranked undefeated team, while six teams, including Texas and Alabama, were knocked from the unbeaten ranks and other programs such as James Madison and UCLA grabbed attention with notable wins.
For the Hurricanes, the timing only heightens the stakes around Florida State. With the November meeting still ahead and the national race tightening, every week now carries more weight for Miami as it tries to protect its place in the conversation. The schedule still has plenty of room to change, with a number of teams also setting up important games for October 17, but the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]