The Miami Hurricanes are putting together the kind of roster that makes people in Coral Gables start thinking bigger. Much bigger.
Mario Cristobal appears to have his deepest team yet, and the numbers back up the buzz. According to On3, Miami’s offense and defense both sit inside the national top 10, with the defense listed at No.
- That kind of balance is rare, and it’s a big reason the Hurricanes are being talked about as ACC title contenders with National Championship hopes attached.
The offense starts with another high-end transfer quarterback. Darian Mensah arrives from Duke as Miami’s third straight portal addition at the position, and the expectation is that he can top what Cam Ward and Carson Beck produced.
Mensah was the engine behind Duke’s first ACC football title since 1989, and he led the conference with 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. Miami is betting that production carries over to South Florida.
He won’t be doing it alone. The receiver group is loaded, headlined by Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, the only ACC playmakers to finish with more than 1,100 yards last season. Joshua Moore, South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs, Daylyn Upshaw, and West Virginia transfer Cam Vaughn add even more firepower to a unit that could be among the most explosive in the country.
The backfield also brings continuity. Mark Fletcher Jr., the local standout, returns as part of the same supporting cast from last season.
On the other side, Miami may not have every piece from last year’s defense, but it still has plenty to work with. The departures of edge rushers Akheem Mesidor and All-American Rueben Bain Jr. matter, and the Hurricanes will need new names to step up. Marquise Lightfoot, Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II, and Hayden Lowe are the players expected to fill those roles.
If the pressure off the edge looks different, the interior could become the new strength. Miami kept defensive tackles Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott, and both are expected to build on what they’ve already shown.
There’s also room for movement and growth in the secondary. Bryce Fitzgerald has hinted at a shift from safety to nickelback, and he’ll be part of a group that includes Romanas “OJ” Frederique Jr., Xavier Lucas, Boston College transfer Omar Thornton, Zechariah Poyser, and Damari Brown.
Even with the departures on both sides of the ball, Miami has enough talent to line up with just about anyone. And for the first time in 20 years, the program has National Championship aspirations hanging over it.
Winning the ACC is the first step. The bigger goal is the one at the end.
In Other News...
Dereon Coleman Is Making Miamis Backup Quarterback Battle Much More Interesting
The backup quarterback race at Miami has become a little more compelling thanks to Dereon Coleman, a freshman who has been adding muscle while showing the kind of dual-threat ability that can change the shape of a depth chart. With Darian Mensah entrenched as the starter, the Hurricanes are sorting out who can give them the best insurance behind him, and Coleman has pushed himself into a conversation that also includes redshirt freshman Luke Nickel and redshirt sophomore Judd Anderson.
Mario Cristobal has sounded comfortable with the overall quarterback room, and for Miami, that matters beyond the immediate backup job. Colemans development is part of the bigger picture for a roster that wants more than just a dependable No. 2, especially with depth and future stability always in view. The battle is still open, but the fact that Coleman has made it interesting says plenty about where he stands right now. [Read more 🡒]
Damari Brown Gives Miami One More Secondary Storyline To Watch
Damari Browns return gives Miami another name to monitor in a secondary that already has plenty of reasons to draw attention. The cornerback has dealt with recurring foot injuries that have cut into his playing time in recent seasons, but he is back with the Hurricanes as a redshirt junior and trying to carve out a role as a rotation corner while keeping his NFL ambitions in view.
Brown also brings a family football background that fits the programs habit of leaning on pedigree and development in the defensive backfield. For Miami, the appeal is simple: if he can stay healthy, he adds more depth and experience to a unit that is expected to be a strength, and another layer to a position group that could end up shaping how far the Hurricanes go this fall. [Read more 🡒]