The Miami Hurricanes are set up to enter the 2025 season with the kind of buzz that usually brings a target with it.
When the ACC preseason media poll is released on Tuesday, July 28, Miami is expected to sit at the top. That makes sense on paper. The roster has been reshaped, the transfer additions are real, and the Hurricanes have the kind of offensive talent that can make a conference race look pretty simple.
But the league’s recent history says being the favorite in the ACC has not exactly been a lucky assignment.
Since the 2023 season, the preseason pick has failed to even reach the conference title game in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clemson got the nod in 2023 and finished tied for fifth in the standings.
Florida State was the preseason favorite in 2024 and wound up eighth. Clemson was back in that spot in 2025 and finished tied for third.
That’s the backdrop Miami is walking into.
The Hurricanes are also chasing something the program has never done: win an ACC title. This group is being built to change that.
At quarterback, Miami landed Darian Mensah after he hit the transfer portal. Mensah comes in with a strong résumé from Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to the ACC title game and then a 27-20 overtime win.
He also finished atop the ACC in passing yards with 3,973 and passing touchdowns with 34. With the weapons around him in South Florida, more production feels like the expectation.
And there are plenty of weapons.
Miami returns two of the ACC’s top playmakers from last season in Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, the only receivers in the league to top 1,100 receiving yards. They’re joined by a deep group that includes South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs, Joshua Moore, West Virginia transfer Cam Vaughn, and Joshua Moore.
The Hurricanes can hurt defenses in the air, but the ground game is loaded too. Mark Fletcher Jr. is back for his senior season, and he’s joined by CharMar Brown, Jordan Lyle, and Girard Pringle Jr., the same supporting cast from a year ago. Each brings a different style, but the common thread is production.
That’s why the offense looks built to carry Miami through the ACC race. The bigger question is whether the defense can hold up after losing two major pieces off the edge.
Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. are gone to the NFL Draft, leaving the Hurricanes to replace both star edge rushers. Marquise Lightfoot, Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II, and Hayden Lowe are among the players expected to step into those roles.
Even with those departures, the interior of the defensive line could be a strength. Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott are expected to anchor that group, while Armondo Blount gives Miami a versatile piece who can line up all over the front.
The secondary should look mostly familiar, with cornerback Keionte Scott and safety Jakobe Thomas the main departures. Boston College transfer Omar Thornton is the new addition there, and he is projected to play nickelback.
Miami has the kind of roster that makes preseason hype easy to understand. The question now is whether the Hurricanes can turn that into something the ACC preseason favorite has not managed lately: a trip to Charlotte and a shot at the conference crown.
In Other News...
Florida State Just Gave Miami Extra Fuel Before October Showdown
The buildup to the Oct. 17 meeting between Miami and Florida State already had plenty of edge, but the Seminoles have now supplied a little extra. This rivalry has long carried its own temperature, and the latest round of public trash talk only sharpens the sense that both programs will arrive with something to prove when they meet again in 2026.
Florida State cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls is part of the reason the comments landed with so much force. He missed most of last season because of injury and briefly explored a transfer before staying put, and his return matters for a Seminoles team trying to put a frustrating 2025 behind it after a string of close losses. Miami, meanwhile, is heading into the matchup with bigger expectations, which only makes the early noise around this game feel even more pointed. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Rookie Buzz Is Showing Just How Far The Canes Reach
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Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor and Francis Mauigoa are among the first Miami rookies to surface in Madden NFL 27, with more names still waiting for their numbers as the rollout continues. Bains rating has drawn the most attention so far, but the broader takeaway for Miami is the same one the draft already delivered: the Canes are not just producing headline names, they are spreading them across the NFL in a way that keeps the program in the conversation long after draft weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Landed A Guard Who Could Matter More Than Fans Realize
Miami added a familiar name to its backcourt mix with the transfer of L.J. Cason, a junior combo guard who arrives from Michigan after showing the kind of efficiency that can translate well once he gets back on the floor. The Lakeland, Florida native gives the Hurricanes another guard option with size and scoring touch, and his numbers in Ann Arbor suggest he was starting to carve out a real role before things changed.
Casons path to Coral Gables comes with a longer runway than most transfer additions, though, because he is set to redshirt and preserve two years of NCAA eligibility. For Miami, that means the payoff is not immediate, but the upside is still easy to see if he returns healthy and settles in as expected for the 2027-28 season. [Read more 🡒]