Miami kept the momentum rolling after a loaded recruiting weekend, and the first big piece to land was a flip.
Four-star 2027 linebacker Aston Whiteside has committed to the University of Miami after previously being pledged to Texas A&M since June.
Whiteside, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound defender from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, brings rare athletic pop to the position. He has a 10.9 time in the 100-meter and a 10'3 broad jump, traits that show up when he’s flying around the field from sideline to sideline.
He’s more than just a speedy linebacker, too. Whiteside can trigger downhill and handle coverage duties across multiple spots, with the versatility to line up as a strong safety or in the "big nickel" role.
That mobility has turned him into a tackling machine. In just seven games this season for Centennial, Whiteside has piled up 91 total tackles, 11 TFL's, four sacks and a forced fumble.
There’s also a family connection to the game. Whiteside is the son of Aston Whiteside Sr., a former edge rusher for the Cowboys, Bengals and Bears in the early 2010s.
After visiting for the FSU game this weekend, Whiteside was blunt about what stood out to him on Miami’s defense, especially when it came to linebacker Mo Toure.
"Watching that Hurricanes defense in action, they're getting after the ball," Whiteside said to CIS on Sunday. "[Miami's] resilience was a great quality to watch."
Whiteside joins linebackers AJ Randle and Noah Glover in Miami’s 2027 haul at the position.
The Hurricanes may need that depth. Both starting linebackers, Toure and Chase Smith, are expected to be gone after this season, and Miami is also expected to be active in the portal at linebacker.
With Signing Day drawing closer for the 2027 class, Miami still has room for movement on both sides of the ledger, with more additions and departures possible.
In Other News...
Belichick's North Carolina Suddenly Has A Massive Chance Against No. 1 Miami
Miamis trip to North Carolina on Oct. 31 suddenly looks like one of the most intriguing games left on the schedule. The Hurricanes are still unbeaten at 6-0 and coming off a double-overtime win over Florida State, but they now have a short turnaround before a matchup with a Tar Heels team that has quietly put together a 5-1 start under Bill Belichick.
North Carolina also brings a history of giving Miami trouble, which adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of weight in the race for the top spot. Miami still has Pitt on deck after that, and the Panthers arrive off a loss to Boston College, so the Hurricanes are staring at a stretch that could say plenty about how long they can stay at No. 1. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State May Already Have A New Portal Problem In Corvallis
College footballs transfer market keeps reshaping depth charts well before a season even gets underway, and Miami has already seen how quickly one addition can change a room. With 21 transfers from the class of 2026 making an early imprint across the sport, the Hurricanes are part of a larger wave of programs benefiting from players who arrived and immediately started producing, whether it was on defense, in the backfield or in key rotational roles.
Oregon State is one of the teams feeling the ripple effect in Corvallis, where the portal has already become both a source of opportunity and a looming challenge. The Beavers are among the programs watching their new arrivals turn into real building blocks, but the broader lesson is clear for Miami and everyone else paying attention: when transfers start delivering interceptions, rushing yards and disruptive defensive snaps right away, the program that found them can look smart one week and vulnerable the next. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Exposed A Miami Problem Pitt Will Be Watching
Miami escaped Florida State with a double-overtime win, but the game also put a spotlight on a defense that had to hang on far longer than it would have liked. The Seminoles piled up a season-high 35 points against Miami, pressed the Hurricanes with nearly two Hail Mary completions and turned a rivalry night into a stress test for Corey Hethermans unit. Even with the victory preserved by Bryce Fitzgeralds controversial interception after review, there were enough breakdowns and close calls to give the defense plenty to sort through.
For Miami, the bigger concern is how those issues might travel into the next matchup, especially against a Pitt team that will be studying every vulnerable spot. Hetherman and linebacker Chase Smith both pointed to the problems the Hurricanes had with screen passes and the late-game chaos that nearly flipped the outcome. Miami got the result it wanted, but the tape left behind a clear reminder that surviving one wild finish is not the same thing as cleaning up the problems that caused it. [Read more 🡒]