The Miami Hurricanes came out of the bye week with an offense that looks a lot different than it did earlier in the season.
Injuries have done the reshuffling for them. Two starters, Marty Brown and Joshua Moore, are already out for the year, and starting right guard Max Buchanan recently had surgery. That has forced Miami to lean on younger players, including several true freshmen, and the projected two-deep now tells the story of a unit still sorting itself out while trying to keep its rhythm.
At quarterback, there’s no real mystery. Darian Mensah has been everything Miami could have hoped for and then some.
The redshirt junior has put together a 15-0 TD/INT ratio with only 21 incompletions, and the level of control he’s shown in Shannon Dawson’s offense has been striking. Luke Nickel, meanwhile, has settled in as the backup and looks like someone who will matter in 2027.
The backfield has also taken on a different shape. Mark Fletcher Jr. has started to heat up over the last few weeks, and the timing could not be better.
With Marty Brown sidelined after a season-ending injury in Week 3, true freshman Javian Mallory stepped into the opening and has made it his own. The West Boca Raton product is averaging 7.4 yards per carry and has moved ahead of Girard Pringle Jr. and Jordan Lyle for the RB2 job.
Miami’s receiver group still starts with Malachi Toney, and that’s not changing. The sophomore has been one of the best wideouts in the country.
Behind him, the picture is more fluid. Cooper Barkate started slowly, but his Clemson game - five catches, 98 yards and a touchdown - looked like a possible turning point.
Joshua Moore’s injury has also created more room for Vandrevius Jacobs, though the South Carolina transfer hasn’t yet done much with the added opportunity. Somourian Wingo is another name to watch as the season goes on; he looks like the receiver most likely to grow into a bigger role late.
Tight end has quietly become a more useful spot for Miami, too. Elija Lofton has developed into a reliable option for Mensah over the last three games, which is exactly what the Hurricanes needed from him.
Gavin Mueller is handling a meaningful backup role and is seeing plenty of snaps. If both players keep improving as blockers, Shannon Dawson should feel more comfortable leaning on double-tight looks.
Up front, Miami is trying to settle on its best combination after Buchanan’s surgery. The projected starting five has Samson Okunlola at left tackle, Ben Congdon at left guard, Ryan Rodriguez at center, Matthew McCoy at right guard and Jackson Cantwell at right tackle. That group, as it stands, looks like the Hurricanes’ best option.
McCoy has held up fine at right tackle, but his experience at guard gives Miami flexibility. Cantwell was tried at guard earlier, and it simply didn’t fit. He looks like a natural tackle, and this stretch gives Miami a chance to get him ready for the biggest games ahead.
The backups listed are SJ Alofaituli, Jamal Meriweather, Rhys Woodrow and Jacob Hawks. Alofaituli opened the season as a starter at guard for the first four games, but he struggled and lost the job to Congdon. For Mario Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, the challenge now is finding the right five and sticking with them.
In Other News...
Miami Fans Have Several Bye Week Games That Suddenly Matter
Miamis Week 6 off date gives the Hurricanes a little breathing room, but it also turns the schedule into a scoreboard-watching exercise. With the ACC still sorting itself out and the national picture taking shape, a handful of games suddenly carry more weight for Miami fans than they might have a month ago, especially when they involve familiar league rivals and teams with playoff ambitions.
Florida State at Louisville and North Carolina at Pittsburgh are among the ACC matchups worth tracking, while Stanfords trip to Notre Dame adds another layer to the conference race and the broader postseason conversation. Beyond that, games like Indiana at Nebraska, UCLA at Oregon and Georgia at Alabama could matter indirectly for Miamis standing and for how the College Football Playoff debate unfolds, which is part of the fun of an open week when a teams path can shift as much on the field as it does from afar. [Read more 🡒]
JJ Dunnigan Just Forced A Bigger Miami Secondary Decision
JJ Dunnigans showing at Clemson gave Miami another reminder that its secondary picture is still very much in motion. Even with questions about his health hanging over him, he came away with a notable interception and flashed the kind of speed that makes coaches look for ways to get him on the field. On the latest discussion from David Lake and DMoney, Dunnigans athleticism kept coming up as the sort of trait that can change a defensive back rotation in a hurry.
The bigger question now is how Miami sorts out the rest of that group, especially with Omar Thornton, Zechariah Poyser and Bryce Fitzgerald all part of the conversation about fit and role. Dunnigans case for nickelback has only grown stronger because of the way he showed up in a high-profile road game, and the staff will have to weigh his impact against everyone else in a secondary that still seems to be taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Freshman May Have Changed A Key Offensive Line Battle
The left guard spot had been one of the quieter but more important questions for Miami heading into the Clemson game, and freshman Ben Congdon may have helped answer it. Congdon got the start and stayed on the field for 61 of 66 snaps, giving the Hurricanes a steady presence on the interior while the offense leaned on the ground game and found success running the ball.
Pro Football Focus gave Congdon a 54.7 pass-blocking grade and a 71.3 run-blocking grade, a decent snapshot of a young lineman who looked ready for a bigger role. Mario Cristobal praised both Congdons performance and his attitude after the game, which only adds to the sense that Miami may have found a real contender in a battle that was very much still open. [Read more 🡒]