Miami fans have three familiar names to keep an eye on when the 2026 NFL season opens Wednesday night, as the New England Patriots visit the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl LX.
Two of those former Hurricanes will be wearing Patriots colors: kicker Andy Borregales and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III. The third, tight end Elijah Arroyo, will be on the Seahawks side as Seattle looks to defend its title.
Borregales is heading into his second NFL season after New England took him in the sixth round in 2025. The former Miami kicker made 27 of 32 field-goal attempts last season and was perfect on all four tries from 50 yards and beyond.
His longest make came from 59 yards against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18, and he also drilled 53 of 55 extra points. He recently changed his jersey from No. 36 to No. 8, the number he wore at Miami.
Taylor’s path has been a little different. A Miami Palmetto product, he spent three seasons on the Hurricanes’ defensive line before going undrafted in 2024.
He started his NFL career with the New York Jets, then joined New England’s practice squad in October 2025. Taylor played in three regular-season games for the Patriots and was elevated for the postseason.
In the AFC championship game at Denver, he got a hand on a potential game-tying field goal attempt by Broncos kicker Will Lutz, helping New England escape with a 10-7 win and punch its ticket to the Super Bowl.
Arroyo gives Miami fans a Hurricanes-to-Seahawks connection on the other sideline. Seattle picked him in the second round of the 2025 draft after he posted 35 catches for 590 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.
He then finished his rookie season with 15 receptions for 179 yards and one score in 13 games before a knee injury sent him to injured reserve in December. Arroyo returned for the NFC championship game and enters 2026 as Seattle’s No. 2 tight end behind A.J.
Barner.
In Other News...
Miami Secondary Suddenly Faces A Bigger Xavier Lucas Concern
Miamis secondary had already been leaning on youth, and the home opener only sharpened that reality. Xavier Lucas, who started in Week 1, did not play against Florida A&M, and the program offered no injury details for the absence. With the Hurricanes dealing with multiple injuries and absences in the back end, underclassmen like Bryce Fitzgerald and freshman JJ Dunnigan have been pushed into bigger roles sooner than planned.
Mario Cristobal has pointed to the groups versatility as a way to absorb those hits, but the situation also underscores how quickly depth can be tested in the secondary. Miami has spent plenty of time talking about recruiting and development as the foundation for surviving stretches like this, and Lucas status adds another layer of concern for a defense already asking younger players to hold more responsibility. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Fans Still Havent Forgotten The One Florida A&M Shocker
Before Florida A&M and Miami met again in the late 2000s, the series had already built up a long memory for Hurricanes fans, and most of it was not especially kind to the underdog. The two programs first tangled in 1979 and then again over the years in matchups that usually followed the same familiar script: Miami controlling the game, leaning on its talent and depth, and coming away with another win. By the time the teams played through the 2009 meeting, the Hurricanes had turned the series into one of those old nonconference histories that can be retold almost by habit.
Still, the reason this one lingers is that not every chapter fit the pattern, and Miami followers have never entirely let go of the one result that broke through the routine. Even with the Hurricanes holding the clear edge across the series, the trip through those games from 1979 to 2009 shows why certain opponents stick in the memory longer than the record alone would suggest. For Miami, the larger story is dominance, but for fans, it is the shock that kept one Florida A&M afternoon from blending into the rest. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Secondary Injuries Just Forced A Defensive Shuffle Fans Need To Watch
Miami was forced to improvise in the secondary against Florida A&M, and the adjustment offered a clear look at how thin the Hurricanes have become at cornerback. Bryce Fitzgerald slid over from safety to cornerback, while true freshman JJ Dunnigan was pressed into a starting role at safety, a reminder that this defense is already having to lean on flexibility early in the season.
The injury list at cornerback is what created the shuffle in the first place, with OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas and Ja'Boree Antoine all sidelined. Some of those players are expected back later in the season, but for now Miami has to keep finding workable combinations on the back end, and the way it handles that stretch will be worth monitoring once the schedule gets heavier. [Read more 🡒]