Miami is lining up a useful early test, and it comes against a Vanderbilt team that fits the bill.
The Hurricanes and Commodores will meet in an exhibition at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables on Friday, Oct. 23.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and admission will be free. Seating at the Watsco Center will be general admission.
The matchup gives Jai Lucas’ team a chance to measure itself against one of the SEC’s better programs. Vanderbilt went 27-9 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while Miami finished 26-9 and also advanced to the second round. Both teams are included in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.
Lucas said the changing postseason landscape makes games like this more valuable.
"You know, with the tournament expanding and the seeding going to come down to the schedule," Lucas said in his first availability for his second season. "I guess some more primetime games will help, and the conference schedule that we have will give us more information and experience for stuff like this."
Miami’s season will already open with a heavyweight matchup against Florida in Tampa, so the Vanderbilt exhibition arrives as another chance to see where the Hurricanes stand before the games start counting.
The first practice also offered an early look at the roster, and Lucas came away seeing a group that looks ready to move forward physically. Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen stood out as slimmer and faster, while still looking strong. The rest of the team, as the report noted, continues to work in and around them.
That kind of buy-in has helped Miami get everyone aligned more easily this season, and Lucas has made roster construction and collective development a priority. With a group that has been described as one of the best-built rosters in the country, the Hurricanes are using every practice and every extra game to sharpen themselves for what comes next.
The message is clear: Miami thinks it belongs in that next tier, and the Vanderbilt exhibition is another step toward proving it.
In Other News...
Jared Curtis Just Raised Vanderbilt's Biggest Quarterback Question
Jared Curtis did more than survive his first start at Vanderbilt. The five-star freshman quarterback helped engineer a 17-point comeback against NC State, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors in the process and giving the Commodores a glimpse of what their future might look like under center. He finished 20 of 34 for 277 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions, a line that reflected both the promise and the occasional rough edges that come with a young quarterback making his first real statement.
Clark Lea said Curtis showed growth throughout the game, and that may be the part Vanderbilt will watch most closely moving forward. The performance gave the staff evidence that Curtis can handle big moments, but it also sharpened the bigger question now hanging over the position: how quickly can Vanderbilt turn one impressive debut into something more stable as the season goes on? [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Had Several Performances SEC Teams Should Notice After This Win
Vanderbilts win over NC State offered more than just a good result for the resume, because several players gave SEC opponents something to file away. The defense made one of the biggest early statements when EDGE Miles Capers forced a fumble that cornerback Cayden Daniels recovered, and Capers added three tackles and a tackle for loss to a disruptive outing.
On the other side of the ball, Sherrill kept building his case as a reliable target by leading the Commodores with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns, a sign that his timing with quarterback Jared Curtis is starting to look more natural. Freshman Mason Lewis also turned heads in his first start at STAR, tying for the team lead with eight tackles and giving Vanderbilt another young defender worth watching as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]