An exciting roster, season, and opportunity is at hand for the University of Miami and they are pushing to be one of the best teams in the country, not just the ACC. With the Hurricanes roster, South Beach might be see glimpses of the the national powerhouses they once where.
Head coach Mario Cristobal is one of the best recuritering the the country and building a quality roster has been his mission since stepping in Coral Gables.
Here is how Miami Hurricanes On SI sees the The Miami football depth chart with less than 40 days until the Hurricanes travel to "The Swamp" to face the Florida Gators.
1. Cameron Ward
2. Emory Williams
3. Reese Poffenbarger
To state the obvious, Ward is the best quarterback the Miami Hurricanes have seen in quite some time. This room consists of him and another player like Williams who flashed his potential last season before getting injured against Florida State after a win against Clemson. Another key person in the room is the transfer quarterback in Poffenbarger. He spent his past few seasons at Albany after some time at Old Dominion. This is a deep room with a lot of talent that can play anytime.
Running Backs
1. Damien Martinez
2. Mark Fletcher Jr.
3. Ajay Allen
4. Chris Johnson Jr.
Last season it was running back by committee and with that came the emergence of Fletcher Jr. The freshman was special and now with the addition of Oregon State transfer Martnez, the potential of two 1000-yard backs is exciting. Allen and Johnson are young backs who can see the ball and explode for big gains. Johnson has gone viral on EA College Football 25 just for his high speed and if it can translate onto the field, he could be a game-changer for the Hurricanes.
WR-X - Samuel Brown, Isaiah Horton, Joshisa Trader
WR-Z - Jacolby George, Ny Carr, Robby Washington
WR-H - Xavier Restrepo, Ray Ray Joseph
This group is the definition of depth. One of the best WR cores in the ACC with some of the best talents in the country is located in South Beach with these players. The first two key players are Restrepo and George who are returning for another season after exploding on the scene last year. The addition of Houston transfer Brown will only add to the core that has the potential to have three 1000-yard receivers. The rest of the room are quick and explosive young talent that will get a chance to shine on returns if it not Restrepo returning the ball.
Tight Ends
1. Elijah Arroyo
2. Riley Williams
3. Cam McCormick
4. Elija Lofton
In this offense, tight ends are an extension of the offensive line but there are still plays for many of the players. Arroyo and Williams are a one-two punch that allows the middle of the field to be attacked. McCormick and Lofton are also great plug-in pieces for the offense and what offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson likes to call on the field.
LT - Jalen Rivers, Markel Bell
LG - Samson Okunlola, Tommy Kinsler IV
C - Zach Carpenter, Ryan Rodriguez
RT - Francis Mauigoa, Matthew McCoy
RG - Anez Cooper, Luis Cristobal Jr.
Mario Cristobal's bread and butter is the offensive line. He has come in and rebuilt the group into one of the best lines in the country and three starters are returning in River, Mauigoa, and Cooper. Those three will bring in the continuous and hard-nose attack for the program as well as Indiana transfer Carpenter. This group led the Canes to have a top running game in the nation and with the continuity still being in place the experienced players will help this young and powerful line in the future.
Defensive Tackle
1. Simeon Barrow Jr.
2. Marley Cook
3. Anthony Campbell
Transfers are a big part of the defense for the Miami Hurricanes but that does not change the game plan on getting after the ball and being a great run defense like last season. The addition of Barrow Jr. and Cook will only boost the line play after their impressive season last year with other programs. Also working with Jason Taylor as their line coach also benefits the growth in the team.
1. C.J. Clark
2. Ahmad Moten Sr.
3. Josh Horton
Another key transfer player C.J. Clark coming from NC State will also aid the running defense of the Hurricanes. Moten Sr and Horton will have time to see the field and with their athletic ability, they can be a dangerous replacement in situations for the Canes.
Edge Rushers
LDE - Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor
RDE - Tyler Baron, Elijah Alston
On one side you have a freak of nature recruit who exploded on the scene for the Hurricanes during his freshman season in Bain Jr. On the other is an experienced SEC veteran in Baron who has great physical ability in pursuing the ball. That doesn't also mention that Mesidor returned from injury last season after having an amazing 2022 campaign alongside Alston, the Marshall transfer, who was great in pass-rushing situations last season.
WLB - Wesley Bissainthe, Raul Aguirre Jr., Bobby Washington Jr
MLB - Francisco Mauigoa, Jalin Alderman, Cam Pruitt, Chase Smith
LCB - Damari Brown, Jadais Harris
A group that will be similar to last season with Mauigoa leading the team in the middle of the field. With the 4-2-5 defensive set that coordinator Lance Guildry likes the play under, this is one of the best groups in the ACC. Bissainthe will see more playing time this season alongside Brown. The depth in this room is one of the best things about this group because of each player's versatility.
Safety
Strong Safety - Haden Harris, Markeith Williams
Free Safety - Isaiah Taylor, Brain Balom
This group is one of the weakest in the program because of how young the group is. Harris and Willams are red-shirt sophom*ores so they did not see a lot of playing time throughout last season and Taylor is a transfer so he is new to the system. This group will need some time to develop but it could be a group that ends up being great.
RCB - Daryl Porter Jr., Robert Stafford
NB - Mishael Powell, Zaquan Patterson
Porter Jr. returns to be the leader of this group with several new faces around him to improve the cornerback room from last season. Powell is another senior who transferred from Washington to play in South Beach. Patterson and Stafford are both freshmen but if they do get the chance to see the field, the leadership of Porter and Powell will aid them in their journey.
Specialists
K - Andres Borregales
P - Dylan Joyce
Knowing that a team has a kicker that can drill anything from 50 yards is a blessing and Borregales has one of those types of legs. Having him as a safety blanket for the team who shouldn't struggle on offense might lead to him only kicking PATs but he can drill it if he needs to. Joyce is returning for another year to punt the ball and he has one of the biggest legs in the ACC as well.
