Category: Football
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Chase Smith sees mental leap from Miami’s young linebackers
Miami linebacker Chase Smith says sophomores Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. and Kellen Wiley Jr. have made their largest progress in the mental part of the position, giving the Hurricanes two young defenders who can anticipate plays instead of only reacting to them. Smith discussed their growth after Miami’s second preseason scrimmage in a media session detailed…
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New roster study puts Miami at 46% returning snaps
Miami returns 46% of its offensive and defensive snaps from last season, placing the Hurricanes below most of the leading national championship contenders in a new roster-continuity study. Cody Nagel of CBS Sports published the updated measure Saturday after tracking all 138 FBS rosters with TruMedia data and changes made before fall camp. Six of…
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Justin Scott can replace lost edge pressure from the middle
This is an analysis of how Justin Scott can help Miami replace pressure from two departed edge stars without pretending that a defensive tackle must become Rueben Bain Jr. or Akheem Mesidor. The Hurricanes lost both edge rushers to the first round of the NFL draft. Damon Wilson II, Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount will…
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Darian Mensah can build a Davey O’Brien case without 4,000 yards
This is an analysis of Darian Mensah’s best route to the Davey O’Brien Award, and it does not require him to reproduce his 3,973 passing yards from Duke. Miami announced Thursday that Mensah made the 30-quarterback preseason watch list. He led the ACC with 34 touchdown passes along with the yardage in 2025, earning second-team…
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Ahmad Moten, Damon Wilson make Bednarik Award watch list
Miami defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. and edge rusher Damon Wilson II were named Friday to the preseason watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which honors college football’s outstanding defensive player. The selections place Miami’s most established interior defender and its major edge transfer in the same national award race. Their roles are different,…
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Seven Miami players make Senior Bowl Top 300 list
Seven Miami players were selected for the 2027 Senior Bowl Top 300, giving the Hurricanes the joint-largest group from an ACC program on the preseason evaluation list. Quarterback Darian Mensah, running back Mark Fletcher Jr., wide receiver Cooper Barkate, defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr., edge rusher Damon Wilson II, linebacker Mohamed Toure and cornerback OJ…
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Mario Cristobal says Miami still sorting trust after second scrimmage
Mario Cristobal left Miami’s second preseason scrimmage with a clearer measure of which Hurricanes can be trusted in specific situations, but he said the competition for roles will continue. Miami held the scrimmage Friday morning on Greentree Practice Fields and published Cristobal’s comments later that afternoon. The coach described the work as progress, with some…
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Elija Lofton’s pass protection can decide Miami’s 12-personnel ceiling
Elija Lofton’s pass protection should determine how far Miami can take its two-tight-end offense, even though his receiving ability will draw more attention. Jake Marcus of State of The U summarized Lofton’s broad role and noted that he has played 28 college games with five touchdown catches. The same preview cited a stronger 2025 pass-blocking…
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Darian Mensah’s red-zone answer can be his legs, not a bigger playbook
Miami should make Darian Mensah’s legs a selective red-zone weapon instead of trying to solve every compressed-field problem with a larger passing menu. Aaron Beard of The Associated Press detailed the expectations surrounding Mensah after he led Duke to the 2025 ACC championship. Preseason voters made him the league’s player of the year, an honor…
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Dylan Joyce makes Ray Guy Award preseason watch list
Miami punter Dylan Joyce earned a place on the Ray Guy Award preseason watch list Friday after a 2025 season that established him as one of the Hurricanes’ most dependable field-position players. Friday’s official release from Miami Athletics listed the production behind the selection. Joyce averaged 44.4 yards on 54 punts last season, hit 13…