Tag: Shannon Dawson
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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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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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Miami should make Stanford stop Mark Fletcher first
Miami should make Stanford prove it can stop Mark Fletcher Jr. before asking Darian Mensah to carry the season opener through the air. The choice is not a call for a timid game plan. It is the fastest way to put Miami’s most bankable offensive identity against an opponent still rebuilding. State of The U’s…
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How Joshua Moore can win Miami’s outside receiver job
Joshua Moore does not need to lead Miami in catches to become undeniable. He needs to own the outside-receiver situations that the rest of a deep room cannot solve as naturally. Moore used that word to describe the standard he wants to reach after a 2025 season built on limited opportunities. Jordan McPherson of the…
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CharMar Brown can keep Mark Fletcher fresh without changing Miami’s identity
CharMar Brown gives Miami a way to protect Mark Fletcher Jr. without announcing that the offense has changed. Brown can carry the same downhill intention, which makes the second running back part of the identity instead of a pause from it. Brown said Monday that patience and consistent preparation were his largest lessons from last…
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Darian Mensah’s No. 1 pick odds put Miami’s biggest games under a microscope
Darian Mensah’s early chance to become the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft gives Miami more than offseason publicity. It places the Hurricanes’ biggest games on a scouting calendar, where every pressure answer, late throw and road decision can either build a top-pick case or reduce the projection to summer noise. Mensah received…
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Malachi Toney earns Sporting News preseason first-team All-America honor
Malachi Toney added another national honor Thursday when Sporting News placed the Miami receiver on its preseason first-team All-America roster. Toney earned one of the team’s three first-team receiver spots after leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 109 receptions last season. The selection puts him alongside the sport’s most established playmakers and reinforces the standard…
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Miami takes No. 1 spot in new college football offense ranking
Miami owns the No. 1 offense in a new national ranking from Crain & Cone, a preseason distinction built around quarterback Darian Mensah and one of the deepest collections of skill talent in college football. The Hurricanes placed ahead of every other attack in On3’s top 10 on Wednesday afternoon. The Crain & Cone ranking…