Miami former five-star running back Lorenzo Lingard enters NCAA transfer portal
The fallout from the 6-7 Miami Hurricanes season continues.
University of Miami former consensus five-star running back prospect, sophomore Lorenzo Lingard, “has entered the NCAA transfer portal,’’ UM confirmed Monday.
The Hurricanes, who as of Monday had the nation’s 90th-ranked offense of 130 FBS teams, finished their season 122nd in rushing offense, averaging 118.1 yards a game.
Lingard, a significant addition for Miami when he arrived in 2018 from Orange City University High, barely played in only two games in 2019 without having a carry. His career at UM was derailed when he underwent major knee surgery in late October 2018 after an injury he sustained in practice.
In 2018, he averaged 8 yards a carry in six games as a freshman, rushing 17 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Monday’s news came three days after top Miami tailback DeeJay Dallas announced publicly he was forgoing his senior season to declare for the NFL Draft.
“We just always tell Lo, ‘Lo, it’s going to come,’’’ Dallas said of Lingard earlier this season. “I tell him all the time, ‘It’s going to pop. When your number is called, bro, you’re going to go ballistic.’ I tell him all the time, ‘Just stay faithful, bro. Just stay faithful.’’’
On Dec. 18, UM signed two consensus four-star running backs in Donald Chaney Jr. of Miami Belen Jesuit and Jaylan Knighton of Deerfield Beach High.
The Canes also have talented back Cam’Ron Harris, who had 545 yards and five touchdowns (5.3 yards per carry) heading into the Independence Bowl last Thursday, which UM lost 14-0 to Lousiana Tech. Harris ran 12 times for only 31 yards in the bowl game.
Redshirt sophomore tailback Robert Burns, who scored his first career touchdown against Duke in the regular-season finale, rushed once for 1 yard on Thursday.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 10:53 AM.
