He was a ‘student of the game’ as a freshman. Now, Trader poised for big role with Hurricanes
Joshisa “JoJo” Trader had a front-row seat last season as the Miami Hurricanes put together the most prolific offense in school history.
Now, he hopes to be a centerpiece in the group’s follow-up act.
After being buried on the depth chart behind a slew of veteran wide receivers and dealing with injuries at the start of his freshman season at Miami, Trader is now primed to be a focal point in the Hurricanes’ offense as a sophomore.
Trader, who caught just six passes for 91 yards over seven games as a freshman, believes how last year unfolded — having to watch and earn his place moreso than having steady playing time — is going to help him moving forward.
“You have to work on everything,” said Trader, who was a standout at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna before enrolling at Miami. “You’re never too good for anything. I work on my hands, footwork, blocking drills, everything. I’m learning all the plays from inside out.”
Miami will certainly need all the help it can get as it replaces essentially every major pass catcher from last season’s team.
Wide receivers Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Sam Brown along with tight end Elijah Arroyo entered the NFL draft. Wide receiver Isaiah Horton transferred to Alabama.
Those five accounted for 3,594 of Miami’s 4,527 receiving yards — or 79.4 percent — and 33 of 41 receiving touchdowns last season. Add in the departure of running back Damien Martinez and his 204 receiving yards from the 2024 season as well, and the Hurricanes’ top returning receiver from last season is tight end Elija Lofton, who had just nine catches for 150 yards.
“I took away a lot from Restrepo, JG, Sam Brown, all those receivers,” Trader said. “I’m getting comfortable with the offense. ... Just being a student of the game.”
As Miami goes through a revamp at the receiver position, Trader certainly has the tools and the makeup to step up. He has size at 6-1 and soft hands as well as improved route running.
He showed a glimpse of what he could do during Miami’s 42-41 loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl when he hauled in three catches for 61 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown.
“He showed glimpses of being a player who could be really elite right now,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “Consistency is something we all have to work on. He’s really steady in what he does. He’s very capable.”
Coach Mario Cristobal echoed that sentiment not just for Trader, but for all of the Hurricanes’ young receivers.
Beyond Trader, the Hurricanes have transfer CJ Daniels, junior Ray Ray Joseph, sophomores Ny Carr and Chance Robinson, and true freshmen Josh Moore, Malachi Toney and Daylyn Upshaw as the main contenders competing for playing time. Miami could also dip into the spring transfer portal for another receiver if the team deems it needs one.
“I see a lot of ability, and I see flashes, and I see guys that need a ton of work. That’s what I see,” Cristobal said. “I see guys that need to get pushed, and we’re going to push them. They don’t have a problem getting pushed. But now, when you have to be the guy, it’s different, right? And so we have a ways to go. We’re not consistent enough. We make some spectacular flash plays, and then other times it’s a little bit head scratching, and that’s OK. That’s part of growing up. That’s part of maturing, but we’re going to pour it on them. I myself am on them really, really hard because that’s ball, right? There’s no kind and cuddly way to prepare for this stuff. Sometimes it’s important that you choose the right words when coaching players because so many times they get on Twitter and they read about how great they are, or how great people think they are, and that’s not it. They have to earn everything that they get to display on the field on a daily basis, and that’s going to be hammered home. I hope they hear this, too. They need to. I’m going to be all over their butts non-stop. We got a ways to go, but we’ve come a long ways.
First scrimmage set
Cristobal said the team’s first scrimmage of spring ball will be next Saturday. That puts them in line to have two scrimmages before the team’s spring game on April 12 to wrap up camp.
This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 2:38 PM.
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