Where UM stands at every position, who’s departing and where help will be sought
Against the backdrop of awaiting its playoff fate and finishing out the season (either in the playoffs or a bowl), the Canes in the coming days will continue to work toward replacing 14 starters and some key reserves.
Many of those starter spots will be filled internally. Others will be filled in the transfer portal, with players permitted to enter between Jan. 2 and 16 and sign with schools at any time during or after that window.
Potentially a few 2026 starters — and several immediate rotation players - will emerge from the 30-player recruiting class that signed with UM on Wednesday, a group that included 14 on offense and 16 on defense.
Here’s a quick look at the players that UM must replace, among those who either are in the final seasons of eligibility or those who walked on Senior Day: (We’ll have a more in-depth look once the offseason starts.)
▪Quarterback: With Carson Beck out of eligibility after the postseason, the expectation is that the Canes will again open their wallet to pursue the best option in the portal. Former ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has linked South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers to Miami, but there will be other appealing options, including Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt.
Four-star Orlando Jones High quarterback Dereon Coleman became the Canes’ fifth quarterback “under contract,” this week, joining the soon-to-be departing Beck, Emory Williams, Luke Nickel and Judd Anderson (who’s a portal possibility). We hear offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson really likes Williams. But I would be surprised if the Canes don’t go portal shopping.
▪ Running back: All of UM’s top five players at the position have eligibility remaining. Mark Fletcher Jr, Gerard Pringle Jr. and CharMar Brown should return in a loaded room, unless Fletcher turns pro or another school makes a too-good-to-refuse offer for Brown. (Let’s not be naive here; players everywhere are getting offers before they enter the portal.)
The question is whether Jordan Lyle will enter the portal after not getting a carry in the final three games. After starting the opener and sustaining an ankle injury in the game, he finished the season with just 35 carries for 108 yards (3.1 per carry). The Canes added one freshman back, West Boca High’s Javian Mallory, who averaged an absurd 9.5 yards per rush this season.
▪ Wide receiver: CJ Daniels and Keelan Marion walked during Senior Day and will try to make NFL teams. The Canes are still in very good shape at the position with potential 2026 Heisman candidate Malachi Toney, Joshua Moore and Daylyn Upshaw, among others.
The question here is whether Jojo Trader will return or enter the portal; notably, he played just 13 offensive snaps in the finale against Pittsburgh, compared with 26 for Moore and 24 for Upshaw.
Four-star prospects Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris and Vance Spafford and three-star prospect Tyran Evans give UM another top recruiting class at the position.
Curiously, senior receiver Tony Johnson did not walk in Senior Day; he played 109 snaps as Toney’s backup but had good some good moments late in the season.
▪ Tight end: Alex Bauman, who beat out Elija Lofton for the starting job this year, is a senior and will move on. The hope is that UM can keep Lofton out of the portal and build on the momentum of the final three games, when he caught three touchdown passes to change the narrative after a disappointing first nine weeks.
The long-term future at the position likely includes Brock Schott (who preserved his redshirt by appearing in fewer than five games) and Luka Gilbert (who played too many games to redshirt), as well as incoming freshmen Israel Briggs and Gavin Mueller, who are both four-star prospects who can “stretch the field,” according to Mario Cristobal.
▪ Offensive line: UM is expected to lose junior right tackle Francis Mauigoa, a potential top-15 draft pick who walked with the seniors on Senior Day. Left tackle Markel Bell, a senior who is eligible to apply for another year of eligibility, also walked on Senior Day and nobody would be surprised if he goes pro.
So the expectation is Miami could lose both starting tackles, as well as senior guard Anez Cooper and senior center James Brockermeyer and senior guard Ryan Rodriguez, who played 86 snaps.
Offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the five-star jewel of UM’s 2026 class, as well as freshman guard/center SJ Alofaituli will both compete for starting jobs, with Samson Okunlola also positioned to become a full-time starter. UM signed six linemen on Wednesday.
▪ Defensive line: A couple of established veterans are needed in the portal. Junior Rueben Bain Jr. walked with seniors at UM’s final home game, and he’s widely expected to turn pro and be a top-10 draft pick. Akheem Mesidor, who has raised his draft stock considerably, is out of eligibility.
Senior David Blay Jr., a key component of a very good three-man defensive tackle rotation, also will move on.
Junior Ahmad Moten has another year of eligibility remaining; Moten, Justin Scott, Armando Blount, Marquise Lightfoot, Herbert Scroggins, Donta Simpson, Hayden Lowe (the jewel of UM’s 2025 class who was injured this season) and others form a strong nucleus.
The talent pipeline will be replenished with seven Class of 2026 defensive linemen/edge players, led by skilled pass rusher Asharri Charles and DeAnthony Lafayette and four interior players, led by defensive tackle Keyshawn Stancil. Cristobal calls Stancil “a disruptive, explosive defensive tackle as good as anyone we’ve recruited here or anyone in the country this year.”
▪Linebacker: Starters Mohammed Toure and Wesley Bissainthe walked on Senior Day and will move on. So will Chase Smith (who had a strong senior season) and Jaylin Alderman.
There are good players on the roster — Raul Aguirre, Cam Pruitt, Kellen Wiley Jr — but the position needs veteran help. UM signed three freshman linebackers, including key late addition Karsten Bursch, a four-star from Kentucky and a former Louisville commitment.
It will be interesting to see if Kamal Bonner, who transferred from NC State to UM before the Canes added Toure, sticks around after playing just 30 defensive snaps.
▪Safety: Jakobe Thomas, one of the season’s pleasant surprises, is out of eligibility after this season.
But a Zechariah Poyser/Bryce Fitzgerald starting tandem next season should be one of the nation’s best, and the Canes are bullish on Dylan Day. Four-star prospects Cortez Redding and James Dunnigan Jr. are the natural safeties in UM’s 2026 class.
▪Cornerback: Only Keionte Scott — one of UM’s top five defensive players this season — is out of college eligibility. (He’s likely out for the postseason with an injury.)
If everyone sticks around, the quartet of OJ Frederique, Damari Brown, Xavier Lucas and Ethan O’Connor will be very good, with Chris Ewald, Ja’Boree Antoine and the four incoming freshmen ready to step in if any of the top four veterans take a higher financial offer from another school.
UM’s strong 2026 cornerback class includes four-star prospects Jaelan Waters, Camdin Portis, Brody Jennings and Jontavious Wyman.
▪ Kicker: Both of UM’s senior kickers, starter Carter Davis and former Texas player Bert Auburn, walked in senior day. Davis appeared in at least 12 games in three previous seasons at FAU. The fifth-year senior Auburn previously redshirted at Texas and doesn’t have any remaining eligibility.
UM doesn’t have a kicker committed in this recruiting class but figures to find one in the portal. Will Rocha, who appeared in one game in 2024 and none this season, is the only other kicker on the roster.
Here was my piece from last week on what Miami Hurricanes players can redshirt.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 1:50 PM.
