Miami Hurricanes’ freshmen give glimpses of potential in rout of Bethune-Cookman
A week ago, the Miami Hurricanes made a statement they were back among the nation’s best.
On Saturday, it was about getting a good look at its future.
And Miami’s freshman class gave glimpses of how much more the Hurricanes may be ready to improve during their 45-3 rout of Bethune-Cookman at Hard Rock Stadium.
A total of 15 of Miami’s 21 true freshmen from a class that finished ranked No. 14 nationally by 247Sports’ Composite rankings, played in the game and several including receiver Malachi Toney, running back Girard Pringle Jr. and safety Bryce Fitzgerald made impacts in the victory.
Toney, who less than a year ago was leading Plantation American Heritage to a state championship as both a receiver and a quarterback, had already begun to show his potential in last week’s win over Notre Dame.
For the second consecutive week, Toney led Miami in receiving as he finished with six catches for 80 yards. In two games, Toney has 12 catches for 162 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown catch from Carson Beck last week.
“You’re seeing what we see every day in practice, and it goes back to his professionalism,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “We all know he’s ultra talented. I think a lot of us have seen him play since he was knee high throughout his entire youth career and high school career. But what people don’t see is that he is as diligent and as hard of a worker as you could want in that room at such a young age. He’s a great example for everybody, old and young in that building.”
With the Hurricanes in control, leading 35-3 in the second half, Cristobal emptied the bench and let the program’s future shine.
Pringle Jr., a standout at Seffner Armwood, carried the ball twice and made his second one count most when he broke loose for his first career touchdown on a 30-yard sprint to the end zone with 13:52 left in the fourth quarter.
“It was a blessing. I couldn’t thank my O-line enough,” Pringle Jr. said. “I couldn’t thank Coach Cristobal enough for letting me get the chance to play tonight. It was a blessing to be able to do that.”
Pringle Jr. credited the lessons he’s learned and the work he’s put in with Miami’s more experienced running backs for making the best of his opportunities so far.
“I learned a ton. You know, coming from high school, I didn’t know much. It taught me a lot about schemes and how to read the defense before the play,” Pringle Jr. said. “Like it’s just a blessing to have Mark (Fletcher), Marty (Brown), Jordan Lyle, Chris Wheatley-Humphrey, we’re just so close that they feed me knowledge, and I take it.”
One of the players that’s generated the most excitement on the defensive side is Fitzgerald, whose ball-hawking skills made him one of the state’s best players overall at Miami powerhouse Columbus.
Fitzgerald showed off that ability with 8:07 left in the game when he jumped in front of a Bethune receiver and snared a pass from quarterback Cam Ransom in the end zone for his first career interception, which kept the Wildcats from scoring their first touchdown of the season.
“It feels great. I texted my mom this morning, ‘I’m getting a pick just for you,’” Fitzgerald said. “Going into the fourth quarter, I was getting a little down, but they told me, ’Just trust God and just go out there and play ball.’”
Other freshmen who stood out included receiver Daylyn Upshaw, who caught three passes for 26 yards.
Tight end Brock Schott caught two passes for 24 yards and Luke Gilbert caught a key 20-yard pass that set up Mark Fletcher Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown to give Miami a 35-3 lead before all remaining starters exited the game.
Josh Moore, a graduate of West Broward High, caught one pass for seven yards and has three catches for 15 yards in two games.
On defense, linebacker Kellen Wiley, also an Armwood alum, led the Hurricanes with five tackles.
Chaminade alum Donta Simpson recorded two tackles including a split tackle for loss.
