How NCAA rule change affects UM. One of Canes’ greatest strengths to be removed
The Miami Hurricanes aced the spring transfer portal window the past two years, adding a dozen contributors who proved to be enormous assets.
On this year’s team alone, defensive backs Jakobe Thomas and Keionte Scott, linebacker Mohamed Toure and receiver Keelan Marion have emerged as valuable post-spring practice additions.
But the Hurricanes won’t have that opportunity next spring.
Earlier this fall, the NCAA eliminated the spring transfer portal window, a move designed to help teams curb roster turnover. The rule change also prevents players from asking to renegotiate their NIL deals in the spring, using the portal as leverage.
The elimination of the spring portal window hurts players who are unhappy with their usage during spring practice. More than 1000 players took advantage of that spring portal window this year.
The NCAA replaced the December and April portal windows with a single window, from Jan. 2 to 16. Players on teams in the College Football Playoff national championship game will have an additional five-day window beginning the day after the title game.
Players only need to enter their name into the portal from Jan. 2-16; they can still take more time beyond that window to make a decision on a new school.
In the spring of 2024, UM snagged six portal targets who visited in the spring – former Tennessee defensive end Tyler Baron, Michigan State defensive tackle Simeon Barrow Jr., Oregon State running back Damien Martinez, Marshall cornerback Dyoni Hill, Houston receiver Sam Brown and Louisville linebacker Jaylin Alderman.
Barrow, Martinez and Brown were particularly helpful during UM’s 10-3 season.
This past spring, the Canes landed a starting safety (Tennessee’s Thomas), a starting nickel cornerback (Auburn’s Scott), a starting linebacker (Toure), a starting receiver (BYU’s Marion), as well as receiver Tony Johnson, kicker Burt Auburn and linebacker Kamal Bonner. Scott has been one of UM’s five most impactful defensive players this season.
The Hurricanes’ biggest spring loss this season, safety Zaquan Patterson, left for Oklahoma State but was dismissed by the school and now plays for Alabama State.
The Canes have done excellent work in the winter portal cycle, adding Cam Ward, Carson Beck and many others. Now UM — and every school — will need to accomplish even more in that cycle.
And needs that emerge during spring football must now be filled internally. It’s also possible, if not likely, that players will try to transfer after spring practice by filing a lawsuit against the NCAA.
“You have to get it right this time, because there’s only one portal window,” Mario Cristobal said Monday. “If you get it right, it can be a home run. If not you can find yourself scrambling. We feel good about the way we’ve recruited, are structured and layered.”
The challenge is to evaluate the players who aren’t playing a lot, and then convince them to stick around for 2026 if the Canes want to keep them around. To achieve that, Cristobal says UM, in practice, “gives our twos and threes an opportunity to run a lot of plays we run against our very best players.”
Trader role
In the absence of injured CJ Daniels (who’s out at least a couple of weeks), Jojo Trader caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in the first half against SMU, but was targeted only once in the second half after a second-quarter throw bounced off his hands and was intercepted.
Cristobal said Trader’s lack of targets after halftime weren’t punishment.
“He had a big TD catch, another big catch, the one that got away, a turnover and touchdown for the other team,” Cristobal said. “A lot to be excited about and to correct. In terms of why he had one more target, the coverage dictates where the ball goes. He played 58, 59 plays. He wasn’t limited in any other way except if the defense took him away the ball won’t find him.”
UM plays host to Syracuse at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 2:41 PM.
