Two starters poised to return for Hurricanes in home finale. Will Blay play?
While the No. 15 Miami Hurricanes continue to deal with a slew of injuries, UM did get some good news on that front this week.
Two key starters in wide receiver CJ Daniels and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. are poised to return for the Hurricanes in their home finale against the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday after each missed the past two games.
That said, UM is still without several key players in running back Mark Fletcher Jr., cornerbacks Keionte Scott and OJ Frederique and defensive tackle David Blay Jr. — the latter of whom was deemed out on the ACC’s final availability report for the game Saturday afternoon after being listed as questionable throughout the week.
Scott, who last week was named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given annually to college football’s top defensive back, only played 37 of Miami’s 71 snaps on defense against Syracuse. He entered last week having played 467 of the Hurricanes’ 517 defensive snaps — 90.3%. The Auburn transfer enters this week leading the Hurricanes with 10 tackles for loss and five pass breakups to go along with 43 tackles (second on the team), three sacks (tied for second on the team) and an interception returned for a touchdown in the first half against Syracuse.
With Fletcher sidelined against Syracuse, the trio of Jordan Lyle, CharMar “Marty” Brown and Girard Pringle Jr. split the run-game duties. Pringle provided a spark late, rushing seven times for a team-high 55 yards and a touchdown in the second half.
Daniels leads the Hurricanes with six receiving touchdowns. Keelan Marion has stepped up in the passing game in Daniels’ absence the past two weeks, catching eight passes for 193 yards and a touchdown in that span.
The trio of Xavier Lucas, Ethan O’Connor and Damari Brown have held down the outside corner spots with Frederique sidelined. Justin Scott, Donta Simpson Jr., Armondo Blount and Herbert Scroggins III have gotten extended reps at defensive tackle during Moten’s absence. That group could continue getting extended time with Blay missing his first game of the season.
Miami to recognize seniors
The Hurricanes are set to honor their seniors — and a couple juniors expected to leave for the NFL Draft after the season — prior to their game against the Wolfpack.
The full list, in alphabetical order by last name: linebacker Jaylin Alderman, defensive back Briton Allen, kicker Bert Auburn, edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., tight end Alex Bauman, quarterback Carson Beck, left tackle Markel Bell, linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, Blay, defensive back Charles Brantley, center James Brockermeyer, wide receiver Andrew Cohen, right guard Anez Cooper, Daniels, kicker Carter Davis, long snapper Michael Donovan, wide receiver Tony Johnson, defensive back Nick Kelly, Marion, right tackle Francis Mauigoa, edge rusher Akheem Mesidor, wide receiver Henry Pikus, offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez, Scott, linebacker Chase Smith and defensive back Jakobe Thomas.
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM.
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