Playing for a national title in Miami is a ‘dream come true’ for hometown Hurricanes
The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes have done everything they can to treat Monday night’s national championship against No. 1 Indiana like any other game they have played this season. No detouring from the course that has got them to this point. Minimize distractions. Keep the routine consistent.
But for the more than two dozen Hurricanes players who call South Florida home — starters, regular contributors, scout team members and walk-ons alike — this game has an extra layer of emotion to it beyond the chance to help UM win its sixth national title and first since the 2001 season.
They’re playing at home at Hard Rock Stadium. Many of these homegrown Hurricanes grew up minutes away from the stadium, played on the fields nearby, got their love for the game around it.
Now, they’re playing for a national championship for the hometown here.
“It’s a dream come true,” said running back Mark Fletcher Jr., one of several stars on the Hurricanes’ team who played at Plantation American Heritage. “If you would have asked little Mark if would he be here right now, he’ll probably be like, ‘Man, no way.’ But it’s a blessing. Definitely just so grateful for this opportunity. I know that there’s a lot of kids who would want to be in this position, and the fact that I’m one of very few that’s able to do this at this level, I’m just extremely blessed.
“It definitely feels like the national championship,” Fletcher added. “It’s just a blessing that we’re able to do it where it all started, and that’s Hard Rock.”
The gravity of the moment hadn’t hit wide receiver Malachi Toney yet on Saturday, two days before kickoff. He reclassified to join the Hurricanes a year early and has been integral to their success.
Now that the moment is here — now that one more home game could determine a championship?
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Toney, who already has the school record for catches (99) and the freshman record for receiving yards (1,089) entering the title game. “Not a lot of people get this chance. We’ve got to take advantage of it.”
They’ve taken advantage of the opportunities given to them thus far.
The Hurricanes, the last at-large team into the 12-team playoff field, traveled far and wide on their playoff run to get back home. They went to Texas twice — College Station for their first-round game against Texas A&M and then Dallas for their quarterfinal against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl — before going to Arizona for their semifinal against Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl.
Three road trips. Three wins.
Even with the perks of playing at home, the minimal travel that comes with it (the team was still required to stay at a hotel, in this case the Fontainebleau Miami Beach from Friday until Monday) and the ability to use their practice facilities on campus, UM still treated this week like any other road trip this season.
“We kept everything the same,” said linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, a Miami Central alumnus. “You’ve just got to be where your feet are and attack each and every day with the right mind and right attitude, and everything takes care of itself.”
But the fact that they are in Miami, they are at home, isn’t lost on Bissainthe or any of Miami’s other local players.
“It feels like a dream,” the senior said. “Just a local kid growing up in Miami able to play the national championship in Miami, there’s nothing else I could ask for.”
Added sophomore cornerback and Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas grad OJ Frederique: “I feel so grateful to be the position. Last year, we [played in the] Pop-Tarts Bowl, and it was kind of depressing. Everybody was down. And then this year, coach [Mario] Cristobal said, ‘This is the team, and this is the year.’ We finally got to do it. The hard work is showing, and I’m just blessed me in a position to put on for my hometown and at home.”
Win or lose, there will be emotions.
“No matter the outcome of the game, I’m going to cry,” said Miami Central alumnus and star edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who will finish his college career at his home stadium and is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. “It’s really my last game. It’s been a long but quick three years, spending all my time here at Miami. It’s like a fairytale story for me because I get to start it at Hard Rock and end it at Hard Rock. I’m going to cry. I know I’m going to cry.”
Hometown Hurricanes
Defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami Central)
Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe (Miami Central)
Defensive lineman Armondo Blount (Miami Central)
Defensive back Damari Brown (Plantation American Heritage)
Kicker Carter Davis (Davie Western)
Defensive back Chris Ewald Jr. (Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna)
Defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (Miami Columbus)
Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (Plantation American Heritage)
Defensive back OJ Frederique Jr. (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas)
Defensive back Xavier Lucas (Plantation American Heritage)
Running back Jordan Lyle (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas)
Defensive back Ryan Mack (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas)
Linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. (Miami Central)
Wide receiver Joshua Moore (Pembroke Pines West Broward)
Defensive lineman Ahmad Moten Sr. (Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons)
Wide receiver Henry Pinkus (Miami native, graduated from Milton Academy in Georgia)
Offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez (Miami Columbus)
Defensive back Stone Stroud (Miami Palmer Trinity School)
Defensive back Isaiah Taylor (Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas)
Wide receiver Malachi Toney (Plantation American Heritage)
Wide receiver Joshisa Trader (Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna)
Defensive back Amari Wallace (Miami Central)
Linebacker Bobby Washington (Miami Palmetto)
Running back Chris Wheatley-Humphrey (Hollywood South Broward)
Running back Jack Whitehouse (Miami Gulliver Prep)
Defensive back Andres Williams (Miami Palmer Trinity School)
.JPG)