Hurricanes bring in more transfer portal visitors. And UM personnel chatter
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Thursday, as we approach Monday’s UM-Indiana national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium (7:30 p.m., ESPN):
▪ UM, which added four players in the transfer portal in recent days, moved closer to filling its soon-to-be-vacant kicking job on Thursday.
Former FSU and Plantation American Heritage kicker Jake Weinberg, who was the nation’s No. 2 rated kicker in the 2024 class, visited the UM campus on Thursday and is expected to sign with the Canes. He will compete to replace Carter Davis.
Weinberg went 12 on 19 field goals this season, but two were doomed by operational issues. And he has corrected a mechanical issue that contributed to a few that went wide right. He went 3 for 6 from 40 to 49 yards and 0 for 2 on 50-plus field goals.
Of his 61 kickoffs, 56 were touchbacks. That big leg on kickoffs appeals to UM.
UM also remains interested in Northwestern kicker Jack Olsen, who visited last weekend. Olsen was 19 for 21 on field goals this season.
The Canes see benefit in signing two kickers, as they did last offseason when they plucked Davis (FAU) and Bert Auburn (Texas) from the transfer portal. Davis won the competition with Auburn in August.
Also visiting UM on Thursday, per 247 Sports: Nebraska defensive lineman Keona Davis, a 2025 starter who had 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Davis can play tackle and end.
UM so far has signed four players in the portal: Ohio State defensive tackle Jarquez Carter, Boston College slot cornerback Omar Thornton and receivers Cam Vaughn (West Virginia) and Vandrevius Jacobs (South Carolina).
▪ UM has eight talented young receivers with remaining eligibility, but the Canes were determined to add veterans to replace Keelan Marion and CJ Daniels, whose eligibility expires after Monday’s championship game.
Marion has had a very good playoff run, and Daniels has been a godsend, not only for his clutch and contested catches but also how he mentored the young receivers.
Daniels gathers the receivers mid-afternoon several days a week for film review before receivers coach Kevin Beard does a coach-led film session.
“We’re watching film before the actual film meeting starts,” Daniels said. “So just try to get ahead of the game.”
And that’s part of Daniels going above and beyond.
“I hit the group chat every day and give the [other receivers the] times of when I’m coming back [to the facility], catching on the Jugs machine. I need them to be here when I’m watching extra film. I try to give off good energy, pass off this knowledge to the younger guys. I got guys here that want to learn, to know things that directly correlate to the field.”
Daniels, a No. 4 receiver at LSU last year, has proven to be far more than that here. He’s proud of himself for “being able to make those contested catches, being able to block, not just in the pass game, but also in the run game.”
He has 42 catches for 469 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
▪ UM’s playoff MVP so far? Mark Fletcher (6.8 yards per carry); Reuben Bain (21 pressures, four sacks, one blocked kick) and Akheem Mesidor (19 pressures, 3.5 sacks) could all make a case. So could Carson Beck for engineering the game-winning drive against Mississippi and doing a solid job in the first two playoff games.
But there’s also no shortage of under-the-radar standouts in this playoff run: Cornerback Ethan O’Connor has permitted only 29 yards of receptions against him each of the past two games (six catches in 14 total targets) against highly talented receiver groups at Ohio State and Ole Miss.
Left tackle Markel Bell’s run blocking has been exceptional... Jakobe Thomas and Wesley Bissainthe have graded out superbly against the run, and Justin Scott has taken big jump… Center James Brockermeyer, against three stout defenses, has allowed just one pressure and no sacks and done a great job in the run game.
▪ ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. made clear this week that he doesn’t believe Beck will become a longterm NFL starter.
“This is a guy who has to cut down on those interceptions, 23 interceptions over the last two years,” Kiper said on Get Up. “But this past season, was his best year overall when you look back at Georgia. He’s a guy I think could be a career backup in the NFL. I’d say late Day 2, early Day 3 for him.”
Meanwhile, Kiper moved Bain to 13th and Mesidor to 16th in his Big Board rankings this week.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler mocked Bain 10th to Cincinnati, one spot before the Dolphins pick.
“Because of his “tweener” skills and lack of length, Bain is one of the more polarizing prospects in this class,” Brugler said. “Even if he falls short in a few areas, however, he is a stout run defender with the relentless power as a pass rusher to kick down the door to the pocket.”
Brugler mocked Mesidor 30th to New England, noting he’s an older prospect who’s turning 25 in April.
▪ Six Hurricanes received invitations to draft showcase games on Thursday.
Mesidor, Keionte Scott and Thomas were invited to the Jan. 31 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
And guard Anez Cooper, defensive tackle David Blay and Bissainthe were invited to the East-West Shrine game on Jan. 27 in Frisco, Texas.
▪ Quick stuff:
With Indiana favored by 8 ½ points, Miami -- if it wins -- would be the third-biggest underdog to win a title game in 27 years, per Brett McMurphy…
Per ESPN, the winner of Monday’s game will be just the fifth team in the Associated Press Poll era to finish 5-0 or better against Top-10 opponents in a single season. The last team to do it was the 2019 LSU Tigers, who went 7-0…
We’re told a handful of people with Indiana zip codes purchased Hurricanes 2026 season tickets, which allowed them access to a queue that gave many season-ticket holders at least a chance to compete to buy tickets to Monday’s game through a lottery system. Not everyone with 2026 season tickets had the opportunity to get tickets to the game....
This playoff run is adding to the long legacy of memorable games in Hurricanes history. Carter Toole, UM’s associate athletic director for strategic communications, wrote a book on the top 100 games in Canes football history. It’s a fun read and can be purchased here.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM.
