Chatter, feedback on what the Canes got with wide receiver pickups in portal
Some tidbits and feedback on the Miami Hurricanes veteran offensive additions at receiver: (They will provide extra weapons for quarterback Darian Mensah, whom we addressed here.)
▪ New receiver Cooper Barkate, who accompanied Mensah from Duke to UM, doesn’t pad his stats with a bunch of short receptions.
Among the 24 FBS receivers who caught at least 70 passes last season, only one (TCU’s Eric McAllister) averaged more yards per catch (16.5) than Barkate (15.4). Both caught 72 passes.
Barkate was particularly effective on intermediate routes. On passes thrown 10 to 19 yards, he caught 28 of 49 throws from Mensah for 484 yards (17.3 per catch) and four touchdowns.
“He is probably one of the better receivers that I’ve seen,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “He’s an elite route-runner. He’s got great ball skills.”
On passes thrown at least 20 air yards, Barkate caught 8 of 27 from Mensah for 313 yards (39.1 per reception) with two touchdowns.
He dropped six passes, which tied for 16th most in the country, but most came early in the season.
He averaged 5.5 yards after the catch, which is a little above average. That’s below UM star receiver’s Malachi Toney’s 7.7 YAC average last year but slightly above departing UM receiver CJ Daniels’ 5.3.
As a run blocker, Barkate graded out third-worst among Duke players who blocked for at least 290 rushing attempts, per PFF. Competent run blocking is a requirement for UM receivers and an area that Barkate will need to improve.
Vaughn, Jacobs notes
▪ The other two portal additions at receiver — West Virginia’s Cam Vaughn and South Carolina’s Vandrevius Jacobs — had strikingly similar production. Vaughn caught 35 passes, Jacobs 32.
Jacobs had 548 receiving yards, Vaughn 541.
Both scored four touchdowns.
PFF ranked Jacobs 427th among 1,071 FBS receivers and Vaughn 438th. (As perspective, Toney was first, Barkate 126th and departing Daniels 192nd.)
Vaughn averaged 5.5 yards after the catch; Jacobs averaged 5.3.
Jacobs was more sure-handed; he had one dropped pass, compared with three for Vaughn.
▪ Vaughn is considered a very good talent, but West Virginia fans were upset with him last season when he gave up on a play after a pass intended for him was thrown short and intercepted. Vaughn didn’t aggressively chase the Texas Tech defender who picked off the pass in a 48-0 blowout loss.
Former West Virginia wide receiver Shelton Gibson blasted Vaughn on X, saying “There’s no way y’all trying to justify this behavior. I don’t care what the scoreboard says. I don’t care what the season looks like. This is BS.”
In late October, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said: There are “areas he’s got to get better at” — mentioning route-running, consistency and recognizing coverages.
“He’s only been at the position a couple years,” Rodriguez said at the time. “He’s got the ability to make a lot of plays, so we’re trying to get him disciplined to the point we’ve got to throw it to him all the time. Cam’s a really competitive guy and he’s got the capability of making big plays, probably more so than some others.”
Vaughn followed Rodriguez from Jacksonville State to West Virginia, where he had 48 receptions for 803 yards and five scores in 2024 before the drop last season to 35-541-4 TDs.
Unlike departing Keelan Marion, Vaughn hasn’t been used as a returner, beyond one kickoff for 15 yards last season. (He hasn’t returned a punt in three seasons of college football; he played sparingly as a Jacksonville State freshman in 2023).
247 rated him the 34th receiver and 135th-best receiver in the portal.
His overall talent puts him squarely in the competition to start opposite Toney and Barkate. Josh Moore will be formidable competition for that starting job.
Jacobs a burner
▪ As for Jacobs, 247 Sports rated him the No. 21 receiver and 88th player overall in the portal. His blazing speed — and ability to do damage on vertical routes — sets him apart.
He began his career at FSU, where he caught three passes for 60 yards in limited playing time after a standout career at Vero Beach High.
He transferred to South Carolina before the 2024 season and started four games with 12 catches for 181 yards. His role increased significantly this past season, and his 17.1 yards per catch average was sixth in the SEC.
Former Gamecocks offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains raved about Jacobs’ speed and strong hands.
“All that kid does is just work,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said.
Like Vaughn, Jacobs wasn’t used as a returner.
▪ Moore, Daylyn Upshaw and four freshmen will try to beat out Vaughn and Jacobs for third through fifth receiver snaps.
This is Part 5 of my five-part UM spring practice series.
Here’s part 1 with Larry Blustein’s assessment of UM’s freshmen on offense.
Here’s part 2 with Blustein’s assessment of UM’s freshmen on defense.
Here’s part 3 on where UM stands at every position.
Here’s part 4 on new defensive backs Omar Thornton and Conrad Hussie.
This story was originally published March 30, 2026 at 3:04 PM.
