Interesting starting battles emerge for Canes. And football, hoops news
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Wednesday:
▪ The Hurricanes’ football roster for 2026 appears mostly complete, barring any more additions in the transfer portal. (Remember, there’s no spring portal window any more.)
Our five most intriguing starting battles when spring ball begins in a month:
1). The starting receiver spot opposite Malachi Toney and Duke transfer Cooper Barkate.
Joshua Moore and West Virginia transfer Cam Vaughn are the top contenders, but don’t discount South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs or Daylyn Upshaw, who came on strong in November before a season-ending injury.
2). Two starting defensive end jobs among Missouri transfer Damon Wilson (a front-runner for one spot), Marquise Lightfoot (the most advanced of UM’s next wave of talented young edge players) and Armondo Blount, who can play end and tackle and whose stout run defense is badly needed on a line that lost Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor.
3). What seems likely to be one starting offensive line job. Samson Okunlola (guard), Matthew McCoy (guard or tackle), Ryan Rodriguez (center) and five-star freshman tackle Jackson Cantwell appear strong front-runners to start.
That would leave one spot among center/guard SJ Alofaituli, second-year linemen Max Buchanan and Jaden Wilkerson and Georgia transfer Jamal Meriweather.
Or perhaps a transfer could be added in a way that UM added cornerback Xavier Lucas, who simply left Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami without hitting the transfer portal last January.
4). The linebacker job opposite Mo Toure.
Kamal Bonner (the former NC State starter who barely played for UM last season), Bobby Pruitt, Chase Smith and Kellen Wiley Jr. all have a shot to replace NFL-bound Wesley Bissainthe.
5). The Omar Thornton/Bryce Fitzgerald who-ends-up-where question.
Both figure to be starters. The question is whether UM is better served by having Thornton (the accomplished Boston College transfer) at safety and Fitzgerald (six interceptions as a freshman) in the nickel (replacing Keionte Scott) or vice versa.
▪ Ten Hurricanes received invites to the NFL Combine Feb. 23-March 2 in Indianapolis:
Quarterback Carson Beck; offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, Markel Bell and Anez Cooper; receiver CJ Daniels; defensive ends Bain and Mesidor; linebacker Bissainthe and defensive backs Scott and Jakobe Thomas.
Bain and Mauigoa are expected to be among the first 15 players selected in the draft, with Mesidor now widely projected to go in the back half of the first round.
Scott figures to go in the second or third rounds. Beck, Thomas, Bell and perhaps Daniels are potential third- or fourth-round picks. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Beck sixth among quarterbacks, and it’s possible he could rise to the second round.
▪ The Canes are still looking to fill two spots on their coaching staff: tight ends coach and running backs coach. Tight ends coach Cody Woodiel joined Mississippi’s coaching staff and running backs coach Matt Merritt left for the same job with the Arizona Cardinals.
▪ The Canes are thrilled that they held onto No. 2 running back CharMar Brown, who opted to bypass the transfer portal.
“His character is off the charts,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “He’s a guy that really a lot of kids should look at as far as his perseverance and his attitude. When things didn’t always go his way this year, he stayed positive. He didn’t waver. And when his number was called, he did his job, and he’s done that all year.
“So I can’t say enough about the kid as far as his approach and his attitude, especially in today’s age where it’s a ‘I gotta get mine’ mentality and everybody wants it right now and wants a ton of it.
“And sometimes you’ve just got to stay the course and you’ve got to weather some ups and downs.. He’s a great example of staying the course, staying positive, blocking out the noise. And then when you get your chance, you’ve got to take advantage of it, and he did. I love the kid. His attitude, his character is probably what pushed through the most with him.”
▪ The unranked UM basketball team’s signature win against No. 14 North Carolina on Tuesday lifted the Canes to 19-5 (8-3 in conference) and should put Miami in the NCAA Tournament field for now; before that win, ESPN had ranked them as an 11th seed and needing to play in a First Four game in Dayton.
But the Canes probably can’t lose more than three games, if that, over their final seven regular season contests (at NC State, Virginia Tech, at No.15 Virginia, at FSU, Boston College, at SMU, home to No. 24 Louisville).
If they do lose three or four, they’ll likely need a good showing in the ACC tournament.
The team’s two rotation freshmen, forward Shelton Henderson and guard Dante Allen, have been a huge help.
Henderson had 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the 75-66 win against the Tar Heels and is averaging 14.4 points and 4.7 rebounds.
“The nation isn’t talking enough about” Henderson, coach Jai Lucas said on WQAM’s Hurricane Hotline. “He’s one of the best freshmen in the country. In ACC play, he has been one of our most consistent players. I put him up against anybody. I know it’s a great freshman class. He’s right there with anybody.”
Meanwhile, the 6-4 Allen had nine points and four assists against UNC and is averaging 6.7 points.
“Dante finds ways to contribute,” Lucas said. “One thing I love about him - and one reason I wanted to get him here when I got the job - is all he cares about is winning. You put him on the court, he will impact the game in a positive way. He does little things that start to add up.”
▪ Lucas mentioned to WQAM’s Joe Zagacki that one interesting factor that he considers in recruiting decisions is “did their moms play” basketball.
“I’’ve never had a bad player whose mom played basketball,” he said. “Everyone with a basketball mom - Jaxson Hayes, Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Jarrett Allen. That’s one thing that has been a separator. Moms who played at a high level, their sons usually are pretty good at basketball.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 2:15 PM.
