UM’s Cristobal addresses personnel changes, Mensah, more. And jersey changes
Fresh off an appearance in the national title game, Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal raved about new quarterback Darian Mensah and delivered several personnel updates on the first day of UM football practice on Tuesday:
▪ He said Mensah, the Duke transfer, is a “complete professional, [took] ownership of the system. Great command, personality, arm talent, escapability, pocket presence. He’s accurate, knowledgeable, has great energy. People gravitate to him. People are attracted to that type of energy. I think he has a galvanizing energy.”
▪ Ahmad Moten, who is expected to start alongside Justin Scott at defensive tackle, will miss most of spring “due to some stuff,” Cristobal said, noting that other undisclosed players will miss time, some due to “recovery.”
UM has asked reporters not to identify injured/missing players beyond those discussed by Cristobal.
▪ In the wake of losing four starters to the NFL Draft, Cristobal said UM will experiment with players at different positions along the offensive line.
On Tuesday, Matthew McCoy — who played guard last season — said he’s focusing on tackle. That left McCoy at right tackle and five-star freshman Jackson Cantwell lining up at left tackle, per Canesport.
‘Rueben [Bain] and [Akheem] Mesidor were his baptism at the end of the season,” Cristobal said of Cantwell working against UM’s NFL-bound defensive ends during the playoffs. “He’s a high-caliber athlete, but you still have to adjust to this level’s power and speed. He’s massive. It’s the right kind of weight.”
Max Buchanan and SJ Alofaituli –—as well as Juan Minaya, freshman JJ Sparks and Rhys Woodrow and Georgia transfer Jamal Meriweather — are working at guard. Samson Okunlola assuredly will be a starter at guard during the season.
Ryan Rodriguez is getting every chance to win the center job, with Alofaituli providing competition.
▪ Tight end Jackson Carver was back on the field after missing all of last season with a leg injury sustained during 2025 spring practice. Former defensive end Cole McConathy continues to work with the tight ends. Elija Lofton and Luka Gilbert are the top returnees at the position.
▪ Cristobal said the wide receiver room, augmented by three veteran transfers and four receivers, “will be the most competitive room” since his arrival.
“Josh Moore has really upped his game this offseason. Dylan Upshaw was on his way to being an impact guy, and he’s fully healthy. That room is going to be awesome to watch.”
▪ Because UM played into mid-January, Cristobal said players who logged heavy snaps last offseason were “subjected to a different” and less grueling “offseason initially” until UM determined their bodies were ready for a normal offseason workload.
▪ Chase Smith is a strong candidate to replace NFL-bound Wesley Bissainthe.
“A guy we didn’t speak enough about was Chase Smith,” Cristobal said when asked about the linebacker position. “By the end of the year, he was playing great. Physical, tough football. Chase Smith came back from a difficult knee injury. Mo Toure and Chase have more experience than NFL tandems.” (This will be Toure’s eighth college season and Smith’s sixth.)
Cristobal mentioned a few other linebackers, including former North Carolina State player Kamal Bonner, and said “Bobby Pruitt, Kellen Wiley are off to a great start.” He said linebacker “is probably as competitive as the wide receiver room. We’ve taken a step with size, speed, physicality [at linebacker] but [the group is] probably unproven after the top couple of guys.”
Coaching update
Three Hurricanes position coaches left this offseason; Defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge and running backs coach Matt Merritt joined the Arizona Cardinals’ staff, and tight ends coach Cory Woodiel took a job on the University of Mississippi staff.
Favian Upshaw, the Denver Broncos’ quality control coach, is the new running backs coach. The new tight end coach is Mike Viti, who had been working at Army as the team’s associate head coach and offensive line coach. “They’re not a good fit; they’re an awesome fit,” Cristobal said of those two.
Terry Jefferson, already on UM’s staff, was working with the cornerbacks on Tuesday, and Cristobal said he’s a “strong candidate” for the job. Safeties coach Will Harris also is working with the corners.
Jersey number updates
Receiver Malachi Toney has switched from No. 10 to 1; he’s one of 11 returning players who switched numbers. The others:
0. Running back Girard Pringle (had been 22).
3. Safety Bryce Fitzgerald (had been 13).
5. Quarterback Luke Nickel (had been 16).
7. Receiver Daylyn Upshaw (had been 13).
9. Linebacker Chase Smith (had been 41).
11. Linebacker Kamal Bonner (had been 32).
11. Edge player Marquise Lightfoot (had been 13).
31. Edge player Herbert Scroggins (had been 35).
73. Offensive lineman Jaden Wilkerson (had been 71).
89. Tight end/former defensive end Cole McConathy (had been 44).
Newcomer numbers
Here are the jersey numbers assigned to Hurricanes newcomers:
0. Boston College transfer safety Omar Thornton
8. South Carolina transfer receiver Vandrevius Jacobs
10. Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah
10. Missouri transfer edge rusher Damon Wilson II
11. Freshman quarterback Dereon Coleman
12. Freshman receiver Soumarion Wingo
13. Freshman edge rusher Asharri Charles
13. Freshman receiver Vance Spafford
14. Freshman tight end Israel Briggs
15. Freshman cornerback Brody Jennings
17. West Virginia transfer receiver Cam Vaughn
18. Duke transfer receiver Cooper Barkate
19. Freshman receiver Milan Parris
19. Freshman cornerback Jaelen Waters
21. Freshman running back Javian Mallory
21. Freshman cornerback Camdin Portis
22. FSU transfer kicker Jake Weinberg
25. Freshman safety JJ Dunnigan
32. Freshman linebacker Justin Edwards
34. Freshman linebacker Jordan Campbell
36. Freshman cornerback Jontavius Wyman
37. Freshman safety Cortez Redding
38.Oregon State transfer safety Conrad Hussey
40. Freshman defensive tackle Keshawn Stancil
42. Freshman defensive tackle Logan Nagle
44. Freshman defensive tackle Tyson Bacon
52. Freshman defensive tackle Isaac Chukwurah
55. Freshman offensive lineman JJ Sparks
56. East Carolina transfer guard Jonathan Cline
57. Freshman offensive lineman Rhys Woodrow
58. Freshman offensive lineman Ben Congdon
70. Freshman offensive lineman Joel Ervin
71. Georgia transfer guard Jamal Meriweather
79. Freshman offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell
82. Northwestern transfer kicker Jack Olsen
83. Freshman receiver Tyran Evans
87. Freshman tight end Gavin Mueller
88. Freshman edge player DeAnthony Lafayette
91. Ohio State transfer defensive tackle Jarquez Carter
93. Freshman defensive tackle Fred Sainteus
97. Nebraska transfer defensive lineman Keona Davis
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 12:40 PM.
