Canes freshmen poised to make impact. And UM football personnel news, feedback
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Friday:
▪ Because of Malachi Toney’s brilliance, it will be difficult for this loaded UM freshman class to surpass the production of last season’s first-year players. But I’m fully expecting a handful to help immediately. I would rank the top five in this order of likelihood of making a quick impact:
1). Left tackle Jackson Cantwell. The nation’s best offensive lineman in the 2026 class was inserted with the starters on the first day of spring ball and did nothing to suggest that he won’t be a very good player right away. He already puts up numbers that are comparable to some seniors at the NFL Combine.
2). Safety JJ Dunnigan. His ball skills and physicality likely will lead to an immediate rotation spot behind Zechariah Poyser and Bryce Fitzgerald. The question is whether Dunnigan or promising Dylan Day plays more as the No. 3 safety (with Omar Thornton the first-team nickel.)
3). Linebacker Jordan Campbell or Justin Edwards. If you’re ranking freshmen by potential greatness, these two wouldn’t be in the top six. But they’re No. 3 on our list because Mario Cristobal repeatedly said during the spring that he wasn’t happy with the linebacker production behind Mo Toure and Chase Smith.
So Campbell and Edwards, who each made head-turning plays in the spring game, will have every chance to beat out Cam Pruitt, Kellen Wiley Jr., Kamal Bonner and Ezekiel Marcelin for a rotation spot.
4). Receivers Milan Parris and Somourian Wingo. Those two would be playing immediately at many schools, but each will need to beat out one among Josh Moore, Dylan Upshaw, Cam Vaughn or Vandrevius Jacobs for rotation spots three through sixth — and that’s a tall order. Toney and Cooper Barkate assuredly will be receivers 1 and 1A.
And it’s almost impossible to envision Moore not playing a lot. (Moore, incidentally, is fine after being carted off the Cobb Stadium field before the spring game. It was a soft issue injury and nothing serious, Cristobal said.)
Both the 6-5 Parris and Wingo look like impact players in 2027 or 2028.
5). Cornerback Camdin Portis or tackle/guard Ben Congdon or running back Javion Mallory.
With veterans ahead of Portis and Mallory, they will be hard pressed to break the rotation barring injuries.
But there could be a chance for Congdon to play sooner than later if he proves to Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal that he’s one of UM’s five best linemen in August. That’s not out of the question, considering how much he impressed the staff during spring football.
▪ Receivers coach Kevin Beard, on Wingo, who missed the spring game with an injury but was impressive in the weeks leading up to it: “He’s been a playmaker. I always use a phrase `you have to make yourself undeniable.’
“So you have to make the coaches say `That guy needs to play, we have to find a way to get him on the field.’ And he’s building that resume for himself.”
▪ A few things to know about UM’s junior college addition, offensive lineman Jacob Hawks:
Mirabal and Cristobal like skilled linemen with great length, and Hawks — similar to ex-JC player and former UM starting left tackle Markel Bell — fits the mold with an 83.5-inch wingspan and 35-inch arms and 10-inch hands. He’s 6-foot-9 and 338 pounds and started every game at left tackle for Hutchinson Community College, helping create holes for a running game that averaged 177 yards per game.
Hawks, whose only other offer was from North Texas, will immediately compete for a backup job at tackle behind Cantwell and Matthew McCoy. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
If Hawks is excellent in August practices, UM would have the option of starting him at right tackle and moving McCoy back to guard. But that’s a major long shot; he’s viewed as more of a developmental player for now.
Length and athleticism also attracted UM to Georgia transfer Jamal Meriweather, who didn’t crack the first team during spring practice but is a player that the Canes believe they can develop into a good tackle or guard.
▪ One person who was present at UM’s closed private practices in the spring (but has no affiliation/job with UM) said that if the spring portal period still existed, the one position that he feels would need to be addressed is tight end.
“Elija Lofton, to me, is not a tight end,” the person said. “He’s more of an H-back. They thought he could be a Brevin Jordan, but he’s not in terms of being a natural tight end. Luka Gilbert is talented but young; he’s an OK blocker, and he’s working on it.
“I don’t know that you can count on the two freshmen [tight ends] yet. I think you’ll see [offensive coordinator Shannon] Dawson using a lot of four-receiver sets instead of tight ends. They’re so deep at receiver.”
Jackson Carver, who missed last season with a knee injury, has every chance to earn the blocking tight end role.
▪ Other observations from that practice attendant: “The defensive line is going to be fine; they have more depth at tackle. I really like Jarquez Carter... They’re letting [nickel back] Omar Thornton play more of a freelance role, and that’s really going to help him...
“[Receiver] Cooper Barkate impressed the hell out of me.... Luke Nickel got bigger, and he throws the ball naturally. [Freshman quarterback] Dereon Coleman has to gain a lot of weight... They’ll miss [linebacker] Popo Aguirre; he would have started if he stayed. But NC State is throwing around NIL money.”
▪ Defensive end Hayden Lowe, one of the jewels of UM’s 2025 recruiting class, missed much of spring ball for personal reasons but is back working with the team, as the X account “Bleed Orange and Green” noted.
After missing nearly all of last season with an injury and most of spring, Lowe has ground to make up in a battle with Herbert Scroggins, Booker Pickett, former Nebraska end/tackle Keona Davis — and young players — for the fourth and fifth edge jobs behind Damon Wilson, Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 10:55 AM.
