Preseason chatter has high praise for Miami Hurricanes ahead of ACC media days
College football season is almost here, Miami Hurricanes fans.
Miami, fresh off a run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, begins the 2026 campaign on Sept. 4 when it travels cross-country to face Stanford.
But there’s plenty to talk about before that.
The Atlantic Coast Conference’s Football Kickoff, the league’s annual preseason media days, takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Wednesday through Friday, with head coaches and players from all 17 teams previewing the upcoming season. Miami is the first team to speak, with coach Mario Cristobal, quarterback Darian Mensah, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and linebacker Mo Toure taking the stage at 11 a.m. Wednesday (the session can be streamed on ACC Network Extra). Practices will start up a couple of weeks later before the season formally gets underway.
Here are the highlights of the chatter surrounding the Hurricanes as the season draws closer.
Hurricanes consensus favorite to win ACC
The Hurricanes have been in the ACC since 2004 and have yet to win a conference title.
Could this finally be the year? Once again, Miami is viewed as a heavy favorite.
Athlon has Miami ranked No. 7 in its preseason top 25 and the top team in the conference, noting that “Cristobal’s team is loaded for another run at the national title after landing Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah to pair with some of the ACC’s top skill talent in running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and receiver Malachi Toney. Six starters return on a defense that led the ACC in fewest points per game allowed (14.8).” SMU and Louisville are the only other conference teams ranked, at Nos. 22 and 23 respectively.
Phil Steele also has the Hurricanes at No. 7 in his preseason rankings, noting how “Cristobal has made progress every year and his Hurricanes were impressive in the playoffs last year.”
“Miami is the class of the ACC,” wrote Steele, who also has SMU (No. 12), Clemson (No. 17) and Louisville (No. 18) in his top 25 among ACC teams.
Elsewhere, Lindy Sports also has Miami at No. 7 nationally, as does ESPN’s initial Football Power Index.
Toney an early All-American front-runner
Toney is poised to be one of the faces of college football this season after a record-breaking freshman season.
That’s further shown by the amount of preseason recognition he is getting on a national level. Toney was named a preseason first-team All-American by Walter Camp, Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, making him the only player in the ACC to get first-team recognition by all three outlets.
This was all anticipated after Toney’s 2025 season. He set single-season school records for catches (109) and receiving yards (1,211). His 10 receiving touchdowns were the most ever by a Miami freshman and tied for the fourth most in a season in school history. Toney also threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. He also is a threat to break away on punt returns.
Others getting attention on the preseason All-American front include defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (second team by Walter Camp), Fletcher (third team by Athlon and Phil Steele), defensive tackle Ahmad Moten (third team by Phil Steele, fourth team by Athlon) and wide receiver Cooper Barkate (fourth team by Athlon).
Transfer boost
The Hurricanes once again were aggressive in the transfer portal, headlined by the acquisition of Mensah from Duke.
But Mensah was just one of four players who transferred to UM ranked among ESPN’s top 100 players who changed teams this season.
The outlet had Mensah at No. 4, with analyst Tom Luginbill calling Mensah a “true dual-threat.”
“Mensah has intelligence, instincts and a knack for passing nuance,” Luginbill wrote. “He can layer the ball, throw across his body and on the move and drop the ball in a bucket in the vertical passing game. He does not have elite speed, but is very athletic and can get out of trouble to extend plays. There is good, but not elite, elite arm strength, but Mensah can make all of the necessary college-level throws. There were up-and-down moments throughout the year and some turnover issues, but when he gets hot like he did in the ACC title game, he can be really dangerous.”
Beyond Mensah, defensive lineman Damon Wilson II (via Missouri) was No. 8, Barkate (via Duke) was No. 46 and wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs (via South Carolina) was No. 95. Wilson will play a pivotal role off the edge as Miami has to replace star duo Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, both of whom were first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Barkate and Jacobs, meanwhile, will be part of a stacked wide receiver room.
.JPG)