Canes coordinators dish on several players and who’s impressing. And how new deal helps UM
For Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, spring football is about assimilating several new players into his system in the post-Cam Ward era, building on last year’s top-ranked offense (which averaged a nation-leading 537 yards per game), and seeing what the Canes have among their young quarterbacks, while Carson Beck heals from elbow surgery.
“We already know what we’re doing,” Dawson said Friday. “Everyone understands the process around here.”
For new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, the spring is about installing a new system and determining what players best fit what roles. There is plenty of experimenting, including many of the cornerbacks getting snaps at nickel and/or safety, and emerging young linebacker Bobby Pruitt showing the skill set to become a factor in the nickel/star role.
Both coordinators discussed several players before UM adjourned for spring break, with practices resuming on March 18:
▪ Dawson on emerging second-year player Jojo Trader, who stood out in the bowl game against Iowa State and has, from all accounts, been UM’s best receiver through three spring sessions:
“He showed glimpses of being a player who could be really elite right now. Consistency is something we all have to work on. He’s really steady in what he does. He’s very capable.”
▪ On receiver Ray Ray Joseph, who is competing with impressive freshman Malachi Toney for the top slot job: “He played behind [Xavier] Restrepo for two years and now it’s his turn to take it and run with it.”
▪ On freshman receiver Toney, who excelled in the first week of practice: “He’s way more accelerated than most kids at his age. Mentally, I would say so too. His mental toughness and the way he competes is different from a brand new guy. His football IQ is high.”
(Joseph and Toney appear to be UM’s primary returners for now, with freshman receiver Daylyn Upshaw and freshman running back Girard Pringle also getting reps.)
▪ On what stands out about freshman quarterback Luke Nickel, an early enrollee: “Accuracy, first of all. He was extremely accurate throwing a football and he was a winner. Those things are high on the list evaluating quarterbacks. Very talented thrower of the football. Very talented player. The way he goes about leadership is very calm. All of those things added up to me liking him a lot. The game is fast. But over three practices, it’s starting to slow down.”
UM has four scholarship quarterbacks: Beck, Emory Williams (by all accounts, the most impressive of the three healthy QBs competing this week), Judd Anderson and Nickel. The Canes hope all four stay.
“Our quarterback room is very talented,” Dawson said. “If you’ve got four, you have to feel lucky. Three is probably more realistic.”
▪ On tight end Elija Lofton, who is poised to replace NFL-bound Elijah Arroyo:
“He made plays in games last year. His role will continue increasing, more so the role Elijah Arroyo played. More snaps in the game.”
▪ Hetherman on Pruitt, who is making a case for playing time: “You see how smart he is. He’s playing multiple positions. He’s a guy that can do so many different things on the field that you get excited about playing him off the ball, on the ball. You can put him in coverage, put him in the box and just his awareness and understanding of the game. You can tell he’s been very well coached. He flashes the way he puts his foot in the ground and just breaks, finishes on plays.”
▪ Hetherman on veteran Wesley Bissainthe, who has been an outside linebacker for UM but is now getting some snaps at middle linebacker, too:
“Right now he has taken a couple of different positions. He’s communicating really well. The defense is a little different [from former coordinator Lance Guidry’s system] so there have been some different things. Monday we maybe mis-fit a couple of things, might have been some communication [problems]” but he improved during the week.
▪ Hetherman on new cornerback Xavier Lucas, the transfer from Wisconsin who was impressive this past week: “He’s been outstanding. His football awareness, he’s been at this level, learned from some good coaches. And [Wednesday] he made an outstanding play. He’s got a 1-on-1, they throw the back shoulder and he steps up and makes a big time play and brings it back. He competes and is always in trying to learn the game, they whys and the hows.”
Lucas and OJ Frederique could be UM’s boundary starters, but Ethan O’Connor and Emmanuel Karnley will push them. Charles Brantley could end up playing nickel corner, with Damari Brown also competing there.
▪ Hetherman on freshmen linebackers Kellen Wiley and Ezekiel Marcelin:
“Those guys have been awesome. They are constantly studying football. … On the field right now you can tell things are moving fast, that’s expected, that’s going to happen. The way they work, I’m excited about the way those guys take the challenge every single day.”
ACC deal reaction
The Canes ultimately made the smart move by not joining the Clemson and FSU lawsuits against the Atlantic Coast Conference, in part because they stand to benefit from the settlement, and in part because they never had an invitation to join the Big 10 or Southeastern Conference.
Under the new agreement, 60 percent of ACC TV revenue will be distributed unevenly, with weight given to Nielsen TV ratings, particularly recent viewership.
A team’s total viewership will be divided by the total ACC viewership to equal its percentage of the money available in this 60 percent pool. The other 40 percent of the television revenue will be distributed evenly among all league schools.
The Canes have traditionally had some of the ACC’s strongest TV ratings. Last season’s UM at UF nonconference game was the most watched game on ABC/ESPN involving an ACC team except for two Georgia games (against Clemson and Georgia Tech).
Asked for comment on the settlement, UM athletic director Dan Radakovich said: “We were pleased to hear that the Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson and Florida State have resolved their ongoing legal disputes. As part of the settlement the current ACC success initiatives will be strengthened by creating a new revenue distribution model based on football and men’s basketball viewership, which we believe benefits the Miami Hurricanes and our powerful brand presence in the college sports marketplace.”
As part of the settlement, the penalty to leave the conference will drop by $18 million per year, from $165 million next season to $75 million in 2031-31. Any team that pays the exit fee can keep its media revenue, something that wasn’t permitted before the settlement.
Under the former terms, teams that wanted to leave before 2036 had to pay three times their operating budget -- well over $100 million -- and give the ACC their media rights through 2036.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 1:17 PM.
