Freshmen flash; news, observations from UM spring game. And Cristobal warning on holdouts
Ten notes and thoughts off the Miami Hurricanes’ spring game on Saturday at Cobb Stadium on campus:
▪ UM’s 2025 recruiting class was universally rated in the top 13 nationally, and these Canes freshmen seemed very worthy of that assessment on Saturday.
Receiver Malachi Toney was brilliant, repeatedly using his speed and shiftiness to get open for at least six receptions. He caught two TDs, but one was called back because the referee said quarterback Luke Nickel was nearly sacked.
The one that counted was a 27-yarder on a dart from Emory Williams. Toney planted his foot in the ground, juked out Michigan State transfer cornerback Charles Brantley, and waltzed into the end zone.
Ray Ray Joseph, Toney’s primary competition for the top slot job, also had a good day (including a TD). But it’s going to be difficult to keep Toney off the field.
Toney is already a diligent student of the game. He said he has tried to borrow certain aspects of various receivers’ games: “Davante Adams’ releases, Stefon Diggs’ route running, Amon Ra St. Brown’s after the catch, Jameson Williams’ swag.”
Meanwhile, freshman Nickel was as good as advertised, displaying a strong arm and attacking downfield more than Williams (who was very accurate) and Judd Anderson, who threw two picks and looks likes UM’s No. 4 quarterback behind Carson Beck, Williams and Nickel.
Nickel threw a bullet on the 30-yard TD to Toney that was called back. He also connected with Toney on a 40-yard catch and run on the sidelines.
Later, he threw a 25-yard TD to Joseph (who did most of the work) and delivered a 32-yard pass to walk-on Brennan Burton.
Nickel’s only mistake was a poorly thrown interception to safety Isaiah Taylor.
“He keeps his eyes down the field; he’s very natural,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said of Nickel. “I don’t think he’s phased in any way, shape or form. He understands protections and can therefore slide in and out of stuff. He feels it well and he’s not afraid to let it go.
“He understands where the holes are. “He understands where he can go with the ball. He made some really big plays. He had about two he would like to have back, held onto the ball a little bit longer than he wanted to. Good player. You can coach him hard. Tough son of a gun. Really happy for the spring he had.”
Nickel’s development is important because Canesport reported Sunday morning that Emory Williams has hired a new NIL agent and is drawing interest in the transfer portal. (UM would likely try to add a veteran QB in the portal if Williams leaves.)
Meanwhile, freshman running back Gerard Pringle Jr. showed impressive burst, ripping off 15 yards on his first carry and hitting the hole hard.
Pringle looks good enough to be UM’s No. 3 back behind Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle, though another scholarship back would be helpful in case there are injuries to any of those three or Chris Wheatley-Humphrey, who had some good moments but also a dropped pass on Saturday. Terrell Walden was the No. 5 running back on Saturday.
“You saw the elusiveness of Pringle,” Cristobal said. “He’s got a burst that’s pretty elite. He got nicked up in the spring, missed some time. He’s got to make up for that time…. [And] Chris Wheatley-Humphrey will be a really good player.”
Freshman receiver Daylyn Upshaw had a 15-yard catch from Williams and played with the starters to open Saturday’s game; he and fellow freshman receiver Joshua Moore, like Toney, have bright futures.
Freshman tight end Luka Gilbert caught a 17-yarder from Williams. Brock Schott, the other freshman tight end, caught a touchdown that was nullified by a holding penalty.
Defensively, the freshmen also flashed. Safety Amari Wallace had an interception off a poor throw, into double coverage, by Anderson.
Ballyhooed freshmen edge player Hayden Lowe capped a very good spring by applying pressure and forcing a throw-away by Williams, one of only a few incomplete passes by UM’s No. 2 quarterback.
Freshman cornerback Jaboree Antoine had a tackle for loss on Mark Fletcher Jr.
We hear freshman defensive tackle Donta Simpson had a very good spring; he played with the second team in the first half on Saturday.
▪ A day after Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava staged a hold out because he reportedly wanted to re-negotiate his NIL deal and was jettisoned from the Volunteers program, Cristobal made clear that holdouts would not be tolerated at UM.
“We’re not going to do that at Miami, and I say that without any hesitation,” Cristobal said Saturday. “If anyone’s thinking that — and they could be the best player in the world — if they want to play hold out, they might as well play get out.
“We don’t want to do that, and we don’t want Miami to become that. Too many guys have sweat and bled and laid it on the line on that field to ever become that kind of program.”
Cristobal, who noted Thursday that the portal is realistically “always open,” added that if a university allowed one player to hold the program hostage, it would open the floodgates.
“It’s all open and everybody’s in it,” Cristobal said of the portal, with the second official window opening this coming week.
“It all depends on what you’re willing to accept and where you’re going to draw the line in your program. You’ve got to realize something: Once you allow that to happen, and you agree to it, prepare for a line of 80 guys doing the same thing.”
▪ The one known significant injury this spring was sustained by tight end Jackson Carver, who is out longterm.
Several others - including Akheem Mesidor, Jojo Trader, OJ Frederique, Elija Lofton and Ahmad Moten - were held out for all or parts of Saturday’s game.
Lofton stood on the sideline and caught passes from starting quarterback Carson Beck, who was throwing left-handed. Beck, a right hander, will begin throwing on Monday after elbow surgery, Cristobal said.
“Couple guys were held out because of nicks,” Cristobal said. “We don’t see anything major.”
▪ With Lofton held out, Tulane transfer Alex Bauman started at tight end and caught a pass. The offensive line, left to right, was what was expected: Markel Bell, Ryan Rodriguez, James Brockermeyer, Anez Cooper and Francis Mauigoa.
Joseph, Ny Carr and Upshaw started at receiver, with Mark Fletcher Jr. lining up behind Williams.
Williams rebounded from his bowl game struggles with a very solid day; he completed his first 13 passes, most on short or intermediate routes, before overthrowing Upshaw on his 14th throw.
Joseph’s good day included taking a short pass from Nickel for a 25-yard TD.
▪ The second team offense included Anderson - who threw the picks to Dylan Day (on an overthrow to Schott) and Wallace (on a pass intended for Toney) - plus Wheatley-Humphrey, CJ Daniels (the LSU transfer had a couple of catches), Toney and an offensive line, from left to right, of Samson Oklunlola, Nino Francavilla, SJ Alofaituli, Max Buchanan and Tommy Kinsler.
▪ With Rueben Bain’s snaps limited and Mesidor held out, UM started emerging Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount at defensive end, with David Blay and Justin Scott at defensive tackle, Wesley Bissainthe and Raul Aguirre at linebacker, and transfers Xavier Lucas and Ethan O’Connor at corner and Zechariah Poyser and Markeith Williams at safety.
Second-year safety Zaquan Patterson, limited by injuries this spring, got some second half snaps (when UM wasn’t tackling) and drew a penalty.
Lucas, who was said to be UM’s best cornerback this spring, and Bissainthe forced a Fletcher fumble on the second play of the day.
Poyser stopped Lyle for no gain on another play.
And Aguirre had one of the plays of the day, stopping Fletcher on a fourth and goal from the one. Williams had another goal-line snap on that sequence.
▪ The second team defense included Malik Bryant (who had a tackle for loss) and Lowe at the edge positions, Daylen Russell and Simpson at tackle (Moten and Joshua Horton were held out); Cam Pruitt and Jaylin Alderman at linebacker; and Emmanuel Karnley and Damari Brown at cornerback and Day and Wallace at safety.
▪ Other stuff on offense: Lyle looked very, very good and should share snaps fairly evenly with Fletcher… Carr had a couple catches. He has come on this spring…
A bad snap by highly-regarded center Alofaituli skipped past Anderson... Anderson scrambled effectively twice, picking up 20 yards on one play. But even beyond the two interceptions, he generally seems to hold the ball too long…. Walk-on tight end Owen Ruskavich caught a couple passes, including a 20-yarder from Williams.
▪ Other stuff on defense: Bain, during his limited snaps, had a sack. So did second-year players Elias Rudolph and Booker Pickett. One of the fascinating competitions of August will be the battle for backup defensive end/edge snaps among Bryant, Blount, Lightfoot, Lowe, Rudolph, Pickett, Cole McConathy and others….
Pickett had a tackle for loss, besides his sack... Walk-on cornerback Nick Kelly forced a fumble by Henry Pikus and Bryant recovered.
▪ We hear the kicking has been uneven this spring, but Saturday was a good sign: Abram Murray, who was the fourth-rated kicker in the 2024 class, hit a 47-yarder, and FAU transfer Carter Davis hit a 25-yarder just before halftime. Davis was 4 for 11 on field goals at FAU but is exceptional as a kickoff man.
This story was originally published April 12, 2025 at 7:22 PM.
