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Miami's run to the College Football Playoff National Championship was wonderful - but it didn't win.
Miami didn't even play in the ACC Championship last season, and in 24 seasons of being in the conference, it has yet to win it.
Okay, but the Hurricanes did beat Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss, and came achingly close to potentially winning it all - like, if Carson Beck put more air under the game-sealing interception for Indiana.
Now comes the hard part - doing it again, even with some rebuilding to do.
Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal before the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The last three College Football Playoff National Championship losers were TCU, Washington, and Notre Dame, and none of them got back to the tournament the next year.
So when it comes to any sort of narrative that Miami might be "back" - as if it's possible in any way to recapture what it was like when "The U" was a dominant storyline one way or another for two decades - it'll be back when it gets into the College Football Playoff over and over again.
And that's what being Miami is supposed to be all about. Winning big in the biggest moments.
Being back for Miami starts with getting back into the playoff, and this team can do that.
- 2026 Miami Schedule Analysis
There was a little bit of flash to the Miami offense, but for the most part it liked to pound away behind the big offensive line and control the tempo.
Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will have to get a little more creative this year with reloading to be done across the board.
There might be a little more tempo to an attack that finished 46th last season in total offense and 35th in scoring, but it'll still all work around the ground attack.
The Hurricanes got Darian Mensah to not just take over, but do even more. After all the drama and issues after leaving Duke, the quarterback situation is now settled.
Mensah is used to carrying offenses on his own - he won an ACC Championship last year; Miami didn't - and he'll likely throw more than Carson Beck did last season.
A few interception meltdown moments aside, Beck was slightly more accurate and careful than Mensah, but Mensah will make it all work faster.
The top backs return. Mensah can move, but he's not a runner.
The ground game will once again revolve around the 1-2 punch of Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown, two physical thumpers who combined for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Malachi Toney. A 5-11, 188-pound Swiss army knife of a playmaker, he needs the ball in his hands as many ways as possible.
As a freshman, he caught 109 passes for 1,211 yards and ten touchdowns - most importantly, scored the lone TD in the CFP win over Texas A&M - ran for 113 yards and a score, and averaged 13 yards per punt return.
The offensive line has to rebuild in a hurry. It's a Mario Cristobal-coached team. The former Hurricane center isn't going to let his front five be anything less than amazing.
However, he lost Francis Mauigoa (No. 10 overall pick to the New York Giants), Markell Bell in the third round to Philadelphia, and guard Anez Cooper to the New York Jets.
The Hurricanes might be relying on true freshman Jackson Cantwell in place of Bell at left tackle as one of the four new starters up front.
The transfer receivers have to step up large. Toney is the main man everything will work around, and the Hurricanes loaded up at wideout. Now it all has to work.
Miami got Mensah's main target at Duke, Cooper Barkate, coming off a 76-catch season with over 1,100 yards.
Vandrevius Jacobs is a big-play signing from South Carolina, and Cam Vaughn is a good grab from West Virginia.
The backup quarterback situation is too thin. There's talent and upside, but the show might be over if anything happens to Mensah.
Luke Nickel is a redshirt freshman with one career attempt, and 6-7, 230-pound Judd Anderson has yet to see the field.
Mark Fletcher, RB Sr.
A great back over his first three seasons with 2,313 yards and 26 touchdowns, and he caught 34 passes with two scores.
He took over in the College Football Playoff with 507 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana, and a key receiving score against Ohio State over the four games.
Jul 15, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami quarterback Darian Mensah speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown.
© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
How do you replace a defensive front that took over games like Miami's did last season?
How do you replace so many starters off a bunch that held Indiana to just 317 yards and kept Ohio State in check?
The Hurricanes aren't starting from scratch, but they do need to replace several heart-and-soul types who helped allow just under 300 yards and 15 points per game.
The defensive line will still be awesome, at least at tackle. The ends are done, but the combination of Justin Scott and Ahmad Moten Sr. is as good as any in America.
They're both NFL-sized, they can both get into the backfield - Moten is a bit better - and they're both likely to go in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
The backup tackles - Keona Davis (Nebraska) and Jarquez Carter (Ohio State) - would be a strength of a starting duo for at least 100 other teams.
Damon Wilson II ... you're up. More about the superstar pass rushing losses in a moment, but it helps to get a top SEC pass rushing talent like Wilson. If the former Missouri Tiger isn't the best edge rusher in the portal, he's second.
Linebacker. The Hurricanes didn't dip into the portal for a linebacker for a reason.
They lost star playmaker Wesley Bissainthe, but Mohamed Toure led the team with 84 tackles, and Chase Smith is a 6-2, 240-pound thumper who's been waiting his turn for the gig in the middle.
Reuben Bain and Akheem Meisdor. Miami will be good on the edge, but these two were the playmakers who gave the team a nasty edge throughout its great run.
Bain was the 15th overall pick by Tampa Bay, Mesidor went 22nd to the Los Angeles Chargers, and that's because they combined for 22 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, 117 tackles, and five forced fumbles.
Takeaways. It only really mattered in the tight games.
The three takeaways in the 10-3 victory over Texas A&M helped get the Canes out alive.
The three helped them survive a 28-22 fight with Florida State, and the two against Ohio State meant almost everything.
Miami went 9-0 when it came up with multiple takeaways, and was 4-3 when it didn't. Under Cristobal, the Canes are 5-7 when it doesn't come up with a turnover.
Losing Jakobe Thomas and Keionte Scott in the secondary hurts. Thomas is off to the Minnesota Vikings, and Scott is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Those two combined for seven of the team's 16 picks, 135 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 11 broken up passes, four forced fumbles, and three touchdowns - they were special.
Mohamed Toure, LB Sr.
In his seventh season - he missed the 2022 campaign with Rutgers hurt, and was out for all of 2024 - everything worked just fine last year.
The 6-2, 235-pound big hitter led the team with 84 tackles, two sacks, and six broken up passes.
With so many key lost parts, Toure will be even more of a veteran presence in the middle of the linebacking corps.
Jackson Cantwell, OT Fr.
Really? You're going to let a true freshman play left tackle to protect the multi-million dollar quarterback transfer?
The 6-8, 330-pounder from Missouri was one of the top five high school prospects, if not No. 1, and the Hurricanes got him.
The spotlight will be on all season - there's no training period.
The PENALTIES
Miami committed more penalties than anyone else last season.
The numbers are toasted because Miami played 16 games, but still, it's not a plus.
The Hurricanes ended up with 112 for 916 yards. By comparison, Indiana also played 16 games, and it was 17th in turnovers with 60.
In general, you want to keep the flags to fewer than six per game to be in the top half of the nation. Miami was 8-0 when getting flagged six times or fewer.
at Clemson, October 3
Okay … OKAY. Yeah, the date in South Bend against Notre Dame to open up November might be the game of the season, but Miami can lose that and still be just fine in the national title chase.
Losing at Clemson in the first weekend of October would be a huge problem for an ACC Championship run, and could turn the date with the Irish into a must-win for College Football Playoff hopes.
This is the type of transfer portal haul that keeps all the fun going.
The Hurricanes might have lost a ton of talent, but they landed player after player to not only fill in the holes, but potentially upgrade in certain areas.
There were losses, but overall, there's nothing the Canes can't - or didn't - replace.
Damon Wilson II, EDGE (Missouri)
He started at Georgia and was okay, made 23 tackles with nine sacks last year at Missouri, and now he's taking his talents to South Beach as, arguably, the best pass rushing prospect in the portal.
Raul Aguirre Jr., LB (NC State)
The Hurricanes didn't lose too many players to the portal that should matter, but Aguirre was a good part of last year's rotation with 43 tackles.
Last year's team was built up over a few years.
The run to the College Football Playoff National Championship wasn't a culmination for the program, but the team was loaded with key veterans who could be counted on time and again.
Even for Miami, it's asking for too much to repeat the production of the offensive line and the pass rush right away, but this year's versions won't be too far off.
CFN Prediction: 10-2
There will be a different expectation level now after getting so close to winning it all, and phenomenal signings from the portal and in the latest recruiting class will help keep the big letdown from happening.
It helps to not have to play Louisville and SMU - both teams beat the Hurricanes last year, and both should be better this season.
Having to go to Clemson is dangerous, and the road date at Wake Forest will be tougher than it seems.
Florida State, Pitt, Duke, and Virginia Tech all have to come to Miami Gardens, and there are just two road games after October 3rd, but one of them is Notre Dame.
The Hurricanes will lose one game they shouldn't, and budget in a defeat in South Bend. But this is the best team in the ACC - and probably by a lot - and nothing less than a trip to the College Football Playoff will do.
Continue reading...
Miami didn't even play in the ACC Championship last season, and in 24 seasons of being in the conference, it has yet to win it.
Okay, but the Hurricanes did beat Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss, and came achingly close to potentially winning it all - like, if Carson Beck put more air under the game-sealing interception for Indiana.
Now comes the hard part - doing it again, even with some rebuilding to do.
Miami Has to Prove Last Year Was Just the Start
You must be registered for see images attach
Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal before the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The last three College Football Playoff National Championship losers were TCU, Washington, and Notre Dame, and none of them got back to the tournament the next year.
So when it comes to any sort of narrative that Miami might be "back" - as if it's possible in any way to recapture what it was like when "The U" was a dominant storyline one way or another for two decades - it'll be back when it gets into the College Football Playoff over and over again.
And that's what being Miami is supposed to be all about. Winning big in the biggest moments.
Being back for Miami starts with getting back into the playoff, and this team can do that.
- 2026 Miami Schedule Analysis
Miami Quick Hits
- Head Coach: Mario Cristobal (5th year at Miami: 54-35; 16th year overall: 97-79)
- Best Case / Worst Case: Win the ACC Championship, make another deep CFP run/Lose more than two games and miss out on the CFP
- Key Player: Darian Mensah, QB Jr.
- 2025 Record: 13-3
- Biggest Question: Can the Hurricanes reload fast enough on both sides of the ball?
Miami Key 2025 Stats
- 2nd Quarter Scoring: Miami 123, Opponents 27
- Sacks: Miami 34 for 269 yards, Opponents 11 for 75 yards
- Time of Possession: Miami 33:43, Opponents 26:17
Offense
There was a little bit of flash to the Miami offense, but for the most part it liked to pound away behind the big offensive line and control the tempo.
Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will have to get a little more creative this year with reloading to be done across the board.
There might be a little more tempo to an attack that finished 46th last season in total offense and 35th in scoring, but it'll still all work around the ground attack.
What’s Working
The Hurricanes got Darian Mensah to not just take over, but do even more. After all the drama and issues after leaving Duke, the quarterback situation is now settled.
Mensah is used to carrying offenses on his own - he won an ACC Championship last year; Miami didn't - and he'll likely throw more than Carson Beck did last season.
A few interception meltdown moments aside, Beck was slightly more accurate and careful than Mensah, but Mensah will make it all work faster.
The top backs return. Mensah can move, but he's not a runner.
The ground game will once again revolve around the 1-2 punch of Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown, two physical thumpers who combined for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Malachi Toney. A 5-11, 188-pound Swiss army knife of a playmaker, he needs the ball in his hands as many ways as possible.
As a freshman, he caught 109 passes for 1,211 yards and ten touchdowns - most importantly, scored the lone TD in the CFP win over Texas A&M - ran for 113 yards and a score, and averaged 13 yards per punt return.
What Needs Work
The offensive line has to rebuild in a hurry. It's a Mario Cristobal-coached team. The former Hurricane center isn't going to let his front five be anything less than amazing.
However, he lost Francis Mauigoa (No. 10 overall pick to the New York Giants), Markell Bell in the third round to Philadelphia, and guard Anez Cooper to the New York Jets.
The Hurricanes might be relying on true freshman Jackson Cantwell in place of Bell at left tackle as one of the four new starters up front.
The transfer receivers have to step up large. Toney is the main man everything will work around, and the Hurricanes loaded up at wideout. Now it all has to work.
Miami got Mensah's main target at Duke, Cooper Barkate, coming off a 76-catch season with over 1,100 yards.
Vandrevius Jacobs is a big-play signing from South Carolina, and Cam Vaughn is a good grab from West Virginia.
The backup quarterback situation is too thin. There's talent and upside, but the show might be over if anything happens to Mensah.
Luke Nickel is a redshirt freshman with one career attempt, and 6-7, 230-pound Judd Anderson has yet to see the field.
Player to Watch
Mark Fletcher, RB Sr.
A great back over his first three seasons with 2,313 yards and 26 touchdowns, and he caught 34 passes with two scores.
He took over in the College Football Playoff with 507 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana, and a key receiving score against Ohio State over the four games.
You must be registered for see images attach
Jul 15, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami quarterback Darian Mensah speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown.
© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Defense
How do you replace a defensive front that took over games like Miami's did last season?
How do you replace so many starters off a bunch that held Indiana to just 317 yards and kept Ohio State in check?
The Hurricanes aren't starting from scratch, but they do need to replace several heart-and-soul types who helped allow just under 300 yards and 15 points per game.
What’s Working
The defensive line will still be awesome, at least at tackle. The ends are done, but the combination of Justin Scott and Ahmad Moten Sr. is as good as any in America.
They're both NFL-sized, they can both get into the backfield - Moten is a bit better - and they're both likely to go in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
The backup tackles - Keona Davis (Nebraska) and Jarquez Carter (Ohio State) - would be a strength of a starting duo for at least 100 other teams.
Damon Wilson II ... you're up. More about the superstar pass rushing losses in a moment, but it helps to get a top SEC pass rushing talent like Wilson. If the former Missouri Tiger isn't the best edge rusher in the portal, he's second.
Linebacker. The Hurricanes didn't dip into the portal for a linebacker for a reason.
They lost star playmaker Wesley Bissainthe, but Mohamed Toure led the team with 84 tackles, and Chase Smith is a 6-2, 240-pound thumper who's been waiting his turn for the gig in the middle.
What Needs Work
Reuben Bain and Akheem Meisdor. Miami will be good on the edge, but these two were the playmakers who gave the team a nasty edge throughout its great run.
Bain was the 15th overall pick by Tampa Bay, Mesidor went 22nd to the Los Angeles Chargers, and that's because they combined for 22 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, 117 tackles, and five forced fumbles.
Takeaways. It only really mattered in the tight games.
The three takeaways in the 10-3 victory over Texas A&M helped get the Canes out alive.
The three helped them survive a 28-22 fight with Florida State, and the two against Ohio State meant almost everything.
Miami went 9-0 when it came up with multiple takeaways, and was 4-3 when it didn't. Under Cristobal, the Canes are 5-7 when it doesn't come up with a turnover.
Losing Jakobe Thomas and Keionte Scott in the secondary hurts. Thomas is off to the Minnesota Vikings, and Scott is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Those two combined for seven of the team's 16 picks, 135 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 11 broken up passes, four forced fumbles, and three touchdowns - they were special.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Toure, LB Sr.
In his seventh season - he missed the 2022 campaign with Rutgers hurt, and was out for all of 2024 - everything worked just fine last year.
The 6-2, 235-pound big hitter led the team with 84 tackles, two sacks, and six broken up passes.
With so many key lost parts, Toure will be even more of a veteran presence in the middle of the linebacking corps.
Keys to the Season
- Keep the pass rush going with the new starting edge rushers.
- Darian Mensah has to stay healthy and be every bit as good, or better, as Carson Beck was.
- Can the offensive line take over games in key moments?
Player Who Needs To Shine
Jackson Cantwell, OT Fr.
Really? You're going to let a true freshman play left tackle to protect the multi-million dollar quarterback transfer?
The 6-8, 330-pounder from Missouri was one of the top five high school prospects, if not No. 1, and the Hurricanes got him.
The spotlight will be on all season - there's no training period.
Biggest Concern
The PENALTIES
Miami committed more penalties than anyone else last season.
The numbers are toasted because Miami played 16 games, but still, it's not a plus.
The Hurricanes ended up with 112 for 916 yards. By comparison, Indiana also played 16 games, and it was 17th in turnovers with 60.
In general, you want to keep the flags to fewer than six per game to be in the top half of the nation. Miami was 8-0 when getting flagged six times or fewer.
Biggest Game
at Clemson, October 3
Okay … OKAY. Yeah, the date in South Bend against Notre Dame to open up November might be the game of the season, but Miami can lose that and still be just fine in the national title chase.
Losing at Clemson in the first weekend of October would be a huge problem for an ACC Championship run, and could turn the date with the Irish into a must-win for College Football Playoff hopes.
Transfer Portal
This is the type of transfer portal haul that keeps all the fun going.
The Hurricanes might have lost a ton of talent, but they landed player after player to not only fill in the holes, but potentially upgrade in certain areas.
There were losses, but overall, there's nothing the Canes can't - or didn't - replace.
Best Signing
Damon Wilson II, EDGE (Missouri)
He started at Georgia and was okay, made 23 tackles with nine sacks last year at Missouri, and now he's taking his talents to South Beach as, arguably, the best pass rushing prospect in the portal.
Biggest Loss
Raul Aguirre Jr., LB (NC State)
The Hurricanes didn't lose too many players to the portal that should matter, but Aguirre was a good part of last year's rotation with 43 tackles.
Other Names to Know
- Cooper Barkate, WR (Duke)
- Jarquez Carter, DT (Ohio State)
- Vandrevius Jacobs, WR (South Carolina)
CFN Season Prediction
Last year's team was built up over a few years.
The run to the College Football Playoff National Championship wasn't a culmination for the program, but the team was loaded with key veterans who could be counted on time and again.
Even for Miami, it's asking for too much to repeat the production of the offensive line and the pass rush right away, but this year's versions won't be too far off.
CFN Prediction: 10-2
There will be a different expectation level now after getting so close to winning it all, and phenomenal signings from the portal and in the latest recruiting class will help keep the big letdown from happening.
It helps to not have to play Louisville and SMU - both teams beat the Hurricanes last year, and both should be better this season.
Having to go to Clemson is dangerous, and the road date at Wake Forest will be tougher than it seems.
Florida State, Pitt, Duke, and Virginia Tech all have to come to Miami Gardens, and there are just two road games after October 3rd, but one of them is Notre Dame.
The Hurricanes will lose one game they shouldn't, and budget in a defeat in South Bend. But this is the best team in the ACC - and probably by a lot - and nothing less than a trip to the College Football Playoff will do.
Continue reading...
