Miami Hurricanes Address Cornerback Needs With Four Transfers

The Miami Hurricanes had many positions which needed to be addressed in the transfer portal and cornerback was certainly towards the top of the list. The 2022 Canes lacked depth at the cornerback position and that group became even thinner when Miami lost its top two corners to the NFL Draft. With Tyrique Stevenson being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round and DJ Ivey being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round, the Canes were left with major holes to fill in the cornerback room. The Miami staff hit the transfer portal hard to fill those holes, landing two cornerbacks with starting experience in each of the transfer portal windows.

Miami started out its overhaul of the cornerback group in the first transfer portal segment by landing transfers Davonte Brown from UCF and Terry Roberts from Iowa. Brown is a 6’2” cornerback that brings great size and experience to the Canes defense. In his three seasons at UCF, Brown started over 30 games and recorded 90 tackles and three interceptions. The American Heritage High School product is the older brother of Miami signee Damari Brown and I expect both to see the field often for Miami this year with Davonte challenging for the starting corner spot. Roberts was the second transfer corner to enroll at Miami prior to spring ball and also brings a lot of experience to a room that sorely needed it. The fifth-year senior played in 33 games for the Hawkeyes and started three of Iowa’s first four games before suffering an injury last season. Roberts recorded 13 tackles and an interception before a leg injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

After spring football came to an end, the portal reopened and the Canes coaching staff got active again, adding two more cornerbacks with Power Five experience. Miami missed out on Jaden Davis back in 2019 when the four-star prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, but the Canes jumped at the chance to bring him home when the grad-transfer entered the portal after spring ball. Davis started over 20 games for the Sooners and is expected to challenge for a starting spot at the nickel position right away. The fourth corner that the Canes added from the transfer portal is 6’2” sophomore Jadais Richard out of Vanderbilt. Richard was a former four-star prospect and played in eleven games as a true freshman for the Commodores. The lengthy corner was expected to start and be a major part of the Vandy secondary in the 2023 season. Much like Davonte Brown, Richard will be competing for a starting role at one of the corner spots.

The Miami coaching staff saw the glaring needs in the cornerback room and did a great job of adding experienced players that have the ability to make an instant impact. With James Williams and All- American Kam Kinchens returning at the safety spots, solidifying the cornerback position could give the Canes a very strong secondary.

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