The Miami Hurricanes have added some serious talent in both the Fall and the Spring transfer portal windows. The Canes are by no means done, as they can still chase any player in the transfer portal and grad transfers as well. For the most part, the cake is baked, and the Canes have mostly finalized their transfer portal shopping.
Now they shift their focus to June, which promises to be the most important month in Miami’s history recruiting wise. When we zoom out and take a look at what Miami has done in terms of roster turnover, it is nothing short of incredible. Mario Cristobal was able to bring in a top seven class in the 2023 cycle, and followed that up with the sixth-ranked transfer portal class. The Canes are only one of five teams that ranked in the top ten in both high school recruiting and the transfer portal.
Which players from the transfer portal do we expect to make a significant impact? Below I rank our transfer commits in tiers of their expected impact in the coming year:
High Impact Starters
The Canes landed plenty of high impact starters this cycle. Starting with both Javion Cohen and Matt Lee, the Canes added some significant talent to the offensive line. Lee was the highest graded center in the transfer portal, and Cohen is a massive lineman with the flexibility to play tackle and guard. Cohen did not allow a single sack in his time at Alabama. If Zion Nelson can return and stay healthy for the upcoming year, the Canes will have the best starting OL group in the ACC.
Another expected starter is defensive tackle Branson Deen from Purdue. Deen comes from the Big Ten Conference, which is a tougher and more physical conference than the ACC. Deen’s addition to the defensive front of the Cane’s team is substantial. In the previous season, he achieved a total of 28 tackles, with 18 of them being solo tackles, and 2.5 sacks, primarily playing as a 3/4T. Comparatively, Leonard Taylor, who is regarded as Miami’s most skilled interior lineman, had 24 total tackles, 11 solo tackles, and 3 sacks. It’s important to note that Deen achieved these impressive statistics in the highly competitive Big Ten Conference, which is known for producing exceptional offensive linemen nationwide. The fact that Deen had comparable production to Taylor, while facing tougher competition, should generate excitement among Canes fans regarding the team’s interior defensive line. Deen brings valuable production and experience, having spent four years in college already. Canes fans can anticipate a more experienced, mature, and talented defensive line in the upcoming 2023 season.
Miami added Francisco Mauigoa, the older brother of Francis Mauigoa, at linebacker. The Washington State linebacker is a 6’3, 215lb standout that continues the trend of Miami adding linebackers that have the size and build of SEC championship-level linebackers. Mauigoa recorded 66 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks, and a pick-six in 2022. He has the speed that has been lacking at LB and the expectation is he will be a starter in the upcoming season with Wesley Bissainthe. In the Spring, Mauigoa established himself as the leader of the linebacker corps, and it is certain that we have seen the last of Corey Flagg as a starting linebacker in Miami. Mauigoa’s speed, tackling and playmaking ability was evident all throughout Spring and with his leadership, the linebacker position will no longer be a weakness in the Canes roster.
The Canes also lost two NFL level cornerbacks in Tyrique Stevenson and D.J Ivey. They have replaced them with two starting level cornerbacks in Davonte Brown and Jadais Richard. Brown and Richard are the favorites to lock in both starting positions for the upcoming year. Brown is a senior and this will be his money year before moving on to the NFL. At UCF, Brown established himself as the team’s lockdown corner and is hoping he can do the same at Miami. Richard will have three years of eligibility left and if he wins the starting spot, it will be his first time leading out as a full-time starter in a defensive unit. In his freshman year at Vanderbilt, Richard had one start and a 60.3 coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus. Richard is explosive and athletic and will have an excellent shot at winning the starting spot opposite Brown.
At running back, the Canes added Ajay Allen from Nebraska. Allen averaged 5.8 YPC as a freshman and is expected to compete for an immediate starting spot for the Canes. I expect a three-horse race for the running back position this year with Allen, Chaney and Parrish getting a lot of burn. Yet I predict that Allen, who is very shifty and has great vision, will be the main back by the second half of the season. The Canes got a legit back that will force defenses to respect the run and take pressure off TVD.
Significant Contributors
The next tier of players are guys that will get significant burn this year and become high impact players that will contribute significantly to the program. Any of these guys can easily start and will push the starting group to play up to their abilities.
I want to start with the wide receiver position. Miami had struggled to land significant wide receiver help in the transfer portal, in part due to the offense underperforming last season. But in the spring cycle, the Canes were able to land Tyler Harrell from Alabama and Shemar Kirk from Reedly (Cali.) College. Kirk was ranked as the number three player in his position in the portal and over the last two seasons he totaled 76 catches for 1446 yards with 15 touchdowns and 19.0 yards per catch. Kirk will play a lot for Miami, as Dawson is known to use four wide receiver sets and at Houston his top four receivers got plenty of burn. Expect Kirk to seriously push Jacolby George and do not be surprised if he jumps George as a starting wide receiver.
Harrell was injured most of his Alabama stint, but is now fully healthy and ready to go after undergoing a physical for the Canes. The Canes beat out Texas A&M for the speedster and Harrell gives Miami a deep threat that can take the top off a defense for the first time since Harley and Jeff Thomas. Harrell gives Miami a different dimension on offense opening up the field for the Canes for both running backs and the other receivers. Safeties will no longer creep confidently to the line of scrimmage because Harrell can easily get past your secondary and score on a bomb from TVD. Expect defenses to respect the deep pass this season as a healthy Tyler Harrell is a playmaker.
In the secondary, Terry Roberts and Jaden Davis will help raise the floor of the room. Roberts looks like he will be a contributor at safety this upcoming season. His experience and craftiness allowed him to be one of the top defenders at Iowa and he can become a significant contributor in the safety room. Davis who transferred from Oklahoma, will bring experience to the cornerback room as he was a starter for the Sooners. Do not be surprised if Davis pushes Jadais Richard early on for a starting spot as his experience might bump him to the top group.
The Canes also added a defensive tackle in Anthony Campbell. The 6’7 285-lb. tackle from UL- Monroe is a versatile player who had plenty of offers including from programs such as PSU, Auburn, Virginia Tech and TCU. Miami had been looking for size to add to their interior of their defense and replace Darrell Jackson who transferred out of the program and joined Florida State. Expect Guidry to use Campbell in short yardage situations and play significant snaps as an anchor in the Canes defense.
Depth Pieces
Finally, the Canes added needed-depth pieces in talents such as Thomas Gore, Cam McCormick and Luis Cristobal. Cristobal provides the Canes with a backup center after Jakai Clark transferred. According to Pro Football Focus, Cristobal graded out to a 79.0 blocking grade. McCormick is already proving to be a valuable depth piece for the Canes as his blocking has gotten him praise early on this spring. Mario Cristobal likes to run the ball and he expects his tight ends to block well. McCormick has been instrumental in opening lanes for running backs early on and has even gotten into the end zone with his craftiness. Finally, another Georgia State product Thomas Gore is expected to be a valuable depth piece. Although he is small, he has a great motor and was recognized as a PFF first- team All-Sun Belt. Expect Gore to compete hard and raise the floor of the second and third team defensive ends.
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