The Miami Hurricanes are in desperate need of a top flight running back and could use help in other areas as well.
The Miami Hurricanes have concluded the 2024 spring football ‘season’ and are heading into the summer with a bright outlook for the fall. Miami has a top-10 roster in Blue Chip Ratio, the top-three coaches on staff returning, and an elite transfer QB behind center.
But, there’s always the desire for more! And Miami certainly has a few holes to fill via injuries and the transfer portal flowing out instead of in. The Hurricanes are currently fairly tight with scholarship numbers on the roster and need to offload some student-athletes that have been recruited over the past two seasons.
Biggest Need
The current biggest need is at the Running Back position. Mark Fletcher and Ajay Allen were out this spring with injuries and Chris Johnson Jr. and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey aren’t exactly flashing. “Athlete” Elija Loftin can’t be the feature back in a Mario Cristobal type offense. The ‘Canes will need to hit the portal for a running back this spring.
Who are the top backs in the transfer portal? Damien Martinez, Dallas Hayden, and Derrian Brown are three names to keep an eye on. Martinez is a six-foot, 237 pound back from Oregon State and a four-star transfer prospect. He’s a thumper who averages 6.1 yards per carry with 16 TD’s in two seasons with the Beavers.
Derrian Brown is in the portal out of Buford, GA. Brown is a former Texas Longhorn but only 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. Cristobal might be looking for a bigger back for his ground and pound offensive scheme as Miami has scat backs in Johnson and Wheatley-Humphrey already.
Dallan Hayden entered the portal from Ohio State. He’s five-foot-ten and 205 pounds. A former four-star prospect, Hayden has rushed for 5.1 yards per carry and six touchdowns in 13 games for the Buckeyes.
Other Needs
Miami really has to trim the fat in order to even have scholarship space for a cornerback and a nose tackle with experience. While cornerback is a must-have, Miami might be able to work around not having a big hoss at the zero/one tech tackle position with line games from DC Lance Guidry.
Cornerback
Defensive back is another area of concern for the Hurricanes. The DB’s were cooked multiple times against Xavier Restrepo, Isaiah Horton, Jacolby George and Riley Williams. There were a few other wide open plays I can recall as well that were missed on by the QB or WR. Three transfer safeties have already been brought on campus and there’s potentially room for a cornerback which is the biggest need.
The number one name on my radar is Tre’Quon Fegans, a USC transfer out of Alabama. Fegans is a former-four star prospect that stands at six-foot-one, 190 pounds. He’d have the size and range to match up against bigger receivers for Miami. Fegans played limited snaps in 2023, and was already a transfer from Alabama.
Nose Tackle
The nose tackle position has a bright young star coming in. Justin Scott, the five-star out of Chicago is a 300 pound monster that will have a bright future at Miami. However, true freshman nose tackles are often having to learn more than the bull rush they got away with against 225 pound OL in high school.
The interior DL position is much more nuanced than people realize. Hand placement and fighting, footwork, the amount of twists and games at the P5 level- it’s a lot more than “see ball, get ball”
Joshua Harris, an Ole Miss transfer, could be the stop-gap big man while Scott learns the ropes. Harris is six-foot-four, 325 pounds and a former four-star prospect. Harris transferred to the Rebels from NC State so he has SEC and ACC film. He’s not an ‘every down’ player but could be a nice plug player on 3rd and 4th and short situations.
The Wrap
Coral Gables is about to have an influx on moving vans during the spring transfer portal season. I have a feeling a number of ‘Canes on the roster are going to be headed elsewhere with Logan Sagapolu and Jacurri Brown the latest entries.
Miami needs to make sure the proper scholarship numbers are met without exceeding the limit. Without a few departures, it could be hard for Miami to add a RB, NT, or CB. We live in interesting times in college football.
Let’s face it, with the ever changing landscape of college football there could be a total chaos next year or by 2026. That means Miami is in a win-now situation with Cam Ward at QB and the world’s easiest schedule in ‘24.