Some may not consider Miami “back” until The U captures another national championship, a drought that has lasted since 2001 and has featured a number of promising seasons come crashing down before true title contention. Whether or not the Hurricanes are officially back, no one can accuse the 2025–26 team of being fraudulent, after it took No. 1 Indiana to the brink in Monday’s national championship.
Dealing with a surprisingly hostile crowd in their own home arena, Hard Rock Stadium, the Canes kept pace with Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and the top-ranked Hoosiers all night, ultimately falling to 27–21 to a Hoosiers team that had previously crushed Alabama and Oregon in the College Football Playoff. It was a gutsy effort that fell just short, as quarterback Carson Beck was intercepted deep in Hoosiers territory with under a minute left in the game.
After falling just short of a sixth national championship, what lies ahead for Miami? The Hurricanes will have to replace a number of key players, including Beck under center, but have some significant talent coming in.
What the College Football Playoff national championship loss means for Miami
While the final result is certainly disappointing for the Hurricanes, the 2025–26 season represented a great step forward for a Miami program that had largely been spinning its wheels in the two-plus decades since the historic 2001 national championship team.
Even on the eve of the CFP field being announced, the Hurricanes had very long odds to capture a title. Miami went to Texas A&M and captured a dramatic 10–3 road win at Kyle Field, knocked off perhaps college football’s most talented program (and the defending national champions), Ohio State, 24–14 at the Cotton Bowl and ended Ole Miss’s own Cinderella run in the CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl, 31–27.
This is a season that the Canes should be able to build on, even with some significant departures from this playoff roster.
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Mario Cristobal’s year-by-year record at Miami
| Season | Record (ACC) | Postseason | Final AP Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5–7 (3–5) | N/A | N/A |
| 2023 | 7–6 (3–5) | L, Pinstripe Bowl | N/A |
| 2024 | 10–3 (6–2) | L, Pop-Tarts Bowl | No. 18 |
| 2025 | 13–3 (6–2) | CFP (NCG L) | TBD |
Quarterback Carson Beck, defensive end Akheem Mesidor headline Miami’s departing seniors
The Canes made a huge splash in plucking Beck, the former Georgia quarterback, out of Athens in the transfer portal a year ago. Beck never quite regained his status as a Heisman candidate and potential first-round pick, but evolved into a quality game manager during the season—especially in the playoff. He completed 73.3% of his throws for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His game-sealing pick against Indiana was his second of the CFP run, and just his third since the team’s final regular season loss on Nov. 1 against SMU.
Beck made myriad big throws down the stretch, even in otherwise quiet games, and with a trip to the national championship, he was clearly worth the significant NIL investment that Miami made in him, and he’ll be difficult to replace.
Offensively, coach Mario Cristobal has a lot of work to do up front as he retools for 2026. Junior offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, a potential first-rounder, is likely to jump to the NFL. Miami will lose three of his fellow starters, seniors Markel Bell, James Brockermeyer and Anez Cooper. Redshirt junior guard Matthew McCoy may be the only starting offensive lineman to return next year.
Defensively, edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor leads the definite departures. Mesidor, the West Virginia transfer, led the team with 12.5 sacks, two of which came against Mendoza on Monday. He’s joined by defensive tackle David Blay Jr., linebacker Mohamed Toure and dynamic nickelback Keionte Scott among the seniors on the defensive side.
Bain finished with 9.5 sacks on the year (with one against Indiana). He is a potential first-round pick and is expected to forgo his senior season and make the jump to the NFL. He could be joined by fellow junior Ahmad Moten Sr., who made a significant impact against Indiana at defensive tackle.
Miami expected to land star quarterback Darian Mensah from an ACC rival with Beck graduating
While Beck will be a tough veteran quarterback to replace, Miami could have an even more dynamic signal caller coming in.
Darian Mensah, the well-compensated starting quarterback at Duke by way of Tulane, was a surprise last-minute addition to the transfer portal on the final day that players were allowed to enter. While he has not yet committed to a new program, Miami has been tabbed as the favorite to land him.
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Following a standout first season as starter at Tulane in 2024, Mensah jumped to the ACC in ‘25, throwing for 3,973 yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions for Duke, completing 66.8% of his throws.
The Hurricanes will return their two top offensive weapons
While Miami has work to do up front, it should return some serious offensive talent. Starting running back Mark Fletcher Jr. has already announced his return for his senior season after an impressive 1,192-yard, 12-touchdown rushing season. Fletcher exploded in the CFP for the Hurricanes, totaling 507 rushing yards against Texas A&M, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Indiana.
Much has been made about wide receiver Malachi Toney’s age this season. The true freshman classified up to begin his college career early, and therefore should still be a high school senior—good news for The U as it means he could play at least two more seasons for the program. Toney is already among the most dynamic receivers in the country, accounting for 1,211 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025–26, including 10 receptions for 122 yards and a score against the Hoosiers.
Miami’s 2026 high school recruiting class
While the Hurricanes have made some impressive additions through the transfer portal en route to this year’s national championship appearance, Cristobal continues to build the bedrock of his team through traditional high school recruiting.
The Canes currently have a large, 30-player high school class, ranked No. 10 by 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
| Player | Position | Rating (247) | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Bacon | DL | 3* | Hoover, Ala. |
| Israel Briggs | TE | 4* | Clovis, Calif. |
| Karsten Busch | LB | 3* | Louisville |
| Jordan Campbell | Edge | 4* | Miami |
| Jackson Cantwell | OT | 5* | Nixa, Mo. |
| Asharri Charles | ATH | 4* | Venice, Fla. |
| Isaac Chukwurah | DL | 3* | Bear, Del. |
| Dereon Coleman | QB | 3* | Orlando |
| Ben Congdon | OT | 4* | Mineral City, Ohio |
| JJ Dunnigan | S | 4* | Manhattan, Kans. |
| Justin Edwards | LB | 3* | Orlando |
| Joel Ervin | OL | 4* | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| Tyran Evans | WR | 3* | Cornelius, N.C. |
| Brody Jennings | CB | 3* | Jacksonville |
| DeAnthony Lafayette | Edge | 4* | Orlando |
| Javian Mallory | RB | 3* | West Boca Raton, Fla. |
| Gavin Mueller | TE | 4* | South Elgin, Ill. |
| Logan Nagle | DL | 3* | Wayne, N.J. |
| Milan Parris | WR | 4* | Stow, Ohio |
| Canon Pickett | OT | 3* | Tampa |
| Camdin Portis | CB | 4* | Charlotte |
| Cortez Redding | S | 4* | Jonesboro, Ga. |
| Frederic Sainteus | DL | 3* | Naples, Fla. |
| Vance Spafford | WR | 4* | Mission Viejo, Calif. |
| JJ Sparks | OL | 3* | Jacksonville |
| Keshawn Stancil | DL | 4* | Clayton, N.C. |
| Jaelen Waters | CB | 4* | Seffner, Fla. |
| Somourian Wingo | WR | 4* | St. Augustine, Fla. |
| Rhys Woodrow | OT | 3* | Orlando |
| Jontavius Wyman | CB | 3* | Jonesboro, Ga. |
Incoming Miami transfers for 2026
The transfer portal cuts both ways for every program, including the Hurricanes. As of Monday, Cristobal’s program is losing two more players in the portal than it is bringing in, including tight end Brock Schott, who is heading to national championship foe Indiana. Former four-star wide receiver Chance Robinson is staying in the ACC, heading to NC State, as is WR Ny Carr, going to Wake Forest.
On the other end, here are the six Miami commits in the transfer portal so far.
| Player | Position | Rating (247) | Prev. School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jarquez Carter | DL | 3* | Ohio State |
| Vandrevius Jacobs | WR | 4* | South Carolina |
| Jack Olsen | K | 3* | Northwestern |
| Omar Thornton | S | 4* | Boston College |
| Cam Vaughn | WR | 4* | West Virginia |
| Jake Weinberg | K | 3* | Florida State |
Miami football’s 2026 schedule
While Miami’s official 2026 schedule is not finalized, the Hurricanes’ three nonconference games are set—including a rematch of the 2025 season-opening thriller against Notre Dame, which proved to be one of the most important games in the sport this season. We also know which ACC programs that The U will face in its nine-game conference slate.
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Sept. 12 | vs. Florida A&M |
| Sept. 26 | vs. Central Michigan |
| Nov. 7 | at Notre Dame |
| TBA | vs. Boston College |
| TBA | vs. Duke |
| TBA | vs. Pitt |
| TBA | vs. Virginia Tech |
| TBA | vs. Florida State |
| TBA | at Clemson |
| TBA | at North Carolina |
| TBA | at Stanford |
| TBA | at Wake Forest |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What’s Next for Miami? Early Look at Hurricanes’ Roster, Outlook for 2026 Season.
