The Miami Hurricanes enter the 2026 season with enviable depth at multiple positions — wide receiver, running back, defensive tackle, cornerback and safety among them.
But there are three positions in particular across the roster where Miami lacks experience beyond its projected starters. While the team’s backups are brimming with potential at those spots, they are unproven which could put the Hurricanes in a vulnerable position.
Here’s a deeper look at those three spots.
1.) Linebacker: Mo Toure is the undisputed leader of this group as he enters his second with Miami and eighth in college football overall — a journey that included being redshirted his first year, being granted an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-impacted 2020 season and two separate ACL tears during his time at Rutgers. Toure led Miami with 84 tackles in 2025 and also had six pass breakups and three tackles for loss.
But with Wesley Bissainthe out of eligibility and Raul “Popo” Aguirre transferring, the rest of the Hurricanes’ linebacker group is either largely unproven or has underwhelmed thus far.
Chase Smith, a sixth-year senior, is set to be the starter opposite Toure. After essentially being a non-factor through his first four years at UM, Smith became part of Miami’s linebacker rotation in 2025 and logged 31 tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries across 220 defensive snaps — more than doubling the 201 total snaps he had in his career entering the season. Can he handle the workload of being a full-time starter.
The only other veterans in the room beyond them are redshirt junior Kamal Bonner and junior Cam Pruitt. Bonner, an NC State transfer, was limited to mostly special teams work in his first year at Miami. Pruitt had 10 tackles across 15 games.
The Hurricanes will most likely need to see any of their handful underclassmen — namely sophomores Kellen Wiley Jr. and Ezekiel Marcellin Jr. or incoming freshmen Justin Edwards, Jordan Campbell or Karsten Busch — step up to provide the depth needed should Toure or Smith underperform or get injured.
Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez (76) blocks during during the NCAA football game against the South Florida Bulls at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, September 13, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
2.) Center: The middle of Miami’s offensive line has been a revolving door for the past few years. UM brought in transfers each of the past three years — first Matt Lee, then Zach Carpenter, then James Brockermeyer — and now are going in-house at the position with sixth-year senior Ryan Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has waited his turn to be a full-time starter, working everywhere across the interior of the line over the past few years to prove his worth. An injury in Miami’s season opener in 2024 stopped him from being one of Miami’s primary left guards that year.
This year, the center spot is his so long as he stays on the field.
“I thought last year Ryan Rodriguez could have started at center for any other program in the ACC — and I’ll stand by that,” Hurricanes offensive line coach Alex Mirabal said in the spring. “… Everybody makes their turn at a certain time, and this is Ryan’s turn.”
However, beyond Rodriguez on the depth chart at center are likely a pair of underclassmen in sophomore SJ Alofaituli (who is getting reps with the first-team offensive line at guard as well as center) and true freshman Rhys Woodrow.
Miami Hurricanes tight end Elija Lofton (9) signals a first down against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half of a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Thursday, January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
3.) Tight end: The Hurricanes have already taken a hit here with 6-7 sophomore Luke Gilbert ruled out for the season after sustaining an injury over the offseason. That eliminates the buffer between starter Elija Lofton, who played through injury all last season, and a pair of talented true freshmen in Israel Briggs and Gavin Mueller.
Lofton is the only tight end on the roster with more than 150 career offensive snaps.
“Obviously, when you have an injury like that to a player that had significant experience as a freshman and a guy with those size and specs, that’s a real injury and a real loss,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said.
Briggs and Mueller have the skill sets to help the tight end room should they quickly acclimate to the college game.
The rest of Miami’s depth at the position includes Jackson Carver, former UAB transfer Jack Nickel, former walk-on Owen Ruskavich and converted defensive end Cole McConathy.
Watch list season
Jack Olsen on Friday was named to the watch list for the Lou Groza award, given annually to college football’s top kicker.
Olsen is one of two kickers to transfer to Miami over the offseason along with Jake Weinberg. The two have been competing to become the Hurricanes’ starter since spring, similar to the battle between Carter Davis and Bert Auburn last season.
Olsen, who comes to Miami from Northwestern, is the more accurate of the two. He made 40 of 51 field goals during his time at Northwestern, including going 19 of 21 last season.
Weinberg, who previously played at Florida State, went 12 for 19 last season.
While neither has made a field goal longer than 50 yards in his career, it’s worth noting that Olsen did not handle kickoff duties at Northwestern while Weinberg did. The possibility of the two splitting duties — Olsen being the primary field goal kicker with Weinberg handling kickoffs and longer field goals — is an option for Miami.
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Miami Herald
Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.