{"id":221627,"date":"2026-04-07T06:46:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/221627\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T06:46:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:46:23","slug":"cote-annual-state-of-miami-sports-and-grades-for-each-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/221627\/","title":{"rendered":"Cote: Annual \u2018State of Miami Sports\u2019 and grades for each team"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a rare South Florida triple play on Tuesday as the Miami Heat, Marlins and Florida Panthers all play the same day. I figure that\u2019s as good a launch point as any for my (sort of) annual \u201cState of Miami Sports\u201d verdict that I like to do early-ish every year that I remember to do it.<\/p>\n

I grade each of our major teams based on where they stand right now and for the near future. We identify the Big 7 teams as the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, Panthers and Inter Miami plus Hurricanes football and men\u2019s basketball. Teams are listed by grade, high to low, and at the end we also have grades on three teams outside the Big 7:<\/p>\n

\u25aa INTER MIAMI: Grade A \u2014 This is the reigning Major League Soccer champion, with the biggest star in the world in Lionel Messi, and a newly christened stadium (finally) in Miami Freedom Park. This is the flagship of its league in a way no other South Florida team is. If all of that does not equate to a grade of excellence, we better scrap grades and find a new measurement.<\/p>\n

Messi alone \u2014 you can\u2019t spell Messiah without Messi \u2014 is why Inter Miami is more followed globally than any team in MLS, and why the Herons are betting picks to repeat as champion. The fact Miami and American soccer were able to land Messi continues pinch-me stuff almost three years later. And his new contract could see him playing here two more seasons after this one.<\/p>\n

One concern: What\u2019s post-Messi, considering he will be 39 in June though still at the top of his game. But David Beckham and the Mas family have shown the willingness to spend and ability to lure international talent, and the club\u2019s youth academy is flourishing. Plus Messi\u2019s future as club part-owner assures he\u2019ll remain an Inter Miami presence and an asset in attracting top players.<\/p>\n

\u25aa HURRICANES FOOTBALL: Grade A-minus \u2014 Miami Hurricanes under coach Mario Cristobal have improved each of his four seasons back at his alma mater, reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game before falling to Indiana last season, and are positioned to remain a contender this year to win The U\u2019s long-elusive sixth national title and first since 2001.<\/p>\n

Built for the new age of transfer portal\/NIL, Cristobal has proved a master recruiter who has won the quarterback portal three straight years with Cam Ward, Carson Beck and now Darian Mensah. Three Canes and maybe four will be first-round picks in this month\u2019s NFL Draft, with a bounty of returning talent led by star receiver Malachi Toney.<\/p>\n

For much of past quarte -century Canes fans spoiled by success have lamented for new greatness and asked, \u201cWhen will The U be back?\u201d The answer, finally, is now. They showed it last season in dominating Ohio State to reach the title game. But close is not raising the ultimate trophy. The minus on the \u2018A\u2019 is Cristobal\u2019s imperative now for sustained excellence, and for the next step.<\/p>\n

\u25aa FLORIDA PANTHERS: Grade B-plus \u2014 Coach Paul Maurice and GM Bill Zito have fashioned a run to three straight Stanley Cup Finals and won the past two. By itself that\u2019s A+ material. But the current, waning season hits with a back-to-Earth thud as the Cats are eliminated from playoff contention in the brutally tough NHL East.<\/p>\n

A big part of the stumble has been key injuries starting with star Aleksander Barkov missing the whole season. Lack of depth also plagued \u2014 a contrast from last year, when the four-line threat was huge. Cats also gave up fifth-most goals in hockey as Sergei Bobrovsky saw his goals-against balloon to 3.05 and his saves percentage fall to career-worst .878. Matthew Tkachuk and other stars are signed long-term but Bobrovsky is a pending free agent and 37, so the \u201cBob-by\u201d chants in Sunrise might be waning.<\/p>\n

With the Panthers, though, faith in a turnaround next year is not relying on your hope, but on proof: Those two still-new Stanley Cups. With better injury luck and tweaks on defense, a return to form next season is a good bet.<\/p>\n

\u25aa CANES MEN\u2019S BASKETBALL: Grade B \u2014 Due respect to departed coach Jim Larranaga, who unexpectedly led Miami to the 2023 NCAA Final Four, the infusion of youthful leadership in new coach Jai Lucas was a gust of fresh air that paid off hugely in the season that ends Monday night with the Michigan-UConn championship game.<\/p>\n

Lucas, 37, who had been an assistant at ACC power Duke, took over a Canes program that had fallen fast to 7-24 the previous season, worst in school history. This season\u2019s record of 26-9 marked biggest turnaround of any team in the country. The ACC rebound was 3-17 to 13-5. Lucas, with a near-entirely new roster of transfers, proved a miracle worker.<\/p>\n

The grade here isn\u2019t higher because Lucas must prove he\u2019s in Coral Gables for the long-term and avoid the peak-to-valley that marked the end of Larranaga\u2019s career. The portal has made college hoops volatile. Now let\u2019s see if Lucas, after a great debut, can prove a master of it and be a sustained winner in a still-difficult ACC.<\/p>\n

\u25aa MIAMI HEAT: Grade B-minus \u2014 Three-time all-star Bam Adebayo just had an 83-point game. Norman Powell was an All-Star this season after Tyler Herro was last year. Promising young players include Kel\u2019el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic. Erik Spoelstra is a top-tier coach. Heat is this market\u2019s most reliably competitive team, and there\u2019s lots to feel good about…<\/p>\n

…but none of it has proven good enough lately in the tough NBA East. Miami sits in 10th place, the bottom of the play-in round and as of now faces two must-win road games just to climb to the bottom of the playoffs proper. Barring a miracle this will be four straight years in the mediocrity that is play-in purgatory. It has been 13 years since Miami\u2019s last championship, the Jimmy Butler era ended ugly, and Pat Riley has boated no whales of late unless he somehow lands Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer.<\/p>\n

Not good enough to compete for a title, not bad enough to land a difference-making draft pick, and unable to score big in free agency. That\u2019s a hardwood rut.<\/p>\n

\u25aa MIAMI MARLINS: Grade C \u2014 The \u201cFightin\u2019 Fish\u201d are an early pleasant MLB surprise at 6-3 entering Monday night. \u201cFightin\u2019 Fish\u201d is how you market your team when you see it as scrappy, fun, a lovable underdog … but probably not realistically competitive, yet, in an NL East where three rivals are spending triple what Miami spends on player payroll.<\/p>\n

The good start (helped by 5-1 vs. the two worst teams on the planet) is encouraging, as is Sandy Alcantara\u2019s first two starts. And president of baseball ops Peter Bendix is proving here as he did in Tampa an ability to acquire talent on the cheap in a prospects-reliant business model. If only Marlins could develop young bats as well as they do young arms.<\/p>\n

The young, budget-ball Fish might be fun to watch. As a ceiling maybe they will even hang around and still be chasing a wild card into late summer. But it will be hard to grade this franchise higher as long as it is weighted by the anchor of an owner, Bruce Sherman, who won\u2019t spend to major-league levels or even close to it.<\/p>\n

\u25aa MIAMI DOLPHINS: Grade C-minus \u2014 This grade might be generous for a franchise that last won a playoff game in 2001, longest drought in the NFL. Call it praise for the needed reboot underway, and benefit of doubt on the dice-roll on a first-time pro head coach and rookie general manager in Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan from Green Bay.<\/p>\n

The Tua Tagovailoa\/Mike McDaniel era ultimately failed, now Dolfans are being begged for yet more patience as the onerous burden of Tagovailoa\u2019s contract impinges on the rebuild. Offseason signing of free agent QB Malik Willis was a plus and running back De\u2019Von Achane is great, but the roster off a 7-10 season has many holes. New regime must hit big in this month\u2019s NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

This is a fan base sustained on memories, on the ghosts of Shula and Marino and the last Super Bowl win a lifetime ago. For the past half century no proper new hero has arisen as owner Stephen Ross proves better at festooning his stadium with F1 races and tennis than he is at putting a great football team in it.<\/p>\n

If our Big 7 teams was a Big 10:<\/p>\n

Canes women\u2019s basketball: Grade C-plus \u2014 Team improved to 18-15 (8-10 ACC) in second season under coach Tricia Cullop but program failed to reach NCAA Tournament for third straight year, going 1-1 in lesser WBIT tourney.<\/p>\n

FIU football: Grade C-plus \u2014 Miami\u2019s \u201cother\u201d team has had Mario Cristobal and Butch Davis as coaches but little luck lately. But Willie Simmons in his first year went 7-6 (three-game improvement) and reached a minor bowl, school\u2019s first in six years.<\/p>\n

FAU football: Grade D \u2014 Since an 11-win season in Lane Kiffin\u2019s last year (2019), Owls have been 26-43 with a carousel of four other coaches. Latest to try, Zach Kittley, went 4-8 last season.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Greg Cote is a Miami Herald sports columnist who in 2025 won a first-place Green Eyeshade award in Sports Commentary and has finished top 10 in column writing by the Associated Press Sports Editors on multiple occasions. Greg also hosts The Greg Cote Show podcast and appears regularly on The Dan LeBatard Show With Stugotz.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a rare South Florida triple play on Tuesday as the Miami Heat, Marlins and Florida Panthers all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-221627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}