{"id":260732,"date":"2026-05-06T15:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T15:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/260732\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T15:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T15:27:10","slug":"do-the-miami-hurricanes-have-championship-caliber-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/260732\/","title":{"rendered":"Do the Miami Hurricanes have Championship caliber depth?"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, I was listening to a recent episode of the Domonique Foxworth podcast, and he had football analyst Ben Solak on the show. During the conversation, Solak said something that really made me think:<\/p>\n

In short, Solak said that the real test of a team\u2019s championship depth is evaluating the quality of the 3rd best player on both sides of the ball. Sure, it was NFL-centric, but I think the point of evaluation stands. It\u2019s easy to know the star QB and maybe OL or skill player on offense, and a stud edge rusher and cornerback on defense\u2026.but who\u2019s the NEXT player on the list? The more the 3rd player on either side of the ball is a household name\/top player, the better the team\u2019s championship depth.<\/p>\n

Obviously, the previous conversation was NFL-centric, but let\u2019s take that structure and apply it to the Canes.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re starting with the top of the list, it\u2019s pretty easy in my opinion: QB Darian Mensah and WR Malachi Toney. Boom done. Moving on.<\/p>\n

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

CORAL GABLES, FL – APRIL 18: Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) runs through drills prior to the Miami Hurricanes playing their spring game on April 18, 2026, at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The conversation about championship depth begins now. For this, I\u2019m not looking down the line for who WILL BE the best (Jackson Cantwell), I\u2019m looking at who IS CURRENTLY the best, and will help Miami compete for championships.<\/p>\n

After Mensah and Toney, the next group of players on offense for this season is pretty clear to me: RB Mark Fletcher Jr. and WR Cooper Barkate.<\/p>\n

Fletcher Jr. was the catalyst in the run game in the College Football Playoffs that led Miami to the National Championship game last year, and Barkate was 2nd in the ACC for receiving yardage (behind Malachi Toney) and was Mensah\u2019s top target at Duke. For me, I\u2019d go Fletcher Jr. then Barkate as the next best players on Miami\u2019s offense in that order, and be pretty happy about it, too.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say there aren\u2019t other players who could be the 3rd best player on Miami\u2019s offense by the end of the year. WR Joshua Moore is incredibly talented. I already mentioned Jackson Cantwell, who figures to step in and start at Left Tackle right away. And, Matthew McCoy and Samson Okunlola were both blue chip recruits who have tons of starting experience along Miami\u2019s offensive line, and could be the 3rd best player on the offense next year (though unlikely).<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re looking purely at star power\/top of the roster status, Fletcher Jr. and Barkate lead the way. Both of them are very, very good college players, and give Miami the championship contending depth on this side of the ball that they need.<\/p>\n

In a weird twist, Miami\u2019s offensive line (and tight ends, but don\u2019t get me started on them) has open questions heading into 2026. There\u2019s tons of talent, highlighted by #1 overall recruit Jackson Cantwell and former 5-star Okunlola, returning starter McCoy, and Georgia transfer Jamal Meriweather, along with other blue chip recruits who are pushing for playing time. But, the new group needs to show their prowess together on the field this fall.<\/p>\n

With a top line trio of Mensah, Toney, and whichever of Fletcher Jr. and Barkate you like, I believe Miami does have the talent on the roster right now to compete for championships this season.<\/p>\n

Unlike the offensive side of the ball, I think the star players on defense are more open for debate and discussion for the 2026 Miami Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

One nailed on star player is EDGE Damon Wilson II. The Georgia and Missouri transfer has the combination of size, strength, pedigree, and performance to step in for the departed duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor to provide Miami with another elite edge rusher to affect the run and disrupt the pass.<\/p>\n

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

CORAL GABLES, FL – APRIL 18: Miami defensive lineman Damon Wilson II (10) pursues the ball carrier as the Miami Hurricanes played their spring game on April 18, 2026, at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

After Wilson II, there are many candidates for the next best players on Miami\u2019s defense. DTs Ahmad Moten Sr and Justin Scott are in the conversation, along with CBs O.J. Frederique and Xavier Lucas.<\/p>\n

At this point in time, I think the clear #2 player on defense is Ahmad Moten Sr. His development has been exponential since he arrived on campus several years ago, and he was as good as Bain and Mesidor through the college football playoffs. With another year of development and performance in the same (or similar) trajectory as we\u2019ve seen tot his point, Moten Sr. could be the best defensive tackle in the country. Full stop. He\u2019s *THAT* good.<\/p>\n

Behind Wilson II and Moten Sr., you can choose your own #3 player. Justin Scott is a monster who has flashed elite talent and performance in his 2 years at Miami, but needs to add consistency to his game. Frederique was a Freshman All-American in 2024 and is one of the best corners in the country. And Lucas is a very talented player who has flown a bit under the radar because people are still focused on Wisconsin not doing their duty to enter his name in the transfer portal more than a year ago.<\/p>\n

No matter who you choose, a trio of Wilson II, Moten Sr. and (insert player here) is unquestionably enough high end talent for Miami to compete for championships this year.<\/p>\n

Now, this is just one way to look at things. Of course, the overall talent on the roster matters. The schedule matters. Injuries (God forbid) matter. And the list goes on.<\/p>\n

But, I like the \u201cwho\u2019s your 3rd best player\u201d prism to evaluate teams, and like many other evaluative metrics, Miami passes with flying colors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So, I was listening to a recent episode of the Domonique Foxworth podcast, and he had football analyst…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4980,123,125,124],"class_list":["post-260732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-football-news","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260732","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=260732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}