The Hurricanes have rolled to four straight wins to start the year, taking down rivals Notre Dame and Florida as well as an upstart USF squad.
Miami starts ACC play next weekend on the road against Florida State, then it gets a second bye week. The Hurricanes will play just one game in 26 days. Then comes the rest of their conference slate.
With UM off this week, let’s look at how each position group has done through four games:
Quarterbacks: B
Carson Beck got off to a strong start to his Miami career, going two games without an interception. Then he tossed three — one of which was on a tipped pass — in the last two games. After four games, he has completed 73.2 percent of his passes for 972 yards and seven scores to go along with the three picks.
Beck’s quarterback rating (81.5) is 16th in the nation, and his 74.7 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus is 57th in the nation.
The veteran quarterback has fit well into the Miami offense, but he has not been elite so far.
Running backs: A
Sophomore Jordan Lyle has played just 10 snaps this season. That could have been a big loss for Miami. But the Hurricanes have not missed a beat with Lyle out. Junior Mark Fletcher Jr. and redshirt sophomore Marty Brown have filled the gap more than adequately.
Fletcher, an American Heritage alum, has 388 yards and five scores through two games. The junior’s 89.6 run grade is tied for third in the nation among running backs with 20 or more carries.
Brown has been a breakout player, starring in UM’s win over Florida. He has 206 yards and four touchdowns on 49 carries. He has a 74.2 offensive grade.
The Hurricanes have also gotten production out of freshman Girard Pringle Jr. when he has been inserted late in blowout wins. He is averaging 6.9 yards per carry and has a pair of touchdowns.
Wide receivers: B+
This position was one of Miami’s biggest question marks entering the season. It is not anymore.
The emergence of freshman Malachi Toney, who leads UM with 268 yards, has brought a spark to the offense. Toney, an American Heritage alum, leads all true freshmen nationally in receiving yards.
On the other end of the spectrum, veteran LSU transfer CJ Daniels has dazzled with fantastic catches, including a spectacular, one-handed touchdown against Notre Dame. Daniels is second on the team with 191 receiving yards and leads the team with three touchdown catches.
The Hurricanes have also gotten solid production from transfer Keelan Marion, Tony Johnson and Josh Moore.
Tight ends: C+
Unlike last year, when Elijah Arroyo was a dangerous receiving threat, Miami has not had a ton of impact in the pass game from its tight ends.
Sophomore Elija Lofton has eight catches for 79 yards, which ranks fifth on the team. Tulane transfer Alex Bauman has two catches for 22 yards. Freshmen Brock Schott and Luka Gilbert have combined for 61 yards on four catches.
When the tight ends stay back on pass plays and block, they have graded out well. Lofton has a 73.1 grade. Bauman has a 72.3 grade. But both tight ends have struggled in run blocking, getting graded in the low 50s. Among tight ends with 50 or more blocking snaps, Lofton and Bauman rank 155th and 160th, respectively.
Offensive line: A+
After four years of former offensive lineman Mario Cristobal at the helm and veteran coach Alex Mirabal coaching the group, the Hurricanes’ offensive line is fully formed. It may be the best offensive line in the nation.
As a team, Miami ranks 10th nationally in pass blocking and 12th in run blocking, according to PFF. UM has allowed five sacks in four games.
Right tackle Francis Mauigoa is further establishing himself as a first-round pick in next year’s draft. The junior tackle has a 79.8 offensive grade with an 81.4 run-blocking grade and a 79.5 pass-blocking grade. Left tackle Markel Bell is also working his way up draft boards as he provides protection on the left side.
In the middle, James Brockermeyer has been mostly solid — with the exception of some snap infraction penalties against UF — and guards Anez Cooper, Matthew McCoy and Samson Okunlola (a former five-star prospect who has emerged this season) have all played their roles well.
Defensive line: A+
Rueben Bain Jr. has been arguably the best player in the nation — offense or defense. The junior Miami Central alum has terrorized opposing offensive lines. PFF gives him a 95.8 defensive grade, which is No. 1 nationally among players with 10 or more snaps.
Bain has excelled in pass rushing, racking up 19 quarterback pressures and a 92.3 pass-rushing grade, according to PFF, to go with his two sacks. He has also dominated in run defense, earning a 92.6 run-defense grade along with his team-leading 22 tackles.
Bain’s dominance has somewhat overshadowed the excellent performance of fellow defensive end Akheem Mesidor, who has 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Mesidor has performed similarly to Bain, earning a 91.4 defensive grade (11th in the nation among defenders with 50 or more snaps) with an 86.4 run-defense grade and a 90.8 pass-rush grade.
Ahmad Moten Sr. has also emerged as a top defensive tackle. Moten has nine tackles and one sack, earning a 85.3 densive grade. That grade ranks eighth in the nation among defensive tackles with 100 or more snaps. Transfer David Blay Jr. has also performed well.
UM has also gotten solid rotational play from Marquise Lightfoot, Armondo Blount and Justin Scott.
Linebackers: B
Miami has gotten good, but not stellar play from its linebackers.
Transfer Mo Toure is second on the team with 18 tackles, and he picked up his first sack as a Hurricane in the win over Florida. Fellow starter Wesley Bissainthe has 14 tackles and a forced fumble. PFF gives Toure a decent 66.7 grade overall with a strong 80.3 on run-defense; he is second on the team with 11 defensive stops.
Bissainthe has a lower grade. The senior linebacker has a 58.2 defensive grade with a 65.2 run-defense grade being his best mark.
UM has rotated Raul Aguirre Jr. and Chase Smith the most in reserve, and they have done well as backups.
Defensive backs: B
Miami’s revamped secondary has done fine, but it has not been spectacular. The Hurricanes rank 47th in the nation with an 80.8 coverage grade.
Nickelback Keionte Scott has been a revelation in the secondary after arriving in the summer. The transfer has the best defensive grade of any of the players in the unit. He has a 79.8 defensive grade and has excelled at stopping the run, earning a 90.4 grade — the second-best on the team.
UM’s two starting outside cornerbacks, OJ Frederique Jr. and Xavier Lucas, have been solid. Frederique, who has a 70 coverage grade, has allowed catches on 42.9 percent of passes thrown his way — that ranks ninth in the ACC among defensive backs with 75 or more snaps. Lucas, who has a 62.1 coverage grade, has allowed catches on five of six passes thrown his way, but teams are not targeting his receivers much.
An issue the Hurricanes have run into is deep passes. Frederique and rotational corner Damari Brown have given up the most and second-most yards per catch in the ACC (among cornerbacks with 75 or more snaps).
Brown and fellow rotational corner Ethan O’Connor have been decent, earning defensive grades of 69.1 and 64, respectively.
Specialists: A-
Carter Davis won the kicking battle over fellow transfer Bert Auburn, and he responded by kicking the game-winning field goal against Notre Dame. He has not missed a kick. Davis is also doing well on kickoffs, forcing touchbacks on 23 of his 25 kickoffs. His kickoff grade of 86.8 is tied for third in the nation.
Dylan Joyce has also done well. He has a 73.8 punting grade, which is tied for 18th in the nation.
All-American kicker returner Keelan Marion has home-run potential, but he has not had many opportunities to show it off. He has returned only three kicks so far.
One area UM could improve is in punt returns. Toney has been their primary punt returner, and he has made some questionable choices on when to field punts. His decisions have not cost the team, and he has looked explosive on some returns.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/09/26/hurricanes-nonconference-grades/
