The CaneSport On3: Ranking the top 15 most impactful new players
Every year the Miami Hurricanes experience turnover, and oftentimes the new pieces – including transfers and true freshmen – are signs of what kind of season lies ahead. Today we are taking a closer look at the newcomers to the roster in 2024, ranked in order of how much we believe they will help this year’s team (note that if Tyler Baron picks Miami we’d put him at No. 4 on this list):
15. RB JORDAN LYLE
Lyle didn’t arrive in time for spring ball, but he’s on this list for a couple of reasons: The depth chart, and his combination of speed and physicality. Running back is a position where a true freshman can typically excel, and Mario Cristobal won’t hesitate to use a young guy here with the most recent example Mark Fletcher last year. The competition for reps behind Damien Martinez is wide open, and Lyle will be right there in the mix.
14. S ZAQUAN PATTERSON
The safety depth chart has no real proven experience, and even if nickel Mishael Powell moves here there’s still wide open competition to be on the two-deep. Patterson looked very good in spring drills so really the only thing holding him back is truly understanding Lance Guidry’s defense. As the year goes on we expect him to get more and more reps on defense, and he’ll also be an asset on special teams.
13. DE COLE MCCONATHY
McConathy could find himself with a role as a pass rusher along with Marshall arrival Elijah Alston. Both are guys with a knack for getting after the QB and can be a really fearsome third down package if Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor workinside in those situations. We would not be surprised if McConathy gets a handful of sacks in year 1; coaches were extremely high on him coming out of spring ball.
12. LB JAYLIN ALDERMAN
Miami didn’t bring in Alderman to sit on the bench. Yes, Miami has a pair of returning linebacker starters in MLB Francisco Mauigoa and WILL Wesley Bissainthe, but Bissainthe’s hold on the starting job is tenuous. Even if the Louisville arrival doesn’t beat out Bissainthe he’ll get plenty of reps as the only other experienced guy in the room and will crosstrain at both positions.
11. WR JOJO TRADER
Trader looked like a bigtime playmaker this spring, and the only thing holding him back is experience. He’ll need to show in fall drills that he’s consistent and a guy coaches can trust – if so he can be a real weapon on this offense regardless of the other talented wideouts on the depth chart. Trader is a special talent.
10. LB CAM PRUITT
Pruitt flashed this spring as a early enrollee and given there are only three linebackers with meaningful experience (Francisco Mauigoa, Wesley Bissainthe and Louisville transfer Jaylin Alderman) there’s every chance that Pruitt will be on the two-deep and push to be a significant part of the defense. He’ll also be an asset on special teams.
9. WR SAM BROWN
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Brown arrives as Houston’s top receiver last year with 815 yards, and he’ll battle with Isaiah Horton this spring to be the team’s No. 3 WR alongside Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George. He’s a great speed option with experience, which just adds another dimension to an already powerful Miami offense led by QB Cam Ward.
8. DE ELIJAH ALSTON
Alston showed last year at Marshall that he can get after the quarterback (10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks along with an interception and 16 QB hurries), and that’s the skillset Miami coaches will utilize in 2024. Look for him to make an impact in passing situations getting after the quarterback. He’s a disruptive force with a quick first step.
7. DT CJ CLARK
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Clark started games each of the last three years for a talented NC State defense, and while it was expected he’d come in and be an automatic DT starter he was a bit slow out of the gate this spring and was with the twos quite a bit. Regardless, we think he will emerge this fall and have a very solid season. He’s an excellent run stopper who had 22 tackles, four for losses with a sack last season. Along with Simeon Barrow they should provide a pretty good inside presence.
6. TE ELIJA LOFTON
We are extremely high on Lofton after seeing how Miami used him this spring. The freshman lined up split out wide, in the offensive backfield getting carries and attached to the line. He’s a smooth route runner with great hands, and perhaps most importantly he picked up Shannon Dawson’s offense quickly. He’s a multifaceted tool who we expect will have the ball in his hands quite a bit this coming season.
5. C ZACH CARPENTER
It’s a tall task to replace Matt Lee, but Indiana multi-year transfer Zach Carpenter is a very capable guy in the middle of the line and will build off an up-and-down spring. With three returning starters up front (Jalen Rivers, Francis Mauigoa, Anez Cooper), if Carpenter can hold his own then this should be one of the ACC’s top offensive line units.
4. S MISHAEL POWELL
Powell has the benefit of starting in the secondary for a Washington team that reached the national title game, and also the ability to play nickel or safety. He was at nickel for Miami this spring but could be moved to safety this fall given the team’s need there. Regardless, he’s a solid playmaker who had 38 tackles, 2.5 for losses, and three interceptions with nine pass breakups in 2023. He can be a difference-maker in a secondary that only returns one full-time starter (CB Daryl Porter, Jr.).
3. DT SIMEON BARROW
Barrow was a huge pickup at a priority position of need in the second portal window. Miami had added several other DT transfers but none really shined this spring. Barrow brings great physicality up front and also the quickness to make plays in the offensive backfield. It’s expected that NC State transfer CJ Clark will join him as the other DT starter, and last season Barrow ended with 36 tackles, 5.5 for losses with 3.5 sacks at Michigan State.
2. RB DAMIEN MARTINEZ
There’s a big gap between the top two on this list and the rest of the pack. Martinez starred in his first two years at Oregon State and is looking to spend one season at Miami before heading to the NFL as a high draft pick. His results speak for themselves. He earned Freshman All-American honors two years ago after running for 982 yards and seven TDs while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. That included six straight 100-yard games, tying an Oregon State record (with a season-best 178 yards on 22 carries with three TDs vs. Colorado). Then this past season he was a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist after he ran for 1,185 yards and averaged 6.1 yards along with nine TDs. He added 11 receptions for 126 yard and had six games with over 100 rush yards, including 145 at San Jose State and 145 on just 15 carries with a program record four TDs against Stanford. He keeps his pad level low and runs with power and explosion. A 1,000-yard season is very much in the cards for him at Miami this year.
1. QB CAM WARD
Miami won the transfer portal lottery with Ward, who at one point was planning to go to the NFL before changing his mind. He led the nation’s No. 4 passing offense last year at Washington State, throwing for 3,732 yards (311.0 yards per game) with 25 TDs and seven INTs (adding eight rushing scores). In 2022 Ward hit on 64.4 percent of his passes for 3,231 yards with 23 TDs and nine interceptions (he added five rushing scores). In 2021 at Incarnate Word he was an FCS Second Team All-American and Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year after completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,648 yards with 47 TD passes and 10 INTs (1 rushing score). As a freshman there in 2020 he won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman player in FCS – in six games during the COVID year he threw for 2,260 yards (60.4 percent completion rate) with 24 TDs and four INTs, adding two rushing scores. Everywhere he’s gone there has been a ton of production, and look for that to continue for him at Miami in 2024.
The post The CaneSport On3: Ranking the top 15 most impactful new players appeared first on On3.
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