In Coral Gables, spring football is in full swing as Miami attempts to advance as a program after missing out on their first-ever College Football Playoff berth the previous season.
There are many questions and worries regarding Miami’s roster following the departure of a great deal of talent, including strong contributors like Jacolby George, Elijah Arroyo, Damien Martinez, and several others, as well as generational players like Cam Ward, Andres Borregales, and Xavier Restrepo (yes, I do include the latter two in that category with Ward).
What questions, then, need to be addressed during the offseason? Here are three that come to mind right away:
1) Is Miami able to sufficiently compensate for Borregales’ loss?Miami’s great kicker will need to be replaced for both kickoffs and field goals. At least they have viable alternatives who seem able to at least sufficiently address them. FAU kickoff specialist Carter Davis seems to have the leg to produce touchbacks at a respectable pace. Although he didn’t have many chances last year, Abram Murray took advantage of them.With the Borregales brothers kicking, we haven’t really had to worry about the kicking game at all, but it’s still a very important component, especially considering how many close games Miami dominated last season. Curtains and those don’t go your way. I believe the Canes will be fine as long as things don’t go back to the Bubba Baxa days, and Miami seems to have two players who can easily clear that bar. But I won’t believe it completely until I see it on the pitch.
2) Is it possible for Jojo Trader or another young wideout to make a huge leap forward and appear like a true WR1?The wide receiver room is the area of the roster that scares me the most, aside from the secondary. Now that Sam Brown, Isaiah Horton, George, and Restrepo are gone, someone needs to come up and seize the chance.Miami has a wealth of young players at their disposal who will undoubtedly compete for this team’s number one wide receiver job. Ray Ray Joseph, Ny Carr, Joshua Moore, Trader, and others have potential, but who will apply it on the pitch? CJ Daniels of LSU is undoubtedly a great candidate to be the group’s leader, but when Sam Brown arrived from Houston last year, I believed he would have an influence, and…well.After seasons of doing little with few opportunities, it can take a while for a breakthrough to occur, as Arroyo did in 2024. In terms of talent, I believe Trader might be the one to make that move. However, I’ve considered the possibility that gifted men will return to Aldarius Johnson and beyond, so who can say for sure?
1)Is this now at least mediocre, if not secondary?
What else could I possibly put at number one? The 2024 season was ruined by this unit, but it also included the pass rush going missing for extended periods of time and poor LB performance in coverage at key moments.
With Will Harris and Zac Etheridge leading the way, the secondary SHOULD be prepared to make a significant advancement in 2025. Zechariah Poyser, a highly sought-after transfer from Jacksonville State, is the first of two fresh faces who immediately catch my attention. Mario Cristobal has already shown him a lot of affection throughout spring practice, and he has the potential to be a key member of the defense’s back end.
However, it will be crucial to locate someone who is opposite O.J. Frederique, and there are many potential options. I’m interested to see how those contenders do in the April 12 spring game.
Canes, go!
