As we approach the final stretch before kickoff to the 2025-26 college football season, a slew of Miami Hurricanes have been named to various pre-season honorary teams and award watch lists. In total, an astounding fifteen Miami Hurricanes have been named to at least one pre-season All-ACC list!
Leading the way is returning right tackle Francis Mauigoa who has been named a preseason First Team All-American by Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and Walter Camp. USA Today and the ACC Media also included him
on the All-ACC First Team, and he’s on the Outland Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. Several early mock drafts also have Mauigoa as a potential Top 10 NFL draft pick, including a recent ESPN Mock Draft predicting Mauigoa would be the No. 2 overall pick in next year’s draft.
Another true junior from Coach Mario Cristobal’s first full recruiting class, Reuben Bain, Jr., has also been consistently named a preseason All-American. A defensive end standout and 2023 ACC Defensive Rooke of the Year, Bain was selected as a Second Team All-American by Athlon Sports, and a Third Team All-American by Phil Steele. Bain was also universally selected on everyone’s All-ACC First Team, and he was included in the Lott and Bronco Nagurski Trophies’ respective watch lists.
BYU Transfer WR Keelan Marion is a third, frequently named All-American for his kick returning prowess. Marion returned two kickoffs for a touchdown last year, and this year he is a pre-season First Team All-American according to Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, and Walter Camp. Curiously, both the media and USA Today selected Pitt’s Desmond Reid over Marion for the preseason All-ACC team.
Interior offensive lineman Anez Cooper is the final ‘Cane to appear on a preseason All-American list, having been tabbed as a Third-Team All-American by Phil Steele. Cooper also joined Francis Mauigoa on the pre-season Outland Trophy Watch List.
QB Carson Beck, the splashiest name of this year’s transfer portal additions, finished tied for fourth in the ACC’s Media Preseason Player of the Year poll. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik finished first, followed by Georgia Tech QB Haynes King, and SMU QB Kevin Jennings. Beck tied for fourth with Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones. Each of those quarterbacks are returning to their respective teams, so it’s natural that Beck also named the USA Today’s Newcomer of the Year.
Aside from Beck, Maiugoa, and Cooper, Miami had four other players make at least one preseason All-ACC team: RB Mark Fletcher (Athlon Sports second team, Phil Steele third team); WR C.J. Daniels (Athlon Sports third team, Phil Steele fourth team); TE Elija Lofton (Athlon Sports third team); and C James Brockermeyer (Athlon Sports third team).
Defensive players joining Reuban Bain, Jr. on at least one All-ACC list included: CB OJ Frederique Jr. (Athlon Sports second team; Phil Steele second team); DL Akheem Mesidor (Athlon Sports second team; Phil Steele third team); S Zechariah Poyser (Athlon Sports third team, Phil Steele fourth team); LB Wesley Bissainthe (Athlon Sports third team, Phil Steele fourth team, plus the Butkus Award Watch List); DL David Blay (Phil Steele third team); and CB Xavier Lucas (Athlon Sports fourth team).
A few quick notes and observations on these selections:
- While Coach Cristobal has been aggressive in the transfer portal, seven of these preseason honorees were home grown and originally recruited by Cristobal out of high school. Anez Cooper and Wesley Bissainthe were 2022 high school commits; Francis Mauigoa, Reuben Bain, and Mark Fletcher were 2023 commits; and Elija Lofton and OJ Frederique were 2024 commits.
- Carson Beck certainly has a lot to prove. Yes, he’s coming off season ending surgery, but last year he started the season on most everyone’s All-American team and was a preseason Heisman favorite. This preseason he’s not only behind Cade Klubnick, but in several instances less heralded signal callers like SMU’s Kevin Jennings and Georgia Tech’s Haynes King were getting higher preseason praise.
- Transfer CB Charles Brantley was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for Michigan State, but was snubbed from any preseason All-ACC honors. Fellow transfer CB Ethan O’Connor, who would probably also had received all-conference honors if he didn’t play for Washington State in the collapsed Pac 12, was also snubbed from any preseason honors. Brantley and O’Connor, along with Xavier Lucas, were key CB transfers brought in to overhaul Miami’s secondary with transfer S Zechariah Poyser.
- In 2024, Miami generally led the ACC in preseason teams and the media selected five Hurricanes to the All-ACC team with FSU having four selections and Clemson having three. This year, Clemson absolutely dominated with eleven All-ACC team selections by the media while Miami only had two. Still, as evidenced from the Phil Steele and Athlon Sports teams which went as deep as fourth team selections, there are quite a few Hurricanes that have strong chances for breakout years.
- Preseason predictions reflect Clemson’s dominance of the preseason honorees, but Miami is consistently predicted as finishing second in the ACC. Draft Kings gives Miami the second best odds (+380) to with the ACC, while ESPN projects Miami to have 9.2 total wins, and 6.3 conference wins, second best in the ACC.
Here’s the full list of Miami preseason honorees from the ACC Media, Walter Camp, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and USA Today as well as those selected for preseason award watch lists including the Maxwell Award, Lott Trophy, Bronco Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Butkus Award, Wuerfell Trophy, and Paul Hornung Award.
Offense
QB Carson Beck
- Media: Tied 4th for ACC Preseason Player of the Year
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Second Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Third Team
- USA Today: ACC Newcomer of the Year
- Maxwell Award Pre-Season Watch List
RB Mark Fletcher
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Second Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Third Team
WR C.J. Daniels
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Third Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Fourth Team
TE Elija Lofton
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Third Team
OL Francis Mauigoa
- Walter Camp: All-American First Team
- Media: All-ACC Preseason Team
- Athlon Sports: All-American First Team; All-ACC First Team
- Phil Steele: All-American Third Team; All-ACC First Team
- USA Today: All-ACC First Team
- Outland Trophy Pre-Season Watch List
- Wuerffel Trophy Pre-Season Watch List
OL Anez Cooper
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Third Team
- Phil Steele: All-American Third Team, All-ACC First Team
- Outland Trophy Pre-Season Watch List
C James Brockermeyer
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Third Team
Defense and Specialists
DL Reuben Bain Jr.
- Media: All-ACC Preseason Team
- Athlon Sports: All-American Second Team; All-ACC First Team
- Phil Steele: All-American Third Team; All-ACC First Team
- USA Today: All-ACC First Team
- Lott Trophy Pre-Season Watch List
- Bronco Nagurski Trophy Pre-Season Watch List
DL Akheem Mesidor
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Second Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Third Team
DL David Blay
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Third Team
LB Wesley Bissainthe
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Third Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Fourth Team
- Butkus Award Watch List
CB OJ Frederique Jr.
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Second Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Second Team
CB Xavier Lucas
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Fourth Team
S Zechariah Poyser
- Athlon Sports: All-ACC Third Team
- Phil Steele: All-ACC Fourth Team
KR Keelan Marion
- Walter Camp: All-American First Team
- Athlon Sports: All-American First Team; All-ACC First Team
- Phil Steele: All-American First Team; All-ACC First Team
- Paul Hornung Award Pre-Season Watch List
