Hello again, Canes fam! We’re back for part 3 of our season preview discussion. If you missed parts one and two, here’s the link for you to check it out:
And now, let’s turn the focus to the defensive side of the ball as we continue the conversation. Let’s go!
Question 13: Who needs to reach a new level for Miami to achieve their Championship goals in 2026?
Cam Underwood: Honestly, it’s hard to put this on a single person or player. So, I’ll just say everyone needs to rise to the moment, and in the words of Santana Moss, we need big time players to make big plays in big games. Last year, a literal
handful of moments cost Miami a National Championship. Which ever one(s) you’re thinking about, that’s what I’m thinking about, too. We cannot have those lapses in focus or performance this year. Every moment must be met and exceeded. And I look forward to this team pushing themselves to the limit to accomplish this goal.
Justin Dottavio: That answer will always be Mario Cristobal until this program wins another natty. He has every single last piece of the puzzle in his favor: money, local talent, NIL… you name it. But choking against ACC teams every year, and having messy special teams won’t cut it.
Craig Smith: I think it’s the offensive line. It was such a crucial part of Miami’s 2025 success, and it’s one of the biggest question marks coming into the 2026 season. But I trust few more than Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal to get Miami’s best 5 on the field and gelling sooner than later.
Mike Schiffman: Miami’s offensive versatility. The Canes needs to establish points this season. No more letting teams like Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Stanford hang around until halftime or beyond. Darian Mensah and the other skill position starters should be sitting many a fourth quarter this season. Beyond the blowouts, it will greatly help Miami’s CFP chances if the underclassmen/backups can play meaningful regular season snaps that will provide the experience and confidence needed to be on the field when it matters most.
Jake Marcus: The offensive line. It’s not the flashy answer, but it’s the correct one and how Cristobal builds – inside-out. Look at the pattern: Alex Mirabal’s group is a big reason Cam Ward went from a mid-round afterthought to the No. 1 overall pick, and it’s the same reason Carson Beck resurrected his career and nearly won a national title the year after. Elite quarterback play at Miami has been downstream of elite offensive line play two years running now. That’s the Cristobal blueprint as a former lineman himself, and he’s built this program on the belief that championships get won in the trenches before they get won anywhere else (on both sides). Cantwell, Congdon, and Ervin are all true freshman. But Samson Okunlola protecting the blindside is the veteran anchor everyone else is being built around, this time without the protection around him from Mauigoa and Bell. If Okunlola takes the leap from good complementary piece to legitimate every-down anchor, this line has a real shot at doing for Mensah what it just did for Beck and Ward before him. Everything else on this roster looks electric on paper. But it all runs through whether the trenches hold up first.
Rob Weaver: Samson Okunlola, Matthew McCoy, and Ryan Rodriguez. These are the three returning veterans on the offensive line that must ensure the Alex Mirabal standard is kept, and this season will be the most inexperienced offensive line group in several years. Starting and rotating along side these three will be some combination of underclassmen (Jackson Cantwell, SJ Alofaituli, Ben Congdon, Max Buchanan). The offensive line is the centerpiece of a Mario Cristobal offense, and the veterans have to step it up.
Question 14: The player Miami can least afford to lose in 2026 is…
Underwood: QB Darian Mensah. I tried to think of another answer to not just go with the starting QB yet again, but nobody else meets the brief. As Mensah goes, Miami goes. And with him at the controls, I fully expect Miami to compete for Championships this season. Without him……I do not foresee the same level of excellence. So yeah, he’s the answer.
Dottavio: Ryan Rodriguez. If the rumors about the back-up centers being horrible and a dozen guys on OL being unable to master the most important aspect of a football game… the ‘Canes can’t afford to lose him.
Smith: Darian Mensah. This is almost always the answer, and with the drop off behind him (no offense to Luke Nickel and the QB room), it would be pretty devastating. I mean, he’s a legit Heisman contender. That’s hard to replace.
Schiffman: Darian Mensah. I like what I have been hearing about Luke Nickel, but I don’t want to watch him taking meaningful snaps in conference play. Miami’s offense could be special this season, and Mensah is the key to that.
Marcus: Darian Mensah or Malachi Toney – take your pick, because losing either one is genuinely catastrophic. Mensah is the engine of this entire offense; there’s no version of a Heisman-caliber, playoff-contending season that doesn’t run through him at quarterback on the roster. Toney changes coverages and opens up everything else Dawson wants to do schematically. Lose either one for any real stretch of time, and this offense stops looking like a Heisman-and-playoff outfit and starts looking like a team with tempered expectations.
Weaver: Mohamed Toure. Linebacker is one of the thinnest positions on defense, and there’s very little to rely on should our super-duper-senior (he’s in his 8th year of eligibility) go down. Chase Smith, a 6th year senior, is probably starting alongside Toure, and Cam Pruitt is the only either LB that has earned rotation time. Should Toure go down, the group becomes paper thin and Miami will have problems executing stuff-the-run alignments that call for a 3rd or 4th linebacker.
Question 15: Which game(s) are you most looking forward to?
Underwood: This season revolves around one game: November 7th at Notre Dame. And it’ll be great to kick FSU in the teeth, yet again. But yeah, Notre Dame. That’s the game. That’s the season.
Dottavio: Notre Dame. I mean the schedule is horrible, who else would it be? Central Michigan?!
Schiffman: I am already fired up for Notre Dame. Beyond that matchup, I am excited to see what we can do against FSU at home this season. The Noles might be ready to quit by the time they head down to Hard Rock.
Smith: ACC title game. And yes, Miami will be there (and so will I). It’s time to end this ACC nonsense after far, far, far too long.
Marcus: Obviously Notre Dame jumps out as the marquee regular-season game. But if I’m being honest, the real answer is each round of the College Football Playoff. Ideally, Miami runs the table and not many of the other games (outside of Notre Dame) end up being nail-biters – because if they are, that probably means something went wrong along the way. The playoff is the whole point. That’s where this team’s ceiling actually gets tested. That’s where the 2026 journey, and unfinished business from 2025, starts.
Weaver: Notre Dame is the obvious answer, but how fun would it be if an FSU blowout is the nail in Mike Norvell’s coffin? Also, don’t sleep on Clemson. That team is only one year removed from an ACC Championship and CFP appearance, and they have a national championship winning head coach. If Clemson beats LSU to open the season, that in-conference matchup will carry greater weight than Notre Dame.
Question 16: Miami has had freshman All-Americans in each of the last 3 years (Bain/Mauigoa, Frederique, Toney). Who keeps that streak going this year?
Underwood: I’ve been singing the praises of S J.J. Dunnigan since the moment we started recruiting him, and I’m not going to change my tune now. He’s an incredible physical specimen, has been anecdotally noted as likely the fastest player on the team by multiple players, and earned rave reviews from everyone who’s seen him in practice. Done-it-all Dunnigan is my guy, and if you’ve been here for longer than 2 seconds, you know that’s the case.
Also, one of the freshmen OL — Jackson Cantwell or Ben Congdon. I think they’re gonna play a lot, if not start from jump, and earn Freshman AA honors while doing so.
Dottavio: Ben Congdon. I think the guy starts at guard by the end of the season and is a key contributor on the road to #6.
Smith: Jackson Cantwell. JJ Dunnigan and others might end up shining just as bright, but let’s face it. Awards are in at least somewhat part based on reputation. Not saying Cantwell won’t kick ass. I think he will. But that is an edge that’s undeniable .
Schiffman: I’ll take the easy route and say Jackson Cantwell. If he is as advertised, I think he’s close to a no-brainer to be selected as a freshman All-American. I can’t wait to see him on the field at Stanford on Friday night.
Marcus: Jackson Cantwell but Congdon is not far behind and neither is JJ Dunnigan or Camdin Portis. Somourian Wingo should also get real reps his first year. The answer is Cantwell though.
Weaver: Jackson Cantwell is the obvious answer, but Ben Congdon is pushing hard for early starting time and could easily make a name for himself. Israel Briggs and Gavin Mueller are also going to get plenty of opportunities at TE, and either could have a breakout. On defense, JJ Dunnigan had himself a hell of an offseason and should find himself plenty of playing time at safety or possibly the nickel-hybrid position.
Question 17: Special Teams had its peaks and valleys last year. How do you feel about that unit heading into 2026?
Underwood: I feel cautiously optimistic. OBVIOUSLY, there was the, ahem, issue with special teams in the National Championship game that directly contributed to Miami losing that game, but that was last year and we have to move on. The team has focused more intentionally during the special teams portions of practice since that blunder, so I’m hopeful we don’t have critical failure such as that again.
Malachi Toney is an incredible punt returner. Miami has a plethora of speedy return options for kick returns as well. Dylan Joyce is one of the best punters in America, when his blockers don’t let a free runner in on him with the season on the line. And Miami has a pair of talented kickers competing for the job again this year. All told, we should be solid to good on special teams, but the critical failure moments have to be eliminated.
Dottavio: Great on punt return because of Toney. Bad about everything else. No clearcut kicker yet, Joyce is average, the coordinator hasn’t proven he can get a consistent kick return, or clearly block up his punt protection when it counts.
Smith: I’d like to see more big plays out of them in the return game. Seems crazy to say with Toney fielding punts, and he came a shoelace from housing one against Texas A&M, but with Miami’s athleticism, there need to be some game-changing returns this year. Love having Dylan Joyce back to punt, and with all placekickers, we’ll see how things go for Jack Olsen with the pressure on (but feel good about him initially, at least).
Schiffman: I still get 2026 CFP National Championship game flashbacks when I hear “Miami Hurricanes” and “special teams” in the same sentence. The Canes have to be better this season; there’s no choice. Kicker makes me a little nervous. Miami really was spoiled by having the Borregales brothers for half a decade.
Marcus: It’s nice to have Dylan Joyce back as a staple and Jack Olsen looks to be a solid graduate transfer. However, it’s the other fundamental elements that NEED to be ironed out before the playoffs.
Weaver: Good but not great. I think the special teams will be at least as good as last year. Dylan Joyce is a very good punter and I’m glad he’s back. Jack Olsen, the Northwestern transfer, was 19-21 last year on kicks and earned All Big 10 honorable mention. Shame that we we ran out of Borregales brothers.
Whew. That brings us to the end of the 3rd part of our season prediction roundtable. LOTS of great conversation here. Hop in the comments and share your thoughts and keep the conversation going.
