There are always connections between teams in conference games. Whether it be history or current, there are storylines and connections that go beyond simply lining up and playing football against an opponent.
Miami’s next opponent has much more of a Miami flavor and more connections than anybody on the schedule outside of Florida State. I’ve called them the SMU Hurricanes in previous years for all the coaches and players who are now with SMU that previously played or worked at The U, and that kind of fits even still in 2025.
The connections start up top. Leading the Mustangs is Head Coach Rhett Lashlee, a former Miami offensive coordinator who left Miami to step into his first head coaching role here at SMU. Known for his high powered spread offenses, Lashlee has compiled an 23-12 record into his 3rd year as head coach. Obviously, last season’s 11-3 record and College Football Playoff appearance was a major step forward from the 7-6 season SMU had in 2023, and they have continued some success to this point of the 2025 season, with a 5-3 (3-1 ACC) record.
Lashlee isn’t the only SMU coach with Miami experience. Associate Head Coach/Co-OC/Receivers coach Rob Likens coached receivers at Miami under Lashlee. Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line coach Garin Justice coached OL at Miami under Lashlee.
Quarterback coach D’Eriq King was a dynamic QB under Lashlee for Miami in 2020 before an ACL tear ended his career early in 2021. Running backs coach/Special Teams coordinator Kyle Cooper was a quality control analyst at Miami when Lashlee was OC for the Canes. Assistant OL coach Reggie Bain spent 3 years as a grad assistant at Miami, and is the brother of current star EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. Defensive analyst Ryan Ragone was a walk-on at Miami who ended up earning a scholarship, and playing in 34 games over 5 years with the Canes.
Leading the Mustangs to their stellar record last year were a plethora of Miami transfers. Brashard Smith returned to his early HS and youth football roots by moving back to RB from slot receiver and having an All-ACC season. DT Jared Harrison-Hunte had his best collegiate season and was also 1st team All-ACC. C Jakai Clark was 2nd team All-ACC. WR Keyshawn Smith, and DE Elijah Roberts were honorable mention All-ACC. DE Jahfari Harvey, DE Elijah Roberts, RB Jaylan Knighton also played major roles for SMU last year.
WR Romello Brinson transferred to SMU and redshirted last season before making his debut in the College Football Playoffs against Penn State. The goal was to preserve his eligibility for 2025, and have him be a top of the rotation receiver this year. To this point of the 2025 season, Brinson is SMU’s leading receiver with 37 catches for 515 yards (13.92 yards per catch) and 3 TDs. His best game was against Baylor in week 2: 4 catches for 126 yards and 2 TDs. That game against Baylor was also the last time Brinson found the end zone, and I’m sure he’s eager to do so against the hometown Hurricanes who didn’t feature his talents as he would have liked in his time in Coral Gables.
Another former Cane looking to follow in Smith’s dynamic and productive footsteps at running back is fan favorite speedster Chris Johnson Jr. He left Miami due to a lack of playing time (in a loaded RB room on the #1 offense in America in 2024 but I digress) to be the next incredibly fast Swiss Army Knife for Lashlee to unleash on opposing defenses. Through 8 games, Johnson Jr. has become SMU’s backup running back, posting 42 carries for 314 yards and 3 TDs rushing, to combine with 13 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown receiving.
And, though he never played at Miami, tight end RJ Maryland is a Miami legacy; his father Russell Maryland was a star at Miami in the late 1980s, playing on the 1987 and 1989 National Championship teams, being the first Hurricane to win the Outland Trophy, being named UPI Lineman of the Year, and being a Unanimous All-American before becoming the #1 Overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. The elder Maryland went on to star for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers, winning 3 Super Bowls in his NFL career. Maryland was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. The younger Maryland has 19 catches for 218 yards and 2 TDs for the Mustangs in 2025.
Another new Miami to SMU transplant is former starting LT Zion Nelson. After starting 36 games in his first 3 seasons (2019-21), Nelson underwent knee surgery ahead of the 2022 season. Nelson played in 1 game in 2022 trying to return to action, but continual injuries and setbacks kept him from playing again. That was 3 seasons ago. Nelson’s knee issues continued to the point that, in June of 2024, he Medically Retired from football. I was skeptical that he’d play, but Nelson has transferred to SMU and is listed on their roster website as an active player. Nelson saw his first game action since 2022 when he played in the opener. He’s logged 71 snaps at Left Tackle with the backups in 3 games this season.
Lastly, QB Tyler Van Dyke has transferred to SMU to reunite with Lashlee, who helped TVD earn ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2021. Coming off an ACL tear sustained last year at Wisconsin, the plan for Van Dyke is to rehab, work and develop under Lashlee’s tutelage, and transfer somewhere else for the 2026 CFB season.
There’s a CHANCE Van Dyke could challenge for SMU’s starting job in 2026 if starter Kevin Jennings goes to the NFL (highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened), but I think the most likely path is transferring AGAIN and trying to start elsewhere. If he’s not granted another year, Van Dyke hopes the reunion with Lashlee will be beneficial for his performance and make him a potential late round NFL Draft pick option.
Additional South Florida natives on SMU’s roster:
- TE Adam Moore (Miami Northwestern)
- LB Ryan Earle (Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas)
- OL Alex Woods (Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast)
No matter where you look, there will be plenty of Miami connections on the SMU side of the field. That will give Mark Jones, a Miami native, plenty to talk about during the broadcast this week.
