Folks,,,
It’s finally here — Week 1 of college football is upon us, and the long national nightmare known as summer is finally over. This weekend’s not just a much-needed return to wall-to-wall college football, but also includes some absolutely stellar matchups like #1 Texas @ #3 Ohio State, #9 LSU @ #4 Clemson, and several other fun and potentially great games.
And then, of course, our 6th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is heading down to Coral Gables to open on the road against the #10
Miami Hurricanes in the same stadium where the Irish took down Penn State for an Orange Bowl title less than 8 months ago. Of course, they also are 0-6 against the ’Canes in Miami since they beat them there in 1977, so there are clearly some concerns about the hostile environment and about exorcising some final demons there on Sunday night.
Miami narrowly missed the College Football Playoff in 2024, and have had to overhaul a number of positions since then. With that said, the talent and quantity of transfers/recruits that head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff have brought in is pretty darn impressive, so it’s anybody’s guess if this iteration of his program will be better or worse than the group helmed by #1 overall NFL Draft pick QB Cam Ward last year.
Because of that uncertainty as to what Irish fans should expect from Miami in this matchup, we reached out to our good friends over at State of The U, SB Nation’s resident experts on all things Miami Hurricanes. Cameron Underwood, their Site Manager, was generous enough to answer a number of questions we had for him, ranging from setting the record straight on Carson Beck, to identifying all the new names to look out for on offense, to which Miami celebrities the ‘Canes should partner more with after seeing FIU go all-in with Pitbull.
Cameron gave us some excellent stuff, y’all, and I don’t want to delay you reading it any further — let’s dive in and see what he has to say about this Miami program, coaching staff, and team and their big home opener against the 2024 national runners up.
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1. You’re entering Year 4 with Mario Cristobal as head coach. He’s just 22-16 in that time, but has shown improvement year-to-year, with a near-Playoff season in 2024.
How do Hurricanes fans feel about him as the guy who can make them a regular playoff contender and even return The U to the top of the mountain one day?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: Mario Cristobal is slightly polarizing because of his no frills attitude (yes, I worded that gently). Some love him, some don’t, but the growth in the program over the course of his tenure to this point is incontrovertible. To his credit, Cristobal has taken steps to address issues of personnel, scheme, and staff quickly when they’ve popped up, but there have been many of these issues that Miami has had to fix in a short time.
I think Miami is in the position as a regular playoff contender. Or, contender for the playoffs at a minimum. Sure, we fell short last year with the loss to Syracuse, but that kind of performance (10-2 regular season) is the expectation now. There’s still room for growth, but this is the level of a CFP contending team. As far as returning to the top of the CFB world, or as everyone outside of Miami likes to ask “is Miami back?”, I think there’s a way to go. Lose a couple fewer local 5-star recruits. Get a couple more favorable breaks in games. Find ways to win big games. But, those are issues that many teams face, so Miami’s not alone there. But for Miami to be BACK, that means a National Championship. And not a moment before.
2. From last season’s 10-3 squad, Miami lost the #1 overall pick at QB, a 1,000-yard rusher at running back, and the vast majority of receiving production the team had.
What are you expecting to see from this new offense in 2025, and how did Cristobal and co. plug so many holes from last year’s departures? Also who are the names to know on this offense (aside from QB, we’ll get to that in the next question)?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: That’s a deftly asked question to focus on the losses from the roster. It’s all true, but that’s the nature of college sports. Players come and players leave.
To the heart of the question, I expect the offense to look similar to what it did last year. No, I’m not expecting the #1 offense in the country again, but schematically, I expect the bones to be the same. Offensive Coordinator Shannon Dawson said it best at a recent presser: 95% of the offense last year was operating in the structure of the scheme. It’s just people remember the 5% that were off-schedule/improvised/Cam Ward’s singular excellence, and overlook the rest. It’s easy to do and understandable, but off target. I’d expect things to look like the Miami offense, just with different names on the backs of the jerseys of the players making plays.
A rundown of players to know: RB Mark Fletcher Jr. was the best RB on the roster for the first half of the season (before the aforementioned 1,000-yd rusher Damien Martinez got into gear) and he’ll form a Thunder-and-Lightning pair with speedy RB Jordan Lyle this year. CharMar “Marty” Brown was the lead back for National Champion North Dakota State last year, and won the Jerry Rice Award as the best freshman in FCS football before transferring to Miami in the Spring. He adds another power back to the backfield. Freshman RB Girard Pringle Jr. might be one of the fastest players on the team. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see all 4 of these backs get carries in any game, including the opener.
TE Elija Lofton is a Brevin Jordan clone at TE (both 6’2″-ish, both went to Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, both wore #9 there and at The U) and will line up all over the offense. Tulane transfer Alex Bauman adds prototypical size to the position, as do freshmen Luka Gilbert (6’7″ 255lbs) and Brock Schott (6’4″ 245lbs).
That leaves Receiver, where Miami basically played 4 dudes all of last year. All 4 are gone, but there’s plenty of talent at this position, unproved though it might be. C.J. Daniels had nearly 1,100 yards and 10 TDs at Liberty in 2023 but battled a foot injury at LSU last year before transferring in. Tony Johnson had 108 catches, 1,118 yards, and 13 TDs over 4 years at FAU and Cincinnati previously. Keelan Marion was a 1st Team All-American last year as kick returner at BYU, and has 3 seasons of 20+ catches between stints at UConn and BYU. Those are the additions who will likely see the field, but plenty of in-house recruits are looking to show their skills as well.
While most eyes have been on the battle for the slot receiver role between junior Ray Ray Joseph and true freshman Malachi Toney (Toney’s my bet; he’s a STAR), sophomore JoJo Trader is probably the most skilled receiver on the roster. Expect to see him targeted often. Other youngsters who will see time are Chance Robinson, Joshua Moore, Daylyn Upshaw, and Ny Carr. I know those are a lot of names at receiver, but Miami routinely runs trips and quads sets, so the snaps will be there, especially early in the year while roles are being earned and solidified.
3. Let’s zero-in on Carson Beck — he’s got a lot of experience and made plenty of plays at Georgia, but also had some issues with turnovers and ultimately had to transfer out to maintain his status as a starting QB.
What do you think he will look like at Miami this season? And how do you think he and the new receivers will perform against a very good Notre Dame secondary — will it be a struggle in game 1, or do you feel this offense will be dynamic again from the get-go?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: I want to start with a point of order: Carson Beck would still be the starter at Georgia had he stayed. They wanted him to return there. TO START. He didn’t “have to transfer out to maintain his status as starting QB.” He CHOSE to leave to continue his starting journey elsewhere. Any statement to the contrary is sour grapes or lies. Take your pick.
I’m very confident Beck will look like his 2023 self and play at a high level for Miami this year. He did have turnover issues last year, but so did Cam Ward in his time at Wazzu before coming to Miami and they were largely a non-factor in his season in Coral Gables. Georgia’s running game was 2nd worst in the SEC last year, worst they’ve had in 30 years, and they also led the country in passes dropped BY A LONGSHOT.
All of those things contributed to Beck having to press more in the passing game, and turning the ball over more. But he did throw the turnovers, and that’s something he’ll have to curtail/return to 2023 levels when he had more talent around him on offense.
Beck has all the physical talent in the world, is fully healed from his elbow injury, and recently said he’s “the best he’s ever been” and “in a great place mentally, physically, and all-around.” He’s among the handful best QBs in the country, and I expect to see him play like it this season. Teams all over the country (even Notre Dame if you’re being honest) would love to have him under center. I’m glad he’s here at Miami and excited to see what he can do.
I’m honestly not sure how the receivers are going to fare against ND’s top notch secondary. It’s probably the toughest matchup for the group this whole season, and while they have the talent to succeed, there is a lack of game experience among the group that gives me pause. In the previous response, I listed no fewer than 10 pass catchers who could see the field. There’s no way they can all play and be impactful in this game. A top group of sorts will have to step forward. My guess: some combination of Daniels, Marion, Trader, Joseph, Toney, Johnson, and Moore. Again, I know the talent is there, and I think there can be some explosive plays as well. I just can’t reference a history of performance from the pass catchers to firmly say “it’s going to be (insert player here) because they were an All-Conference player last year.”
4. On the other side of the ball, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this Miami defense?
How do you see them holding up against what should be a formidable ND run game with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price — do you think they’ll be able to force first-time starter CJ Carr to try to beat them with his arm, and will the Miami secondary be able to take advantage?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: It’s no secret that Miami’s struggles on defense cost them a CFP berth last year. There’s a nearly entirely new staff — the only holdover is NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor coaching Defensive Ends — and plenty of new faces all over the field to try and improve the performance.
The strength of the defense is the defensive line. Led by the trio of Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor, and David Blay Jr., this group is incredibly talented and physically gifted. There’s more talent along the line, but this group has the kind of performance and talent needed to have consistent and positive impacts on games, starting with the opener. This group will also be key to combatting ND’s run game, which figures to be one of the best in the country.
The linebacker corps and secondary are the major questions for this defense, but the hope is new coaching, a new scheme, and some transfers (or LOTS of them in the case of the secondary) will get things going in the right direction.
The game will largely rest on Miami’s ability to do what you said in the question: take away the run and force Carr into long yardage passing situations. I HOPE Miami is able to do this, and lean on a more talented and better deployed secondary to make enough plays to keep ND out of the endzone. I think Miami will be able to do this at times. Doing it in key moments, like late in the half/game, and in the redzone, will be key to Miami’s chances to win the game. NOT doing it in these moments would be problematic for the Canes.
5. The last time these two teams played, Mark Richt’s ‘Canes embarrassed the Irish as the atmosphere at Hard Rock rattled multiple Irish QBs and Miami’s turnover chain saw heavy usage.
Do you think something similar could take place on Sunday, or are you skeptical this Miami team has the ability to blow out a Marcus Freeman program that’s never lost by more than 13 points to anyone?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: It’s interesting that you’re asking about getting blown out instead of, yanno, a competitive game. That means you must want to relive that night. No problem. We can do that. Whatever shakes your shillelagh.
If I’m being honest, I don’t see either team enjoying a 41-8 type blowout victory in this game. And, that’s okay. We don’t have to win by 33 points. Or even 13 points. We only have to win by 1.
It’s a credit to both programs that a blowout in this game is highly unlikely. And, to be honest, it was highly unlikely in 2017 as well. That was a perfect storm with all facets favoring Miami that night. A once in a generation night and performance. Could something like that happen again on Sunday? Sure, but I’d bet the farm against it. I see this as a tightly contested, one score game that will be determined late in the 4th quarter.
6. FAN QUESTION:
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: Fun fact about me: I don’t debate about the 2001 Canes anymore. They’re the best CFB team ever, and I don’t interact with any list, bracket, debate or discussion on the topic, and haven’t for YEARS at this point. THIS, however, is an interesting question that I will break my personal embargo to answer, so kudos to the fan who asked this.
Let me start with the end: the 01 Canes win this game. Spoiler, I know, but c’mon. You’re reading this thinking the exact same thing.
As for how it plays out, the 01 defense suffocates the 2025 team’s run game, and forces Beck into some tough throws. They inevitably pick off a pair of them, returning one for a touchdown (the 01 Canes famously would have gone 8-4 if they didn’t score a single point on offense, so this is par for the course), and after that, the field starts tilting. 01 Miami gets the run game going, Andre Johnson lights his matchup on fire, Jeremy Shockey dominates the middle of the field, the front 7 chokes any room for the 25 team to operate in the run game, Ed Reed directs the secondary to lockdown coverage, and the list goes on.
I think the 25 team can move the ball a bit, and even score a few points once the backups get in the game on the other side, but the 01 team demolished everybody (with the exception of Boston College which was a 1 in a trillion game…..that those bums still lost) and I hate to say it, but the 25 team would suffer the same fate. Are the 25 Canes better than 01 FSU? 01 Syracuse? 01 Washington? I don’t think so, and those teams lost to the 01 Canes by a combined score of 137-34…..and FSU scored 27 of those points!!!!
Fictional final score:
2001 Canes 51
2025 Canes 13
7. Are Hurricanes fans upset that FIU beat them to the punch of being sponsored by/affiliated with Mr. 305, AKA Mr. Worldwide, AKA Pitbull, AKA Armando Perez?
With Pitbull off the board, what other Miami-connected celebrity or alum would you like to see get more involved with the University in a similar fashion?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: I’m sure there are some in the Miami fanbase who are upset about FIU getting the Pitbull sponsorship, but I’m not one of them. Honestly, we don’t really think about FIU much, so nothing they do could really affect our emotions.
I know he does some for The U, but I’d love to see even more coming back to Coral Gables from The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson. He’s an alum and former player — he started in front of Warren Sapp for a short time before Sapp became the destroyer of worlds we all know him to be — and he surely has funds and celebrity to dwarf what Armando did down the road at FIU. And hey, I wouldn’t be opposed to any number of famous UM alumni to show up, from Gloria Estefan to Cam Ward. I’ll take it all.
8. Alright, let’s get down to it — who wins this game, what’s the final score, and how do you think we get to that result?
Cameron Underwood, State of The U: There are many who have written Miami off as having no chance in this game. I think that’s a bit foolish.
I think Mario Cristobal has his team ready to play and meet the moment against Marcus Freeman and the Irish. I think both teams run the ball intentionally and well. I think both defenses make plays, and assert themselves physically.
While there are strengths and weaknesses on both sidelines, I see one big advantage for Miami: Carson Beck over C.J. Carr at Quarterback. While Carr is talented, he’s also unproven. And Beck has played in multiple conference championship games, and against top competition from his time at Georgia. Beck is out to prove that he’s not only healthy, but ready to be the best version of himself, and he’ll have the Sunday Primetime stage to do it.
Again, I see this being a tough, physical game, and I’m going with the good guys for the signature win at home to start the season.
Final Score:
Miami 30
Notre Dame 24
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Alrighty, folks — I want to give a massive shout-out to Cameron for all of his thoughtful and detailed answers to our wide array of inquiries. I highly recommend you head on over to State of The U to check out his writing staff’s coverage heading into this game, as there won’t be anywhere better to obtain all the best Miami news and notes (plus, you may just find a Q&A with yours truly).
Furthermore, definitely give both State of The U and Cameron some follows on Twitter, as they’ll be excellent follows for your feed before, during, and after this major matchup on Sunday evening.
With all that said, I think we’re good here for Week 1 — enjoy the long weekend, and as always, GO IRISH, BEAT HURRICANES!!!
