Following the Miami Hurricanes’ 10-3 win over the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs, ESPN’s David Hale wrote an incredible feature on Mark Fletcher Jr. You need to read it. Link below.
While the feature on Fletcher Jr, his performance, and the importance of his late father, Big Mark, is poignant and well-crafted,
there was a piece of news included in the piece: Fletcher Jr. has told Miami that he’ll return in 2026 for his senior season.
From Hale’s piece:
Mark Fletcher could move on to the NFL when Miami’s season draws to a close, but he has talked with his mom about the decision, and he wants to stick around.
This is huge news for the Miami Hurricanes. From an emotional standpoint, Fletcher Jr. is widely known as the heart and soul of this program. Read the Hale piece. Cristobal, Bain, and Beck say as much, and Toney talked about how Fletcher Jr. helped him on the sideline after his fumble against Texas A&M.
From a performance standpoint, Fletcher Jr. is a big, physical 6’2” 225lb+ running back who punishes opposing defenses with his hard charging style. He’s run for nearly 2,000 yards over the course of 3 seasons, splitting time with multiple players in the Miami backfield along the way. In the biggest moment of his career, and Miami’s season, Fletcher Jr. had 172 yards on 17 carries against Texas A&M, showing his ability to perform at the highest level.
This is a big, big get for Miami to have Fletcher Jr. return in 2026. He’ll partner with others to form a formidable run game for Miami, and continue to be a foundational locker room presence as well. He was in that same first full recruiting class for Mario Cristobal, alongside Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa, and he’s been an important player helping Cristobal’s vision of a tough, physical Miami team that can compete for championships go from dream to reality.
I think this is a great move, and I love the fact that Fletcher Jr. loves the University of Miami, and will get one more year to wear the Orange and Green.
