ESPN applauds Miami (FL) football offseason after losing Rueben Bain Jr., Carson Beck

Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes football program aren’t rebuilding after the surprise run to the national championship game. They are reloading. That’s why, in ESPN’s rankings of every Power 4 football program’s offseason, the Canes earned the top spot in the ACC.

In a throwback to the early 2000s (and the late 80s/early 90s before that), Miami played for a national title last season and then lost a ton of talent to the NFL draft. Offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and pass rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor all went in Round 1, while quarterback Carson Beck (Round 3), OT Markell Bell (Round 3), safety Jakobe Thomas (Round 3), and cornerback Kionte Scott (Round 4), guard Arnez Cooper (Round 6), and wide receiver C.J. Daniels (Round 6) are all heading to the pros as well.

That doesn’t mean the cupboards are bare in Coral Gables by any means. Cristobal’s biggest move was bringing in Duke QB Darian Mensah. The former Blue Devil (via Tulane) led the ACC last season in passing attempts (500), passing yards (3,973), passing touchdowns (34), and passing yards per game (283.8). He also brought his favorite 1,000-yard WR from Duke along with him, as Cooper Barkate relocates to South Florida as well.

In addition to Mensah and Barkate, the Hurricanes also added West Virginia transfer Cam Vaughn, South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs, and four-star recruit Somourian Wingo to the receiving corps. Five-star offensive tackle freshman Jackson Cantwell is also on board to help replace Mauigoa and Bell.

On defense, Cristobal also restocked, bringing in the No. 1 pass rusher in the transfer portal, Missouri’s Damon Wilson II, to transition from Bain and Mesidor.  The team also kept a lot of high-end talent on defense, including linebackers Mohamed Toure and Wesley Bissainthe and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten.

Cristobal was also able to keep most of his staff this offseason, including coordinators Shannon Dawson (offense), Corey Hetherman (defense), and Danny Kalter (special teams), which is another reason the Hurricanes finished so high in this offseason rankings.

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