Miami Hurricanes NFL Draft Prospects

2026 Season Preview Read full preview »

Miami Hurricanes 2026 Preview: Cristobal's Deepest Roster Chases a First ACC Crown and a Title

Miami went 13-3 and 6-2 in the ACC last season, storming all the way to the national title game before falling just short of the program's first championship in more than two decades. The defining offseason story is continuity of ambition at the sport's most important position. Carson Beck has moved on, and Mario Cristobal answered by pulling Duke starter Darian Mensah out of the portal to run Shannon Dawson's offense. Cristobal, now 35-19 across four years in Coral Gables, has assembled a roster the preseason consensus rates as the clear ACC favorite and a legitimate national title threat, with a national ceiling inside the top seven.

Read the full 2026 Miami Hurricanes preview »

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
5	Darian Mensah	QB	205lbs	6-3	4.75	4	22.5	89.7 MORE>>	Tulane was Darian Mensah's only FBS offer coming out of St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California, where he was the Mounta...
34	Justin Scott	DT	303lbs	6-4	4.90	5	36.6	86.2 MORE>>	Justin Scott grew up playing basketball and did not take up football until his freshman year at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chica...
44	Damon Wilson II	LB	250lbs	6-4	4.58	7	52.1	85.5 MORE>>	Damon Wilson II set a school record for sacks as a junior at Venice High School in Florida, where he also played some tight end, a...
54	Ahmad Moten Sr.	DL	300lbs	6-3	4.95	8	42.5	85.1 MORE>>	Ahmad Moten Sr. helped Cardinal Gibbons win back-to-back Florida state titles in 2020 and 2021 and was a first-team All-Broward pi...
70	Mark Fletcher Jr....	RB	225lbs	6-2	4.52	4	75.8	84.9 MORE>>	Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for 1,934 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior at American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale. Miami had recruited h...
101	Samson Okunlola	OT	330lbs	6-6	5.10	12	66.5	84.6 MORE>>	Samson Okunlola grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, and played at Thayer Academy in Braintree, where he also won a New England pre...
118	Cooper Barkate	WR	195lbs	6-1	4.50	19	106.4	84.5 MORE>>	Cooper Barkate was born in Newport Beach, California, and played at St. Margaret's Episcopal and Mission Viejo before finishing at...
143	OJ Frederique J...	CB	185lbs	6-0	4.42	20	89.2	83.1 MORE>>	A St. Thomas Aquinas product out of South Florida, Frederique was a three-star who flipped his commitment from West Virginia to Mi...
240	Marquise Lightfoot	DL	230lbs	6-5	4.58	34	198.5	79.9 MORE>>	Marquise Lightfoot made 122 tackles and nine sacks as a junior at Kenwood Academy in Chicago, earning Illinois 6A all-state honors...
341	Xavier Lucas	CB	198lbs	6-2	4.40	113	523	75.0 MORE>>	A four-star out of American Heritage in Pompano Beach, Lucas signed with Wisconsin and started his career fast, appearing in twelv...
559	Elija Lofton	TE	242lbs	6-3	4.66	41	596	62.8 MORE>>	Elija Lofton was the top player in Nevada in his class at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, where he helped the school go 12-0 and win a...
627	Damari Brown	CB	195lbs	6-2	4.63	156	736	59.4 MORE>>	Damari Brown made 43 tackles, 15 pass breakups and two interceptions during his final season at American Heritage in Plantation, F...

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
3	Rueben Bain Jr.	DE	263lbs	6-2	4.72	1	5.5	91.1 MORE>>	Rueben Bain Jr. comes from a South Florida football family with deep ties to Miami. His grandfather Herman starred at Northweste...
6	Francis Mauigoa	OT	329lbs	6-6	5.13	1	10	89.5 MORE>>	Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa grew up in 'Ili'ili, American Samoa, where football runs through the bloodline. His brother Frederick start...
37	Akheem Mesidor	DE	259lbs	6-3	4.90	8	33.3	85.9 MORE>>	Growing up in Ottawa, Ontario, Akheem Mesidor took an unconventional route to becoming one of college football's most feared pass ...
63	Keionte Scott	CB	193lbs	5-11	4.33	14	56.2	84.9 MORE>>	No recruiting interest came out of a senior season at Helix High School in La Mesa, California, where Keionte Scott played both wa...
114	Markel Bell	OT	346lbs	6-9	5.36	30	121.8	84.6 MORE>>	Markel Bell walked out of Cleveland Central High School in Cleveland, Mississippi, in 2022 without a single star next to his ...
121	Carson Beck	QB	233lbs	6-5	4.84	10	109.8	84.4 MORE>>	From Jacksonville's fields to Athens' bright lights, Carson Beck carved a patient path to quarterback stardom that began on the ba...
140	Jakobe Thomas	S	211lbs	6-1	4.57	45	161.8	83.2 MORE>>	Jakobe Thomas was a three-star recruit out of Tullahoma High School in Tennessee who played both ways as a prep senior. He rushed ...
144	CJ Daniels	WR	202lbs	6-2	4.58	28	148.1	83.0 MORE>>	CJ Daniels took one of the more winding roads to draft eligibility you'll find in this class. A two-star recruit out of Parkview H...
181	Anez Cooper	OG	334lbs	6-6	5.52	37	146.7	81.3 MORE>>	A consensus three-star recruit out of Alabama, Anez Cooper chose Miami over Auburn, Georgia, and South Carolina after earni...
295	Wesley Bissainthe	LB	225lbs	6-2	4.63	36	290.6	78.0 MORE>>	Bissainthe was a consensus four-star recruit out of Miami Central, where he helped the program win back-to-back Florida state...
314	Ethan O'Connor	CB	172lbs	6-1	4.50	85	317	77.0 MORE>>	Ethan O'Connor from Los Alamitos High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. Followin...
414	James Brockermeyer...	C	295lbs	6-3	5.30	81	362.2	73.0 MORE>>	James Brockermeyer from All Saints Episcopal High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star grade by 247 Spor...
467	Raul Aguirre Jr.	LB	233lbs	6-2	4.65	54	467	63.2 MORE>>	Raul Aguirre Jr. from Whitewater High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star grade by 247 Sports. After hi...

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
6	Cam Ward	QB	223lbs	6-2	4.87	1	14.4	89.4 MORE>>	From unheralded Texas high school prospect to Heisman finalist, Cameron Ward's ascent has scouts buzzing. The West Columbia native...
74	Elijah Arroyo	TE	245lbs	6-4	4.69	4	57.1	85.1 MORE>>	A former four-star recruit out of Texas who fielded offers from virtually every blue-blood program in the country, Elijah Arroyo's...
107	Xavier Restrepo	WR	209lbs	5-10	4.83	18	100	83.6 MORE>>	Born and bred in South Florida's football hotbed, Xavier Restrepo's journey from St. Thomas Aquinas to Deerfield Beach high school...
159	Andres Borregales	PK	170lbs	5-11	4.90		251.5	81.5 MORE>>	The Borregales name has become synonymous with kicking excellence at Miami, and Andres carried that torch with distinction. Follo...
160	Damien Martinez	RB	232lbs	6-0	4.51	9	96.8	81.4 MORE>>	Born January 31, 2004 in Lewisville, Texas, Damien Martinez emerged as one of college football's most reliable ground-game enforce...
161	Jalen Rivers	OT	325lbs	6-5	5.29	24	119.8	81.4 MORE>>	Rivers, a 6'5", 325-pound offensive lineman from Orange Park, Florida, emerged as a versatile presence on Miami's offensive line. ...
162	Tyler Baron	DE	260lbs	6-5	4.62	42	126.8	81.4 MORE>>	Tyler Baron the son of former NFL player Patrick Lenoir, football bloodlines run deep in this technician off the edge. Baron's fou...
231	Simeon Barrow Jr.	DL	290lbs	6-3	4.98	60	242	78.5 MORE>>	Simeon Barrow Jr. emerged from Grovetown, Georgia as a three-star defensive end prospect before transforming himself into one of c...
256	Sam Brown Jr.	WR	195lbs	6-2	4.44	37	243.4	77.5 MORE>>	Sam Brown, a wide receiver from the University of Miami (FL), entered the college ranks as a 3-star recruit according to ESPN ...
304	Francisco Mauigoa	LB	230lbs	6-3	4.60	37	286.5	75.0 MORE>>	Francisco Mauigoa, a junior linebacker from Miami (FL), hails from Pago Pago, American Samoa. He comes from a football-oriented fa...
408	Jacolby George	WR	176lbs	6-0	4.44	56	345.3	69.4 MORE>>	Jacolby George burst onto the scene as a junior for Miami in 2023, notching 864 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. The Plantation, ...

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
98	Kamren Kinchens	S	203lbs	5-11	4.65	17	69.9	84.0 MORE>>	Kamren Kinchens a Miami Northwestern alum, Kinchens quickly shifted from an underrated three-star recruit to a dominating presence...
128	Leonard Taylor III	DL	303lbs	6-4	5.12	24	84.9	83.0 MORE>>	Hailing from the football-rich grounds of Miami, Leonard Taylor III's path to the NFL Draft spotlight was paved early on at Miami ...
253	Matt Lee	C	301lbs	6-4	5.03	54	243.6	77.0 MORE>>	Matt Lee from Paul J. Hagerty High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. Following ...
294	James Williams Sr....	LB	232lbs	6-4	4.65	91	558	75.0 MORE>>	James Williams, a standout safety from the University of Miami, originates from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, where he was a top-15 national...
403	Caleb Johnson	LB	235lbs	6-1	4.72	45	403	70.0 MORE>>	Caleb Johnson from Fullerton College High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. Afte...