OPINION: Why Cam Ward and the offensive pieces aren’t the biggest key to this season … and why the defense is

If you listened to the whispers around Greentree Practice Field this spring, the hope is this Miami Hurricanes’ offense is one that can get to right around 40 points per game. A year ago there were seven teams that averaged 39 or more points, led by LSU’s 45.5. Miami, by comparison, averaged 23.6 and then 31.5 points the last two years.

So yeah, that would be a big jump up. But with ultra-talented transfer Cam Ward on board joined by a star transfer RB Damien Martinez, a solid, experienced OL, two returning high level receivers plus transfer portal addition Sam Brown and a tight ends room that has a healthy Elijah Arroyo and adds talented freshman Elija Lofton, the sky is the limit.

For reference, the last time UM averaged 39 or more points was all the way back in 2002 when the Canes were fourth in the nation with 40.5 points per game (Miami also averaged 43.2 points in 2001 and 42.6 in 2000).

The offense for the Canes this year looks like a juggernaut, and that does and should have Miami fans excited.

But, in reality, Cam Ward and the offense isn’t the biggest key to the coming season. We think we know what Ward can do, right?

So for me the biggest key to this team’s success or failure overall is probably going to be on the other side of the ball. The defense only returns a couple of guys you know are going to get the job done – DE Rueben Bain and MLB Francisco Mauigoa. Other than that, what do you see on this side of the ball?

Also keep this in mind: As great as Ward was the last two years at Washington State, that team went 7-6 and 5-7. And no, the offense wasn’t the issue … in 2023 the team was No. 37 in the nation in scoring offense, No. 35 in total offense and No. 4 in passing offense (the team was No. 81 in scoring defense).

That’s what Miami needs to avoid, right?

So let’s look a little at a defense that’s added portal pieces to supplement some of the issues.

Up front you have Bain, of course. Aside from him DL Akheem Mesidor missed spring coming off surgery to replace torn tendons in both feet and will need to play in specially ordered cleats. It remains to be seen if he can regain his prior explosiveness off the ball. On the interior, NC State transfer CJ Clark was supposed to be a dominant new piece but spent half the spring as a backup. Miami added Simeon Barrow on the interior and he’s good but hasn’t been a star to this point as a redshirt senior. Other additions up front might be nice pieces depending on how they turn out, but it’s hard to call DE transfer Elijah Alston and DT transfer Marley Cook major playmakers right now. Otherwise you are pretty much looking at a line filled with first- and second-year guys.

At linebacker, aside from Mauigoa, the only other returning guy that played more than 30 reps of defense is Wesley Bissainthe, who shared the starting job with KJ Cloyd and has been up-and-down his first two years at Miami. So it’s nice to add Jaylin Alderman, but he’s likely to be more of a depth piece who can push Bissainthe. So you need young, unproven guys like Cam Pruitt and Raul Aguirre to step up.

The secondary? At corner you have a returning full-time starter in Daryl Porter, Jr., and second-year CB Damari Brown started the final four games last year but missed a lot of the spring due to injury. The team brought in Washington transfer Mishael Powell at nickel, but he struggled sticking with Xavier Restrepo (perhaps understandably) this spring and could move to safety (he played both positions for the Huskies). Former Vanderbilt transfer Jadais Richard was the next guy up at corner this spring but he was a backup last year and is very much unproven. So you can see why the team added D’yoni Hill from Marshall, but it’s hard to say he’ll be able to beat out Brown or Richard as the No. 2 corner. At safety, the team is still looking for answers after losing James Williams and Kam Kinchens. Jaden Harris, Markeith Williams and Savion Riley were the main guys there this spring, but none stood out.

So where does that leave Miami?

Well, with an offense that should be great.

And a defense that probably will wind up being the difference in this being a 10+ win team or one that follows the pattern of the last several years with losses that, on paper, shouldn’t happen.

So while it’s nice to stare at the glossy offense and pin your hopes on that, how this defense shapes up over the next several months is probably going to be the real key to if Miami can make a run to the playoffs.

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