ANALYSIS: Early projections on Miami Hurricanes transfer additions
The Miami Hurricanes have added a lot of new talent through the transfer portal. On3 has taken note of the Canes’ pickups, ranking the portal additions No. 10 in the nation. Today we take a closer look at how all the new faces can fit in:
MIAMI OFFENSE
RUNNING BACK
Ajay Allen (Nebraska)
With the Miami Hurricanes RB room light numbers-wise (six backs including Allen with one coming off a major injury and only one – Henry Parrish – not listed as a freshman or redshirt freshman), the team certainly needed another back with solid ability. Enter Allen. A former four-star recruit out of Monroe, La. in the Class of 2022 (he was a TCU commit at one point), he has four years of eligibility remaining. That’s because he suffered a season-ending collarbone injury after playing in the first four games last year. He made the most of those opportunities on the field, with 33 carries for 190 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and two TDs. His Pro Football Focus grades? In 73 reps he had an outstanding 78.1 percent grade overall with a 79.8 run grade, 58.5 grade as a pass catcher and 40.4 percent in pass blocking (a struggle area for any young back). Allen was mired down the Nebraska depth chart this spring but was expected to have a major role on the team this season, so his departure surprised many. He was a second portal addition, so we’ll find out in fall drills where he fits in. But for now it’s expected that Parrish is the likely starter … and we’re hearing that true freshman Mark Fletcher has made a quick big splash and could be in line for a lot of reps as well.
WIDE RECEIVER
Tyler Harrell (Alabama)
You aren’t going to find a guy with more speed than Harrell, who was timed at 4.24 seconds in the 40. It was that electric speed he showed at Louisville that caught Alabama’s eye last year … but then he was injured the first half of the year and barely played. So now it’s on to Miami for Harrell, and if he can stay healthy given the Canes’ underperforming WR room (the top wideout had 376 yards last year) there’s ever chance that Harrell will start and have a big role. But as a second portal window arrival we have yet to lay eyes on him suiting up in a practice. So the fall will be key for him. The grad senior’s best season came in 2021 at Louisville when he had 18 catches for 523 yards along with six TDs (including a 92-yarder). In Harrell’s lone season with more than 39 reps played, 2021, he had 374 reps and per Pro Football Focus graded out at 70.4 overall (70 is considered a good grade) with a 70.9 receiving grade. The 6-0 speedster will work as an outside receiver and could bring that game-breaking element to Shannon Dawson’s new offense.
TIGHT END
Cam McCormick (Oregon)
A unicorn of sorts as an eighth-year transfer, McCormick very much looked the part of a big, physical tight end when he participated in the first three-quarters of Miami’s spring practices as the first-teamer ahead of Jaleel Skinner (he missed the end of drills after getting banged up). McCormick is that big, strong, veteran presence who can work attached to the line as essentially an extra lineman … and he also has the ability to make some plays down the field as a receiver. Is he the same kind of receiving threat as a Skinner or Elijah Arroyo? No. But the physicality he has guarantees him a lot of reps this year. And there’s no guarantee that Arroyo will start off of Will Mallory’s departure – McCormick will very much be in the mix for that in fall camp (Arroyo was out in the spring coming off injury). McCormick’s background? He was a backup at Oregon in 2016 and 2017, then had four straight years with numerous season-ending leg injuries and an Achilles’ tear – between 2018 and 2021. Last year he was back in action for the Ducks. McCormick had eight catches for 60 yards with two TDs. At 6-5 and 260 pounds, he is a physical, veteran presence on Miami’s team, and UM could utilize his blocking ability (he graded out at 71.4 percent as a pass blocker and 66.6 as a run blocker last year in 366 reps per Pro Football Focus). Prior to last year he played one rep in 2016, 319 in 2017 (57.5 grade), 11 reps in 2018, 0 reps in 2019 or 2020 and 10 reps in 2021. So really he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities due to his injury history.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Javion Cohen (Alabama)
Cohen was plucked as a multi-year starter from Alabama by Mario Cristobal, and he was plugged in as the first team left guard this spring and very much looks the part of a top ACC offensive lineman. Cohen is ranked the No. 22 player in the On3 player portal rankings, the highest ranking of any UM addition. He will be part of a reshaped line that may only have one returning starter begin the season with the ones (Jalen Rivers, or perhaps Anez Cooper). That’s because of the addition of Cohen and C Matt Lee in the portal plus bringing on board 5-star line signees Francis Mauigoa (started at RT this spring) and Samson Okunlola (2nd team LT this spring, will push to start in the fall). As for Cohen, he became a full-time starter at left guard there in 2021, then this past season started 10 games and earned second team All-SEC honors. His Pro Football Focus stats show that in 2021 he accounted for 21 knockdown blocks and played 1,073 snaps over 14 games. Then this past season he played 554 total snaps and had 17 knockdown blocks with 1.5 sacks allowed, four pressures, four quarterback hits and three penalties called against him. His PFF grades? With 70 a good grade, he graded out at 72.5 percent in 2022 including a stellar 80.5 pass blocking grade (and 68.9 as a run blocker). In 2021 he graded out at 61.8 percent overall (49.8 pass blocking, 64.9 run blocking). At 6-4 and 305 pounds he’s agile and strong enough to bully defenders in the run game. And that’s something Miami didn’t see a lot of last year when the team ranked No. 108 in the nation in sacks allowed (3.0 per game) and No. 95 in rushing offense (128.1 yards per game). So adding Cohen was huge for this team and the reshaped offensive line.
OL Luis Cristobal (Georgia State)
Mario Cristobal’s nephew is coming back home after playing at Miami Columbus High School before heading to Georgia State for the last four seasons. He enrolled for summer school, and the most likely role for the 6-0, 274-pound redshirt senior interior lineman is as a depth-filler and motivator (after all, that’s what Cristobals do). In 367 reps last season at Georgia State, Cristobal graded out at 52.5 overall with a 79.0 pass blocking grade and 52.6 run blocking grade (70 is considered a good grade). That’s per Pro Football Focus. He only played in 41 combined reps his three prior seasons there.
Matt Lee (UCF)
Lee showed this spring that he has a little bit of that KC Jones in him – a tireless worker and leader in the middle of the offensive line who never takes a play off and will do whatever it takes to win each rep. He’s a huge addition to an OL that has underperformed in recent seasons, and he’ll be much more physical at the point of attack than the guy he replaces, Jakai Clark. Lee also is one of the nation’s top returning centers based on Pro Football Focus grades – he actually tops the list with a 82.5 overall PFF grade last year (the No. 2 center on the list was West Virginia’s Zach Frazier at 80.8 followed by Michigan’s Drake Nugent). And Lee is ranked the No. 30 overall player in the On3 player portal rankings. He steps into an immediate starting role at Miami and last year he was at an elite 90.6 pass blocking level with a very strong 80.6 run blocking grade and played 1,059 reps (note that 70 is considered a good grade). He also graded out at 75.6 in 705 reps in 2021 (81.7 pass blocking, 70.8 run blocking).
MIAMI DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE
Anthony Campbell (ULM)
Campbell’s biggest chance at a major role is on the interior of the defense, but he can also work in for reps at end at 6-7 and 277 pounds. Certainly Miami needs him to be able to help out on the interior, where the only real proven guy is Leonard Taylor. The Canes are also relying on another transfer, Purdue’s Branson Deen, to step up (right now it’s Taylor and Deen as the likely starters). But the opportunity is certainly there for Campbell to come in as a second portal addition, light it up and start opposite Taylor in this new attacking style defense under first-year coordinator Lance Guidry. Campbell has worked his way to this point as a late bloomer in football. He grew up in Kingston, Jamaica before moving to the U.S. at age 14 and played two years of varsity football at Barstow High School. He was unrated by some services to as high as a 3-star by others in the Class of 2018, and headed to Independence (Kan.) Community College. He was a backup there for two seasons and headed to ULM, where he was a backup in 2021 and played 57 reps in six games and had one QB hurry. This past season he was again a backup but played well – in 208 reps he had 13 tackles, 3.5 TFL and a sack along with 2 QB hurries. Per Pro Football Focus he graded out at 72.9 percent overall with a 74.4 run defense grade, 61.3 tackle grade and 69.4 pass rush grade. PFF noted 14 QB hurries. Campbell chose Miami over Purdue, Colorado and Mississippi State, so he also piqued the interest of some other top programs.
Branson Deen (Purdue)
Deen impressed Miami coaches this spring, which makes him the frontrunner to start at defensive tackle next to Leonard Taylor this fall. Is Deen a guy that will wow you? Not so much. But he’s steady as a run stopper and can make a play or two in the offensive backfield. Deen’s undersized at 6-2 and 285 pounds, and last season at Purdue he didn’t really put up big numbers – he had 27 tackles for the Boilermakers with 4 TFL and 2.5 sacks along with 4 QB hurries. In 2021 he was All-Big Ten honorable mention after starting 11 games and finishing with 26 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 4 sacks and 4 QB hurries. He has played in 31 career games and has 72 total tackles with 15.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks. So he has the requisite experience and enough talent to make an impact. This past season he graded out at a solid 74.2 on defense (70 is considered a good grade), including 66.1 on run defense, a subpar 41.7 tackling (8 missed tackles in 492 reps) and 78.1 as a pass rusher (credited with 25 QB hurries per PFF). In 2021 he got his most action with 554 reps, and he graded out at 68.6 overall (64.3 run defense, 46.5 tackling, 71.7 pass rush). In 318 reps in 2020 he had a 68.8 grade (71.5 run defense, 79.5 tackling, 60.6 pass rush), and in 202 reps in 2019 he had a 52.3 grade (48.6 run defense, 27.3 tackling, 59.9 pass rush). So he hasn’t really starred, bust has been very capable at a major program. This fall Deen will have to hold off fellow transfers Anthony Campbell and Thomas Gore along with Jared Harrison-Hunte returning off injury and an improving Ahmad Moten. Summer true freshman arrival Joshua Horton also hopes to break into the rotation in year 1.
Thomas Gore (Georgia State)
Undersized at 6-0 and 280 pounds, Gore wasn’t able to make much headway on the depth chart in the spring, and the feeling for now is his role will be as a depth guy. It’s a bit of a transition for Deen given the level of play he was at previously at Georgia State. But he was All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention in 2021 and played in every game there since the 2020 season, tallying 93 career total tackles, 11 sacks and two forced fumbles as a defensive lineman. He also has 76 career pressures. He had eight tackles for loss in 2022. Gore will have to battle on a tackle depth chart that returns star Leonard Taylor and had Branson Deen ahead of him in the spring. Plus with Jared Harrison-Hunte returning from injury and the team adding another transfer in the second portal window (Anthony Campbell) there’s a chance that Gore won’t even be in the two-deep. He has a lot to prove in fall drills.
LINEBACKER
Francisco Mauigoa (Washington State)
If there was an MVP this spring on Miami’s defense, it would probably go to Mauigoa. He picked up Lance Guidry’s defense quickly, shot through gaps and made plays in the offensive backfield. It’s all but a certainty now that he will unseat multi-year returning starter Corey Flagg in the middle of Miami’s defense, a nice upgrade. Mauigoa brings speed and physicality to the spot, and in UM’s new D he’ll be adept as a blitzer, in coverage and also getting into the backfield and making tackles. The background of the 6-3, 230-pounder: A former 3-star prospect in the Class of 2021 out of American Samoa, Mauigoa has two years of eligibility remaining and had 60 tackles, 5.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks this past season as a starter at Washington State, also forcing three fumbles (tied for the Pac-12 lead) with an interception. That interception was, interestingly enough, against Mario Cristobal’s former team – he took it back 95 yards for a TD against Oregon Sept. 24. As a freshman in 2021 he started twice and had 17 tackles. His Pro Football Focus grades? In 457 reps last season he graded out at a solid 75.7 percent (70 is considered good). He had a 74.1 run defense grade, 69.9 tackle grade, 64.6 pass rush grade and 76.3 cover grade. So all around pretty solid. He also was noted by PFF with five QB hurries and nine missed tackles. Mauigoa only played 58 reps in 2021 as a freshman and graded out at 43.3 overall. Mauigoa is ranked the No. 58 overall player in the On3 player portal rankings.
CORNERBACK
Davonte Brown (UCF)
The situation with Brown is going to be interesting to track through the fall. He was the first-teamer most of the spring opposite Daryl Porter, Jr. (who transferred in a year ago and was a backup), but then Miami went out in the second portal window and picked up two more cornerbacks that are looking to start – Oklahoma’s Jaden Davis and Vanderbilt’s Ja’Dais Richard. The Canes also added JUCO DB Demetrius Freeney June 8, and he’s eligible to play right away. Essentially Miami coaches were saying they want more competition at the position. So it’s going to be a big-time battle in the fall and right now we’d put Brown’s chances of starting at no better than 50-50. Brown has good enough speed to stick with top wideouts but struggles with technique at times. The competition to start at the boundary corner spots also includes Jaden Harris and Chris Graves (both redshirted last year), junior Malik Curtis as well as true freshmen Damari Brown and Robert Stafford. As for Davonte? The 6-2, 185-pounder comes in with 36 games of playing experience, and in his time at UCF he had 91 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 21 pass deflections and a forced fumble. He had 30 tackles, two INTs and four PBU this past season, and he also started every game as a sophomore in 2021 and ended with 13 PBU and an interception. In 2020 as a freshman backup he had 23 tackles while starting five games. His Pro Football Focus grades? Last year in 711 reps he graded out at 65.5 percent (70 is considered good) with a 63.6 cover grade and 46.7 tackle grade. In 2021 he had 763 reps at UCF and graded out at an elite 82.3 percent overall (84.0 cover grade, 55.7 tackling). In 2020 he played 411 reps and graded out at 66.5 (63.2 cover grade, 81.8 tackle grade). In 116 career targets he’s allowed 64 receptions for 838 yards and four TDs per PFF.
Jaden Davis (Oklahoma)
Jaden Davis is a second portal window addition for Miami, and he’s still looking to live up to his former top 4-star recruit billing. While he started at Oklahoma, he never really broke through. This past season he started nine games (missing the final three due to injury) and had 35 tackles, 2 PD and a TFL. Now he’ll compete at a crowded boundary corner position that includes Ja’Dais Richard (Vanderbilt transfer, arrived in 2nd portal window, can also play nickel), Davonte Brown (UCF, transferred in January), Demetrius Freeney (JUCO CB) and Daryl Porter Jr. (West Virginia, transferred last year) along with Malik Curtis, redshirt freshman Chris Graves and incoming freshmen Damari Brown and Robert Stafford. Davis started 22 games in his four seasons with the Sooners. Last year he graded out at 62.3 overall per Pro Football Focus and 60.8 percent in coverage while allowing opposing QBs to hit on 16 of 30 passes vs. him for 202 yards. So not real good, but the Oklahoma defense in general wasn’t good – the Sooners ranked No. 121 in total defense (461.0 yards) and No. 118 in passing yards allowed (273.5). Davis has plenty of physical tools, though, and experience – he has 104 career tackles and one interception. Miami’s 2022 DB unit ranked No. 79 in the nation in yards allowed passing (233.6) and No. 101 in passing efficiency defense, so help is needed. Davis has as decent a shot as any of the corners on the roster at starting.
Ja’Dais Richard (Vanderbilt)
Richard is a long, fast corner who could be a good fit at Miami … but he didn’t have great results in his one year playing at Vandy. The good news is he had a strong spring there, earning a lot of praise, and he’s also versatile enough to play boundary corner or the nickel/STAR spot in Lance Guidry’s defense. At 6-2 and 200-pounds, he ran an 11.0 100-meter time in high school. Richard is on the younger side with three years of eligibility remaining and the expectation on his part is to come in and compete to start for a unit that is replacing starters Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey. Richard will join a crowded but relatively unproven cornerbacks room with fellow transfers Davonte Brown (UCF, transferred in January), Jaden Davis (Oklahoma, recent commit) and Daryl Porter Jr. (West Virginia, transferred last year) along with JUCO CB arrival Demetrius Freeney, Malik Curtis, redshirt freshman Chris Graves and incoming freshmen Damari Brown and Robert Stafford. Te’Cory Couch and Jaden Davis are projected to play STAR/nickel, and as mentioned Richard could fit in there as well. His Pro Football Focus grades last season? In 203 reps he had a 62.4 overall grade with a 60.3 tackle grade and 60.3 cover grade as well. Per PFF he was targeted 13 times and allowed nine receptions (69.2 percent) for 211 yards with two TDs.
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