Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 20 Sam Brown
The Miami Hurricanes have massively reshaped the roster from a year ago with five primary offensive starters gone (QB Tyler Van Dyke, RB Henry Parrish, WR Colbie Young, OL Javion Cohen and Matt Lee) along with seven on the defensive side (DT Leonard Taylor, DT Branson Deen, DL Jared Harrison-Hunte, S Kam Kinchens, S James Williams, CB Jaden Davis and CB Te’Cory Couch).
50. RB JORDAN LYLE … 49. RB CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON … 48. DE COLE MCCONATHY … 47. S ZAQUAN PATTERSON … 46. TE CAM MCCORMICK … 45. NY CARR … 44. JUSTIN SCOTT … 43. OT Markel Bell … 42. RB AJAY ALLEN … 41. TE RILEY WILLIAMS … 40. OL MATTHEW MCCOY … 39. LB CAM PRUITT … 38. DT JOSHUA HORTON … 37. LB RAUL AGUIRRE … 36. S MARKEITH WILLIAMS … 35. S JADEN HARRIS … 34. QB EMORY WILLIAMS … 33. WR JOJO TRADER … 32. D’YONI HILL … 31. RAY RAY JOSEPH … 30. ISAIAH HORTON … 29. MARLEY COOK … 28. JAYLIN ALDERMAN … 27. JADAIS RICHARD … 26. SAMSON OKUNLOLA … 25. ELIJA LOFTON … 24. ELIJAH ALSTON … 23. DAMARI BROWN … 22. REESE POFFENBARGER … 21. ZACH CARPENTER
Which brings us to our annual series breaking down the top 50 players on the current roster. As we go along on this list you’ll get an idea of the overall depth of talent on Mario Cristobal’s team this year as he seeks Miami’s second 10-win season in the last two decades.
Today we are at No. 20:
NO. 20 WR SAM BROWN
Why He’s No. 20
The Miami Hurricanes didn’t just sit on their laurels hoping that an Isaiah Horton or JoJo Trader would emerge in fall camp as a top third wide receiver option next to returning standouts Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George. Miami went out and landed Houston’s top receiver from last year, Sam Brown. This past season he ended as the team leader with 62 catches for 815 yards along with three TDs. In four of the first five games he had 99 or more receiving yards but then faded a bit down the stretch. Still, he has more than enough talent to be an outstanding weapon for Cam Ward. His 20 missed tackles forced after a reception ranked eighth among Power 5 receivers, per Pro Football Focus. Also per PFF in 694 reps last season he graded out at 72.9 percent overall with four drops; he lined up in the slot on 55 of his reps. A 6-2, 195-pound junior who originally signed with West Virginia out of Savannah (Ga.) New Hampstead High School as a three-star industry recruit Brown was a backup at West Virginia in 2020 and 2021, then as a redshirt freshman at Houston in 2022 started seven games and had 471 receiving yards with four TDs (of note: that year he was playing under now-Miami coordinator Shannon Dawson).
What he needs to do to move up this list
Brown has to make a transition from a different level of opponent. In the ACC he’ll face taller, faster corners who are more aggressive than what he saw for many games in his team’s 2023 schedule. Brown also has to compete with other talented receivers for reps like Isaiah Horton, JoJo Trader and Ray Ray Joseph. There are only so many balls to go around as well, and Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George are the top two returning starting WRs and there also is a talented tight ends room. Good news for Brown is he’s likely to get a lot of one-on-one coverage given Restrepo and George will get attention, and Brown has to show he can consistently beat it.
Realistic season objective
Brown will have to earn his spot as the team’s No. 3 starting WR in fall camp, as Isaiah Horton has plenty of ability but just doesn’t have a measurable level of experience. Even JoJo Trader might show he’s too good to keep off the field in Year 1. So realistically it might be hard at a more difficult level for Brown to match his 815 yards of last year when he was the team’s No. 1 target. Maybe around 500+ yards and a handful of touchdowns would be a fair expectation to set.
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