Miami football projected underrated in national post-spring Top 25
The Miami football program was one of three teams labeled as underrated in the “The Spring Dish: Underrated and overrated teams in 247Sports’ post-spring Top 25.” by Brandon Marcello. Miami opponents, number four Texas A&M and number five Clemson were two of the four teams ranked overrated entering the 2022 season.
The Miami football program enters the 2022 season with an entirely new coaching staff except for Stephen Field who returns as the tight ends coach. The return of quarterback Tyler Van Dyke provides Miami with a good foundation to build on for the 2022 season. Miami has upgraded its talent through the transfer portal.
The Hurricanes have added 11 transfers. Miami has signed four transfers on offense and seven on defense. Five of the transfers Miami has added are on the defensive line. Defensive ends Mitchell Agude from UCLA and Ahkeem Mesidor from West Virginia are projected to be the starters for Miami in 2022.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is one of four new hires in the ACC Coastal Division. Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech also have new head coaches. The Blue Devils, Cavaliers and Hokies hired first-time head coaches. Cristobal enters his inaugural season at Miami with 10 years of experience as a head coach.
Unranked Miami
“Twenty-five percent of the top 12 teams ranked in the 247Sports poll are led by first-year head coaches. In an offseason filled with big names leaving for big jobs, why isn’t Mario Cristobal getting more love at Miami?
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke will emerge as one of the better quarterbacks in the country, and with a solid haul out of the transfer portal, this program that played well down the stretch under lame duck coach Manny Diaz last season could be a top-25 team at the end of 2022.”
In addition to Agude and Mesidor, running back Henry Parrish, wide receiver Frank Ladson, cornerback Darryl Porter Jr. and linebacker Caleb Johnson will all compete in August training camp to become starters in the season opener on September 3 against Bethune-Cookman. The remainder of the transfers adds depth.
Darrel Jackson, Jacob Lichtenstein and Antonio Moultrie add depth on the defensive line. Miami finished the 2021 season with five wins in its last six games. The hiring of Cristobal has infused excitement into the Miami football program. Miami will measure itself quickly when they play on September 17 at Texas A&M.
