Seven Miami Players Who Could Swing the CFP National Championship Game

January 15, 2026 Admin

The No. 10-seeded Miami Hurricanes will try to hand the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers their first loss of the season in the College Football Playoff national championship game. To do that, they will need their top performers to fire on all cylinders. Here are seven players to watch:

Carson Beck, QB

After five years at Georgia, Beck returned back to his home state of Florida to try and revive The U alongside Mario Cristobal. Though there were bumps in the road during the regular season, the Jacksonville native delivered in the most critical moments of the College Football Playoff. Beck converted four critical third downs in the second half against Ohio State in the quarterfinals and scored the game-winning rushing touchdown vs. Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl, stepping up to the plate when Miami needed him most.

Mark Fletcher Jr., RB

The junior running back has been a staple of Cristobal’s Miami teams for the past three seasons, but took on an increased role in 2025 and thrived while doing so. Fletcher was a workhouse in the playoff, gashing Texas A&M for 172 yards before following that performance up with a critical touchdown catch against Ohio State and 133 more yards against Ole Miss. A bruising ballcarrier, Fletcher represents Miami’s identity of physical approach to offense.

Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. has thrived this season in an increased role. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Malachi Toney, WR

Nicknamed Baby Jesus, the fresh-faced Toney plays well beyond his years with elite speed and agility. A true freshman at just 18 years old, the Miami native led the ACC in receiving touchdowns this season and was a true Swiss Army knife for the Hurricanes to employ. Effective downfield as a deep threat or in the screen game, Toney was also used out of the backfield as a ballcarrier or as a thrower of the football on trick plays. And he still has at least two years of college football ahead of him.

Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, DE

The Hurricanes’ two-man wrecking crew on the defensive line is a terror for opposing offenses to face. Capable of overwhelming an offensive line individually or as a pair, Bain and Mesidor consistently found themselves in the backfield this season, chasing down quarterbacks or stuffing running backs before they got back to the line of scrimmage. Bain tallied three sacks and four tackles for loss at Texas A&M in the opening round; Mesidor followed that performance up with two sacks of his own against Ohio State, cementing the pair as a true defensive line dynamic duo.

Francis Mauigoa, OT

If Bain and Mesidor are the representation of Miami’s physicality on defense, then Mauigoa is that for the Canes offense. Standing at 6′ 6″, 315 pounds, Mauigoa played the most snaps of any Miami player this season alongside left tackle Markel Bell and was the leader of Beck’s protection while clearing holes for Fletcher in the run game. Likely bound for the NFL after this season, the junior set the standard for what Miami is looking for in its offensive linemen going forward.

Jakobe Thomas, DB

The Hurricanes were one of the best teams in the country at generating turnovers this season and Thomas, a ball-hawking safety, led the team in takeaways. After beginning his career with three years at Middle Tennessee State, the fifth-year senior had the most productive season of his career after transferring from Tennessee. While the Canes pass rushers get much of the credit, it was Thomas who came up clutch with the game-sealing interception against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.