QB:
1. Beck
2. Nickel or Emory
3. Judd
Grade - B+
RB:
1. Fletcher
2. Lyle
3. Pringle or CWH
Grade - B+ probably need another RB for depth
WR:
1. Trader - Josh Moore
2. CJ Daniels - Ny Carr - Chance Robinson
3. Ray Ray Joesph or Toney
Grade - B need another WR but think Toney and Moore can make big impact in year 1
TE:
1. Lofton
2. Bauman
3. Schott or Carver or Nickel
Grade - B stinks to lose Riley Williams
LT:
1. Bell
2. Samson or Kinsler
LG:
1. McCoy
2. Ryan Rodriguez
C:
1. Brockmeyer
2. SJ or Rodriguez
3. Nino
RG:
1. Anez
2. Rodriquez or Kinsler
RT:
1. Francis
2. Samson or Kinsler
3. Plazz
Grade B+ - Not a ton of depth unless guys like Samson, Kinsler etc. take a leap, but great starting 5
DE1:
1. Bain
2. Bryant or Blount or Lowe
DT1:
1. Blay
2. Scott
DT2:
1. Moten
2. Horton
3. Jones
DE2:
1. Mesidor
2. Pickett or Lightfoot or McConathy
Grade - A- lots of talent that needs to be developed
WLB:
1. Wes
2. Pruitt
3. Washington
MLB:
1. Popo
2. Wiley or Hayes
Grade - B. Not a ton of depth but good experience
CB1:
1. OJ
2. Karnley
3. Wallace or Ewald
CB2:
1.Lucas
2. Richard or O’Connor
3. Antoine
Nickel:
1. Brantley or Damari
FS:
1. Poyser
2. Fitzgerald
SS:
1. Zaquan
2. Day
Really good roster, Mario putting it together again. Can we surpass 10 wins?
QB Beck is the obvious clear cut #1. Nickel is expected to be the future and this spring would be a good time to start showing it. Emory is Emory. Judd Anderson is very intriguing with his size and skill set.
RB. Jordan Lyle is RB1 to me with his vision, quickness, contact balance and home run hitting ability. Mark Fletcher is a big all around complementary back who can do a little of everything. Pringle has great speed and instincts with the surprising ability to run between the tackles for a smaller back. CWH has excellent speed. More depth would be welcome.
WR. Super deep, super young, super inexperienced but also super talented. We need a true #1. An electrifying game breaker type would elevate this group tremendously and needs to be addressed in the spring portal. Jojo needs to continue his current trajectory and deliver on the promise he showed in the bowl game. CJ Daniels could be a huge factor if he can get healthy from the nagging foot injury that limited his production last year. This is a crucial off season for Ray Ray Joseph. Either he finally breaks through or he gets left behind. Ny Carr has received constant praise from coaches since his arrival last year. He needs to seize on the opportunity this season. Robinson and the true freshmen Moore, Upshaw and Toney will have plenty of opportunities to earn playing time.
TE. 2025 should be a coming out party for Elija Lofton. He will contribute in a variety of ways. Alex Bauman was a great addition as an inline blocker and redzone threat. Depth will be a concern unless one of the true freshmen can emerge. The spring portal could provide help.
OL Bell, McCoy, Brockermeyer, Cooper and Mauigoa make up what should be the best starting 5 in the ACC and top 5-10 in the nation. Depth will consist of Rodriguez, Kinsler, Okunlola, Plazz and perhaps the freshman Alofaituli.
DE. Rueben Bain should be tried inside at DT. The potential advantages of Bain reestablishing his dominance inside are too great to dismiss. We also desperately need an explosive pass rusher at WDE. Marquis Lightfoot will get plenty of reps here in spring as will Booker Pickett, Elias Rudolph and true freshmen Lowe and Scroggins. Armando Blount will get plenty of looks here and on the other side at SDE where Akheem Mesidor returns as well as true sophomore Cole McConathy.
DT. If Rueben Bain were to successfully move inside it would strengthen the interior significantly. Bain would likely start next to David Blay with depth coming from Ahmad Moten, true sophomore Justin Scott, Josh Horton and Artavious Jones. Together with DE there is plenty of talent to develop on the DL. If a proven dominant pass rusher and/or a grown man war daddy DT is available this spring then we should pounce for obvious reasons.
LB We need a fast sideline to sideline playmaker. Whether or not they are already on campus is another story. In general, there is far too much raw talent/potential that has been recruited over the past 2 years for us not to start developing at least some of them. Aguirre, Pruitt, Washington, Hayes, Wiley and Marcellin are young, talented but for the most part very inexperienced. Wes Bissainthe is the veteran entering a career defining year. Chase Smith and Alderman provide more experienced depth.
CB. This group has undergone a complete and desperately needed transformation. Daryl Porter having exhausted his eligibility and Dyoni Hill leaving via the portal were just the beginning as Miami added Emmanuel Karnley(Arizona), Ethan O’Connor(Washington State), Charles Brantley(Michigan State) and Xavier Lucas(Wisconsin). They join Freshman All American OJ Frederique, Damari Brown, Jadais Richard(injured knee) and freshmen Jaboree Antoine, Chris Ewald and ATH Bryce Fitzgerald(CB/WR/KR/PR) who arrives in the summer. Great talent and fantastic depth(at least on paper)
Safety. This group is also undergoing a major overhaul. Meesh Powell and Jaden Harris both starters from 2024 are gone. Freshman All American Zechariah Poyser(Jacksonville State) will replace Powell at FS with true sophomore Zaquan Patterson competing for SS with Dylan Day and possibly Damari Brown. Markeith Williams will provide depth along with another CB above, either Lucas or Karnley. I believe we need 1 to 2 safeties in the spring portal. A lot will depend on how new DC Corey Hetherman sees each player fitting into his attacking yet zone oriented scheme. I can hardly wait.
