Hurricanes pick up where they left off
CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes arrive at the 2026 college football season with expectations that have become increasingly difficult to ignore. Voters in the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason poll made Miami the clear favorite, with 88% of ballots selecting the Hurricanes to win a conference title the program has never claimed in its 22 seasons in the ACC.
After a 13-3 campaign in 2025 that included a run to the College Football Playoff championship game, Miami is widely regarded as one of the nation's elite teams entering 2026. That success has raised the bar: anything short of another berth in the playoff field will be viewed by many as a disappointment.
Offense fueled by returning stars and a new quarterback
The Hurricanes' offense centers on wide receiver Malachi Toney, who led the nation with 109 catches last season and is expected to be among college football's most dangerous playmakers. Toney now teams with a new starting quarterback, Darian Mensah, a transfer from Duke who figures to be the focal point of Miami's passing attack after playing a significant role in Duke's 2025 success.
Miami also returns a deep running back room led by senior Mark Fletcher Jr. Fletcher opted to forgo entering the NFL draft and instead returned for another season, saying he has "unfinished business" with the Hurricanes. That continuity in the backfield complements the team's receiving corps and sets up an offense that expects to be versatile and explosive.
Coaching continuity and areas of concern
Another advantage for Miami heading into 2026 is the retention of key staff. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman, and defensive line coach Jason Taylor are all back, providing schematic continuity after last season's breakthrough.
Still, the roster faces questions. The Hurricanes must replace or reconfigure parts of the offensive line after the departure of tackle Francis Mauigoa, who was selected 10th overall by the New York Giants in the NFL draft. The defensive line also has openings to fill, and the team will have to integrate Mensah into a new system while maintaining the balance that drove last year's success.
"We've had steady progress over the last four years," head coach Mario Cristobal said, noting the program's upward trajectory and the commitment of players and coaches.
Key games and broader ACC context
Miami's schedule includes a high-profile trip to South Bend on Nov. 7 to face Notre Dame — a matchup that played a pivotal role in last season's playoff calculus and could again shape the Hurricanes' postseason prospects. With a larger conference campaign likely to determine playoff positioning, every marquee nonconference game takes on outsized importance.
The ACC itself is in transition, moving toward a nine-game schedule to align with other power conferences. That shift, and the uneven number of teams involved in the interim, will create irregularities this year, but Miami's path to the title is straightforward on paper: win the conference and the Hurricanes put themselves squarely in the national conversation for another playoff appearance.
- 2025 record: 13-3
- Top returning players: Malachi Toney (WR), Mark Fletcher Jr. (RB)
- New starting QB: Darian Mensah (transfer from Duke)
- Key coaching returns: Shannon Dawson, Corey Heatherman, Jason Taylor
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Preseason ACC poll support | 88% of voters picked Miami to win the conference |
| National ranking | No. 7 |
| Notable early-season matchup | at Notre Dame — Nov. 7 |
For Miami fans, the narrative is familiar but intensified: the Hurricanes possess the talent and coaching continuity to win the ACC for the first time since joining the league, and they enter the season with national title aspirations once again. How quickly Mensah adapts, how the offensive and defensive lines gel, and the outcome of signature matchups such as Notre Dame will determine whether this iteration of Miami can turn preseason expectation into a long-awaited conference championship.
