'A Clear-Headed Mark Fletcher Jr.' Prepares for his Final Season at Miami
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CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes saw one of the greatest College Football Playoff runs from star running back Mark Fletcher Jr.
Fletcher rushed for 1,202 rushing yards last season and finished sixth most for a single season in Miami history.
The senior is also tied for seventh in Miami history with 12 rushing touchdowns, seventh in Miami history with 2,313 career rushing yards, and tied for fifth with 26 TDs on the ground.
Moreover, he spent most of the season in a cloudy headspace until the CFP. Once Fletcher cleared his mind, he moved like the best running back in the country.
"I just cleared up my mindspace," Fletcher said. "People, you know, a lot of people say "Mark must have been healthier". No, I was feeling the exact same. I just cleared my mental and went and had fun, and stopped thinking so much. You really are at these, like, we're just so hard on ourselves, you know, especially the best one. We're just so hard on ourselves, critique ourselves to just make us freeze out there. And the only thing that y'all saw was clearheaded Mark Fletcher, that's all it was."
Fletcher returns for his senior year with more to prove. The star senior has a chance to be one of the best Miami Hurricanes running backs in program history.
However, that is not his focus entering this season. His focus is on having fun and continuing where he left off in the National Championship game.
Mark Fletcher Jr. 18 Touches, 120 Total YDS, 2 TDs vs Indiana Hoosiers 2026 College Football National Championship.pic.twitter.com/sq4DIpBlSV https://t.co/fBMF8DvfUn
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) January 20, 2026
"Trusting, you know, how far I, all the things I've been through the trials and tribulations and, it's just like, I'm a dog," Fletcher said. "I'm a great man of God, and I came back from so much adversity, so much adversity, and man, it's just time to go show everybody what I can do, and just have fun."
Fletcher knows that he can't control everything ahead of this season, but it is an obstacle that he has overcome. He is just excited to play in the orange and green again.
"Like, whatever's gonna happen, is gonna happen," Fletcher said. "My thing is just control what I can control, and man, I get a play for the Miami Hurricanes again. Like, one more year, so, I mean, that's a blessing. I'm just gonna go have fun."
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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