Lamar Jackson, Among Others, Questions Where's Miami's Star Receiver
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One question has run through the mind of every Miami Hurricane fan each week since Notre Dame — where is Joshisa Trader?
It has gotten to a point that even two-time NFL MVP and South Florida legend Lamar Jackson is starting to question where the talented sophomore that he heard and watched during his early years in high school is.
What happened to Jojo Trader? I don’t see him out there for Miami
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) October 18, 2025
Against Louisville, Trader saw the field, but it was for a single snap. He is in the doghouse, and now it is up to him to get out of it.
WR Snap Count:
CJ Daniels - 60 snaps
Malachi Toney - 57 snaps
Keelan Marion - 40 snaps
Joshua Moore - 7 snaps
JoJo Trader - 1 snap
Tony Johnson - 1 snap
Trader was in a position to be one of the team's leading voices heading into the season. Even with the emergence of freshman Malachi Toney, the combination of Trader, Toney, and CJ Daniels was set to dominate the ACC along with quarterback Carson Beck.
Read More: Positive Sign for One Miami Hurricanes Receiver
Heading into the Friday Night game, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson loved what he saw from Trader in the weeks before and expected him to make some plays.
"He's had a very good week last week. We've had some good talks," Dawson said. "I love the kid. He's had a very good week of practice. Really good day-to-day. I look forward to him finishing this week and making some plays."
However, that wasn't the case.
Beck threw four interceptions in the upset loss. The man culprit was him not checking the ball down and forcing the ball to Toney and Daniels, leaving the massive question of who is going to be the third receiver to step up and make a play.
Based on the snap count, Keelan Marion is set to be that player, but everyone knows that Trader desperately needs to see the field.
Asking Mario Cristobal, he knows that he wants to see the player on the field, too, but it also starts with his work ethic during practice. This has been the leading indication of why that sophomore has rarely seen the field during the first six games.
"You saw how many guys got playing time outside and inside," Cristobal said about playing time ahead of Miami's win against Florida. "So that's the way you're like it to be as guys are on the mend, work their way back. The guys are in there working hard, responding, performing at a level that's progressing and getting better with miles to go. But also remind the guys that are coming back from injury, you'd better come back and work your butt off to regain your playing time."
From Cristobal's giving perspective, it comes down to work ethic. Cristobal wants to see that out of Trader so the world can see what the talented receiver can do.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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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.