Miami Hurricanes Football Lands its New Tight Ends Coach

The U reached into the American conference to snag its latest coaching staff addition in the form of Mike Viti, who will coach Tight Ends for the Hurricanes in 2026.

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Army Black Knights assistant coach Mike Viti walks the field before a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Miami Hurricanes now have their tight ends coach for the 2026-27 season in the form of Mike Viti. Viti spent the last decade at Army, where he also stared as a running back during his playing days.

Last season, the Army Black Knights finished 7-6 and ended their season with a win over UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. Outside of the UConn win, the team's biggest victory of the season came on September 6 of last year, when Army defeated Kansas State in Manhattan.

Viti was the associate head coach and offensive line coach for the Black Nights last year and was one of the brains behind Army's impressive 2024 season, which saw the team rush for over 4,200 yards. Viti is a 2008 graduate of West Point, where he played fullback.

There are those who may remember Mike Viti for a different reason, though. Over a decade ago, Viti embarked on his Mike's Hike for Heroes campaign, an undertaking that saw him trek across the country, walking one kilometer for each United States service member killed in action during the war against terror. Viti walked 7,100 kilometers (4,400 miles) on his journey before taking the final steps at the 2014 Army-Navy game in Baltimore, MD.

Viti has been one of the key innovators and ideators around Army football for the last decade, and is a large reason for its resurgence in recent years. Now, he'll make the move to Coral Gables, where he'll coach a tight ends room comprised of players like Elijah Lofton and Luka Gilbert.

The former saw significant playing time during the College Football Playoff and made a real impact, while the latter is a freak-of-nature prospect at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds. It's safe to say there's reason for Viti to be excited about this transition.

Viti Could Impact the Entire Team

This is not the type of hire one makes if they're worried about a culture fit. Viti is going to be as hard-nosed as they come, which is what Miami's teams typically respond to. That being said, it's easy to bridge the logic that this is a team-wide addition, too.

Viti's experience in offensive line and run-game coaching is unparalleled. With Darian Mensah under center, the option game becomes another weapon for Miami to use alongside that of Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher. After all, Mensah did record 59 carries last season, despite being sacked 27 times.

Fans can expect the same RPO-style plays as they've seen in the past, but if Viti is allowed to throw some West Point-style triple option looks into the scheme, the Miami offense just becomes that much more dangerous in the new year.