Miami Hurricanes Praised as One of 10 Teams to Win the Offseason

Defensive additions via the transfer portal could go a long way toward Miami's CFP chances.

Wisconsin cornerback Xavier Lucas (6) is escorted by a member of the training staff during the fourth quarter of their game against South Dakota Saturday, September 7 , 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are huge expectations for the Miami Hurricanes heading into the 2025 college football season.

With fall practice for all 136 FBS programs on the horizon, Athlon Sports looked at 10 programs that won the offseason, making key moves to make a run at a conference title or the College Football Playoff.

And it just so happens that Mario Cristobal's squad made the list.

Athlon cites the work Cristobal did in the transfer portal to improve a defense that allowed 30.8 points per game in ACC play last fall. The 'Canes struggled against the pass in particular. Cristobal hired Corey Hetherman from Minnesota to revamp the defense, and he helped the Golden Gophers hold opponents to 16.9 points per contest in 2024.

A leaky secondary was addressed in the portal. Miami brought in seven transfer defensive backs, including cornerbacks Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), Ethan O’Connor (Washington State) and Charles Brantley (Michigan State), along with safety Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State).

Because of those defensive additions, UM is better prepared to battle Clemson for the ACC crown. Coordinator Shannon Dawson's unit may not score as many points as last year, but former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck should be fully healthy after suffering an elbow injury in the SEC title game, and he will have help at receiver with Tony Johnson (Cincinnati), Keelan Marion (BYU) and CJ Daniels (Liberty).

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