Transfer Portal: Can Miami Sign a Difference-Maker at WR?
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Imagine what Miami’s offense could look like next fall with an impact receiver added to the roster.
The Miami Hurricanes are sitting on a current roster of wide receivers with talent, but much of the 2022 season saw inconsistency at the position. Injuries, for sure, are at the top of the board for why.
Overall, Miami sits at 239.1 yards passing per game, good for No. 57 in the nation. That's despite all the injuries to the likes of quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and all the injury setbacks along the offensive line and at wide receiver. There's hope moving forward though.
Colbie Young made a splash during his first season as a Cane. Can Miami find another player of his caliber in the Transfer Portal for 2023?
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There’s size and speed on the roster that will return in 2023. Slot receiver Xavier Restrepo outside receiver Colbie Young headline that young wide receiver corps. Now, by all means, Miami fans hope that a couple of the other young receivers raise their level of play and make the Hurricanes difficult to stop through the air.
That being the case, head coach Mario Cristobal needs to approach the Transfer Portal as if no player gets better. Why? College football is a business. You must look at the situation from a worst-case scenario.
Plus, maybe injuries hinder the Canes again next season. One just does not know. Thus, consider the following development. Restrepo, Young and one more wide receiver that’s a true difference-maker that's going to come from the Transfer Portal are all in the lineup at the same time.
Which wide receiver does the opposing defense attempt to take away? Even if Young is being double covered, for instance, there are still two more playmakers going one-on-one.
Advantage Miami.
The Hurricanes are recruiting Dante Cephus, a wide receiver from Kent State that is finishing up a season in which he has 48 receptions, 744 yards, 15.5 average, and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-1 and 185-pound redshirt junior out of Pittsburgh, Pa. is a player that can help the Canes.
Even if Miami does not land him, there could be other players as well. Just scanning the names of a few of the receivers currently in the Transfer Portal, there are players like Alabama’s Traeshon Holden that is now entering the market (high-level talent), as well as UCF’s Ryan O’Keefe, just as a couple of names to know. The list is much larger, for sure.
Obviously, many Miami fans are also wondering about Oregon receiver Dant'e Thornton, as he is in the Transfer Portal after being a recruit Cristobal brought in to play for the Ducks.
That’s just a snippet of the talent Miami could land. A couple of questions to ponder in closing.
Will Miami consider taking more than one Transfer Portal wide receiver?
Will Cristobal and his staff attempt to sign players with more than one year of eligibility remaining?
Regardless of what route the Canes go, adding even one more different-maker at receiver can truly change Miami’s offense in 2023.
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