No. 7 Miami isn't Reinventing Its Offensive Wheel, It's Evolving

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes have found a way to keep offensive production up even if it might not show on the stat sheet.

At the end of the season, the Hurricanes were one of the best offensive running teams in the country, but ranked outside the top 75 rushing teams.

Miami's offense also struggled because Carson Beck couldn't push the ball down the field like Cam Ward did the season before.

Nov 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for a passing option against the Duke Blue Devils during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

With Ward, the Hurricanes had the No. 1 offense in the country, and with Darian Mensah, they can return to that status.

"I wouldn’t say reinvention," Offensive Coordinator Shannon Dawson said about his offense. "I mean, it’s our job as coaches and we get paid to coach them to the system we run. Now, does the system morph around the players? Absolutely. That’s the same at every position. [At] quarterback specifically, [it’s] figuring out what he does well and how his mind works. And then obviously, the parts around him have to match that.

"So, I think right now, it’s a process of finding out what we do [well], and we have a pretty good idea with that. Now, are we polished yet? No, absolutely not. And I would venture to guess that nobody in America is right now. But ultimately, we do have a system here."

Darian Mensah at the 2026 ACC Football Kickoff | Miami Hurricanes Athletics

Mensah is the perfect quarterback for Dawson's air-raid-like offense. Moreover, Mensah's abilities put more pressure on the defense, which will allow more running gaps than last season.

Miami's offense will be in open space opportunity, and the evolution year after year will see an explosion this season.

"We run a system which is probably different than other places," Dawson said. "We’re not just sitting there calling plays. It’s a system that matches up and we have to get our guys good at that. Now, if there’s certain things that we like to do that we can’t do because of certain skill sets, then obviously, we’re going to shy away from doing that and do other things.

"And it’s going to look a little different every year. Obviously, this year’s going to look a little different based on the mentality of our group and what the quarterback likes and … how it fits around him. We have a lot of competition. I mean, we have a lot of good competition. We have a lot of good competition at a lot of positions, so that’s exciting to see."

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