The Five Miami Hurricanes Under the Most Pressure Entering the 2026 Season
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The National Championship game is in the rear view mirror and the Miami Hurricanes are focused on the 2026 season.
Moreover, it puts more pressure on others now that the season is near, and some have to improve or maintain the standard that was already set coming off of last season.
There isn't much turnover from last year so it is about a year of improvement and keeping the standard.
Corey Hetherman
It's only been one year, and he has already received a new contract extension and turned a bottom-level defense into one of the best defensive groups in the country. Hetherman is in a world of his own and one of the best coordinators in the country, but how much better can he get?
Maintaining the standard is another top 10 defense in the country, but he has also lost two first-round defensive linemen to the draft, as well as two other star players in the later rounds. If he can rebound with the new crop of talent, a head coaching job is coming his way very soon.
Ethan O'Connor
The lasting image from the star corner was the back shoulder fades during the national championship game. It wasn't the best night for O'Connor, who could have sealed the game for the Canes with a potential pick-six that he batted away.
O'Connor is going to have his chance to go and make up for everything that happened in that game. It was one bad game, but how he learns from it and grows will be the biggest thing to watch this season.
Jackson Cantwell/Offensive Line
The biggest question mark going into this season is the offensive line for the Hurricanes. That starts with the highest rated lineman in program history taking his first college snaps this season, looking to see how fast he will grow and how fast he will learn about things. Cantwell is going to be the talk of the offensive line but it won't be just him.
The Canes offensive line will be replacing four starters. The group is in question only because of how new this lineup is. It is also a Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal line so odds are they will be fine.
Darian Mensah
Leaving Duke was hard for Mensah, but now, as a Hurricane and after the seasons he has had, it might be Heisman Finalist or bust for the star quarterback.
Over his past two seasons, the new Hurrincaes gunslinger has a lot to offer, and if the trend continues, he should be talked about as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
This is an award that should have his name around it this season. If not, how far back did Mensah fall, or is this just an extremely talented quarterback year this season?
Omar Thornton
Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas were game breakers for the Hurricanes last season, and their replacement comes from the transfer portal. Thornton was one of the hardest-hitting players in the ACC last season, and bringing that intensity along with the new molding of the Hurricanes' defense could make him more than those players.
However, those are big shoes to fill. He will have some help alongside him, but there are high expectations for the new star Cane.
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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.
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