Miami’s CFP Moment Has Fans Calling for a Softball Team

The College Football Playoff title game put the University of Miami on the big stage when the No. 10-ranked team faced off against the No.1 undefeated Indiana Hoosiers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Though the Hurricanes took the loss, an important conversation began swirling on social media during the game.

Why doesn’t Miami have a softball team?

Please ❤️ or 🔁 if you think @MiamiHurricanes should add a softball program.
— Tara Henry (@notarabledays) January 20, 2026

Yes, yes, yes. https://t.co/TToKsEYhdM
— Maria Trivelpiece (@M_Trivelpiece) January 20, 2026

It’s actually an idea that was brought up by athletic director Dan Radakovich in 2023, but was put on the back burner so existing facilities could receive improvements in 2024 while waiting on the final decision on the House v. NCAA Settlement.

“There’s been a lot going on in intercollegiate athletics over the last few months, so we’ve decided to make sure we’re really good with where we are, programmatically, before we take that next step and add an additional program,” Radakovich told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 2024. “We never want to put ourselves in a circumstance where we’re scratching to make the thing work. We want it to come in and do it at a high level, and that’s why we’re taking a little pause right now until we see how the entire House settlement comes out and where we can go from there.”

Now that the House Settlement was passed in June 2025, it’s expected to cause a major shift in college sports and college softball. In just one part of the settlement, the NCAA and its member institutions are now responsible for $2.8 billion in backpay money to former athletes who competed from 2016 to 2024 due to a loss of name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation. This may deter the university even further from starting a softball program.

Another women’s team on campus and another softball team in the state of Florida would fit right in, too. The Hurricane’s women’s volleyball team has seen much success, heading to the postseason for the fifth straight time in 2025, while the women’s basketball team also made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2014 to 2019. Additionally, the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, UCF Knights, FAU Owls, USF Bulls, and North Florida Ospreys have all been tough postseason contenders.

It’s also not the first time that the lack of a softball program has been brought up during this college football season. When ESPN’s College GameDay headed to Oregon for the matchup against USC, a fan in the background of the broadcast was seen jabbing at the Trojans for not having a team, while the Ducks have a pretty successful one.

Great sign from ⁦⁦@OregonSB⁩🦆 to ⁦@USC_Athletics⁩🛡️ on ESPN’s college game day!🏈 pic.twitter.com/VRDuY4muWb
— Softball Portal (@SoftballPortal) November 22, 2025

The world is asking for more softball, and it’s about time some universities give it serious thought.

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