Miami came up just short in the College Football Playoff National Championship, but that doesn’t take anything away from the Hurricanes’ magical run through the CFP in 2025-26. Mario Cristobal led the program to its best season in 24 years, including three program-changing postseason wins that can serve as proof of concept for his plans for the future.
Coaches said this week that Miami is a year ahead of schedule in Cristobal’s fourth season, which raises the obvious question: What does 2026 look like? The roster remains loaded even with several projected departures, and the Hurricanes are poised to make another splash with Duke quarterback Darian Mensah expected to sign at any moment.
Miami may already boasts the ACC’s most expensive roster, and that investment paid off in 2025. The Hurricanes’ postseason run netted the program at least $20 million in College Football Playoff payouts. An early-season home loss to Louisville and an overtime setback at SMU — Miami’s first game outside Florida — could have derailed the year. Instead, the Hurricanes rallied to win four straight games, slipped into the CFP as the final at-large team and validated the idea that strong late-season play deserves weight in the selection process. That path could influence committee thinking in 2026 and beyond.
Miami is positioned to return perhaps the most talented roster in the ACC next season, but significant holes must be filled. Quarterback Carson Beck is headed to the NFL, while defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and right tackle Francis Mauigoa are projected first-round picks. That turnover comes with success for a program that had a school-record 19 players earn all-conference honors.
Is it playoff-or-bust again for Cristobal?
It starts in the trenches
Miami won’t just be replacing its quarterback and top pass rusher. The Hurricanes must also rebuild an offensive line that could lose as many as four starters. That unit started the same five players in every game this season — one of only eight teams nationally with that level of continuity.
The veteran group allowed just 51 negative plays entering the postseason, the fourth-best mark in the FBS. The departures of Mauigoa, center James Brockermeyer, left tackle Markel Bell and right guard Anez Cooper will be a major storyline this spring, even as most attention centers on the quarterback position.
Cristobal prides himself on building from the inside out, and the former Miami offensive lineman has stayed true to that philosophy.
The Hurricanes may be strongest on the interior, with senior Matthew McCoy and junior Samson Okunlola set to return. Miami also signed five-star Jackson Cantwell, the nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2026 class.
Is Mensah the next playoff quarterback?
Miami’s pursuit of Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is the worst-kept secret of the portal cycle. He is expected to join the Hurricanes in the near future.
Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson have taken a Moneyball-like approach in recent offseasons, targeting players with comparable production rather than identical skill sets. That philosophy guided Miami’s aggressive pursuit of Beck a year ago after he left Georgia. While Beck didn’t offer the rushing element of former quarterback Cam Ward, his passing efficiency and yardage profile aligned with what Miami needed.
Mensah fits Dawson’s vision, blending finesse with power. The ACC Championship Game MVP threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns against just six interceptions last season and appears primed to thrive in South Florida.
Miami is widening the talent gap
Miami’s transfer portal success draws headlines, but its high school recruiting may be even more significant.
The Hurricanes signed the ACC’s top class in December, landing 30 prospects and finishing No. 10 nationally, according to 247Sports. The gap between Miami and the rest of the league continues to grow. Miami’s class totaled 280.45 points in the 247Sports composite — 25.58 more than the ACC’s second-ranked class. Combined with a 19.36-point margin in 2023, the trend is unmistakable.
Twenty-one of Miami’s 30 signees are blue-chip prospects. That haul includes three blue-chip offensive linemen, highlighted by Cantwell, and six blue-chip defensive backs.
A tougher road in 2026
Miami opened the season with a marquee win over Notre Dame, a head-to-head result that helped propel the Hurricanes into the CFP. Next season, Miami travels to Notre Dame on Nov. 7.
That trip is part of a more demanding schedule that includes an expanded nine-game ACC slate, a road game at Clemson and a cross-country flight to Stanford. How the conference arranges those road trips could go a long way in determining whether Miami returns to the playoff conversation.
For Cristobal and the Hurricanes, the margin remains thin — and the expectations are no longer theoretical.
