Miami football hasn’t considered Big 10 or Pac transfers yet

Head coach Manny Diaz stated the Miami football program has not considered any transfers following the cancelation of the fall football seasons by the Big 10 and Pac 12.

The cancelation of the 2020 fall football season by the Big 10 and Pac 12 have taken over 2,000 scholarship players out of the equation. Head coach Manny Diaz stated after practice on Tuesday night that the Miami football program has not considered taking in any of those players through the transfer portal.

There is a lot to consider with transfers from the Big 10, Pac 12, MAC, Mountain West, or any football programs that have made the decision to not play this fall. Miami cannot contact any players from those programs unless they enter the transfer portal. Any school that did that would be considered tampering.

Scholarship limits would also play a part. A school cannot take on a player from any of the above conference or other teams not playing this season and exceed the scholarship limit. How well a player fits into the program and if there is an opening at the player’s position is also worth considering.

The Miami football program has several positions they could still use help at. Another offensive lineman and veteran wide receiver like K.J. Osborn was through the 2019 transfer portal would help Miami greatly. A veteran linebacker to play alongside redshirt senior Zach McCloud could also be considered.

"“It is all happening in real time right now, so I don’t think anybody has really considered that, but you have some numbers with scholarship limitations and the amount of initials that you can bring into your program that might limit some of that.Obviously in 2020, we are living in a time that has no precedence, so I think somebody has to come up with a ruling on that. Look this is all why we went to conference only. Different parts of the country respond in different ways.I equate it to the European soccer leagues. They all started back in different times. France didn’t play, Germany was first, England came a couple weeks after that—and now they are all coming back together for Champions League.There had to be a feeling of look, we all have to solve it our own way—and that doesn’t mean one side is right and one side is wrong because the one thing that has been true about this pandemic is that it is a localized issue in different places in this country. Even as vast as our state is, there can be different levels of cases in our state.”"

Diaz and the Miami football team feel fortunate to be on the field. The Hurricanes being able to practice and get ready for the season with their Big 10 and Pac 12 peers not having the opportunity to play in 2020 is one they are grateful for. Diaz discussed the uncertainty during the 2020 offseason.

"“We feel thankful to be on the field. There was a time in March, April, May, June, and even parts of July where we were not sure we’d be given the green light to go. Is there uncertainty? Yes, but we have the ability to control it. We can do our part, which they have done since June 15th.If we continue to stay strong and do our part and protect each other, we know that we can keep the spread down. That is a little bit of the maddening thing with 2020 and this virus, but it is controllable.”I think everybody has made the best decision and now the law of unintended consequences, we have to figure all that out.”"

Some elite players from FCS schools announced their intention to enter the transfer portal over the past week. The expectation has to be that some Big 10 and Pac 12 players will do the same in the near future. If Miami has scholarships available and spots that fit on their roster, Diaz has shown the willingness to add transfers.

With four weeks before the 2020 season kicks off against UAB, it would be tough to integrate players into the Miami football program in such a short amount of time. If those players can improve the Hurricanes roster, expect Diaz and his staff to at least inquire about experienced players in the transfer portal.