It's officially time to put the disappointing end to the 2024 season behind us. On Monday, spring ball kicked off for the Miami Hurricanes football team and plenty of people are excited to see what this team can showcase from start to finish.
In a bit of a bummer, new starting quarterback Carson Beck won't be throwing as he continues to recover from elbow surgery, but he is going through other drills. However, Beck is expected to be fully ready to rock for fall camp. He should also be throwing in a few weeks too.
While we have to wait for Beck to be a full participant, there are other players who fans will be keeping a close eye on. In this piece, we focus on three players in particular who need to make a splash as we get our first look at the potential for this team in 2025:
3. WR JoJo Trader
It was a bit of a quiet freshman season for Joshisa Trader, AKA JoJo. He ended up posting six receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown on the campaign. In the Pop-Tarts Bowl, however, he showed flashes of brilliance, finishing with three receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
That performance is something people are still talking about. The hype on Trader is only growing after Cam Ward said at the NFL Combine that he expects the youngster to be one of the best wide receivers in the country. This spring, he'll be ready to make noise and back up the hype Ward has set for him.
2. QB Emory Williams
With Beck sidelined for now, you can expect former 2023 signee Emory Williams to lead the offense this spring. Williams appeared in two games for Miami this past season, including the Pop-Tarts Bowl for the second half when Ward took himself out of the contest.
Williams left a lot to be desired, as he completed only 5-of-14 pass attempts for 26 yards and an interception in the loss to Iowa State. There's a reason Miami was aggressive in landing Beck via the transfer portal. People aren't high on Williams, but he can silence his haters if he shows some improvements throughout the spring.
1. WR C.J. Daniels
While Miami fans were dreaming of Jeremiah Smith transferring to play for Mario Cristobal, it's not going to happen. Despite that, Miami was able to make a splash at receiver by signing LSU transfer C.J. Daniels, who arrives to town with huge expectations.
Yup, Daniels is expected to be a major contributor on offense, probably WR1 for Beck this fall too. If Daniels and Trader can be a dangerous 1-2 punch together, it will be massive for this team. Daniels is going to want to hit the ground running under the Florida sunshine and prove to people that he can be an electric playmaker for Miami in 2025.