Miami is nearly done with their transfer portal business for 2026, with one huge exception (that we will talk about below), but anyone that's seen how Mario Cristobal operates knows that if there's a way to get next season's roster even better, he's exploring it.
And here are some transfer portal targets that could still become Hurricanes over these final days.
Darian Mensah, quarterback (Duke)
What can we say about this that we haven't already? Mensah needs to be a Hurricane for them to have their best chance at winning the ACC and the CFP. This would be Miami's third consecutive trip into the transfer portal for a QB1 and so far it's been successful with Cam Ward and Carson Beck leading the Hurricanes to 23 combined wins, consecutive 10-win seasons and a trip to the CFP Championship Game. Eventually, Miami will probably have to go with an in-house option to lead the offense, but that likely won't be the case in 2026. Mensah is currently involved in a legal battle with Duke about his NIL contract and whether he can play for another team next season, but his hearing is Thursday and the answers to his future will be much clearer.
Cooper Barkate, wide receiver (Duke)
Barkate, an experienced player that began his career at Harvard, seems like a very nice addition to give Mensah a familiar face on the offense and some immediate comfort in the passing game. Miami is going to be loaded at wide receiver with the announced return of Josh Moore and the additions of Vandrevius Jacobs (South Carolina) and Cam Vaughn (West Virginia). But Barkate is a 1,000-yard receiver and him in Malachi Toney on the field would force every opposing defense to pick their poison.
Darius Snow, linebacker (Michigan State)
Miami is going to have a lot of question marks at linebacker, probably even more than on the defensive line, because at least on the defensive line there is young blue-chip talent that can emerge. The Hurricanes needed Mohamed Toure to return, and he announced that he would. They also need some young guys to step up into crucial roles to replace long-time starters. But bringing in a player like Snow, who received a waiver for a seventh-year of eligibility, would give the Hurricanes an experienced veteran with a lot of games under his belt. He could offer snaps at linebacker and on special teams. Snow probably wouldn't be a game changer, but a player that would do the job asked of him and be excited to be on a team competing for a title.