The Hurricanes are trying to get back — and this time win — the CFP national title game. Last year, Mario Cristobal showed he was willing to trust young players if they are ready. Freshmen like Malachi Toney and Bryce Fitzgerald played major roles during that run, so here are the six freshman that could help the most this upcoming season.
OT Jackson Cantwell
Cantwell arrives after being rated as one of the top players in the country. He enrolled in January, and Cristobal said last week that Miami is going to "keep force feeding him" because he is responding well in spring practice and getting better every day. He projects to be a starter on an OL that is going to look very different from what it looked like last year. Cantwell's success will be critical to Miami's success this season.
DB JJ Dunnigan
Dunnigan is the freshman defensive back most likely to force his way onto the field early. 247Sports ranked him No. 98 overall and No. 9 at safety. He finished his senior year with 57 tackles, nine touchdown catches and three return scores while helping Manhattan win a Kansas 6A title.
At 6-foot-3 and 192 pounds, he already has the size to play at the next level. Last year the secondary dealt with injuries down the stretch. This year, Canes fans could see Dunnigan step in and carve out a role to help with depth.
WR Milan Parris, WR Somourian Wingo and WR Vance Spafford
Miami reportedly loves its incoming freshman receiver class and expects Parris, Wingo and Spafford to push the older wideouts. Parris' size alone gives him a chance to get on the field early, but any of those three guys could see some playing time.
Parris is a big-body target, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 195 pounds. His senior production was solid, too with 50 catches for 785 yards and 11 touchdowns.
247Sports ranked Wingo No. 56 overall, No. 7 at receiver and No. 6 in Florida. He logged 46 catches for 827 yards and 13 touchdown receptions as a senior.
Spafford ran a 4.35 in the 40 at Under Armour's Future 50, as well as a 10.69 in the 100 meter dash. That kind of speed can get him on the field if he plays well in the spring and fall camp.
DL Keshawn Stancil
247Sports ranked Stancil No. 94 nationally and his senior production was 94 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and seven sacks for a Clayton team that reached the North Carolina 7A title game. In the same way that Cantwell will be important to the OL, Stancil will be crucial to the other side of the ball.
Miami does not need all six of these freshmen to become stars right away to get back to the playoff. But the Canes probably do need a couple of them to hit sooner than expected, so they can ensure another dominant year.