Daylyn Upshaw is making a name for himself in camp and Darian Mensah has taken notice

Daylyn Upshaw might not have been a name that was heavily mentioned as a future Miami Hurricanes star before the start of training camp, but everyone is quickly learning about the sophomore wide receiver.

That includes quarterback, Darian Mensah, who raved about Upshaw in his media session last week. Upshaw is currently part of a large group of players that are battling for the wide receiver spots behind presumed starters Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate.

Mensah spoke highly of Upshaw during the spring and continued talking about his ascension as training camp got underway. 

"I think he's stepped more into a leadership role. He's one of the guys who is staying after practice to catch extra ball. He's one of the examples in the leader room and I think that just speaks to who he is as a person and a player," Mensah said.

Daylyn Upshaw has a chance to emerge as a starting WR

The battle to get on the field when Miami is in its 3 and 4-wide sets is fierce. Joshua Moore is another sophomore that has the size (6-foot-4. 220 pounds) to be an intriguing weapon on the outside. Two transfers — Vandrevius Jacobs (South Carolina) and Cam Vaughn (West Virginia) had over 300 catches and 500 yards each for their respective former teams. 

And then there are a couple of hotshot true freshmen -- Vance Spafford and Somourian Wingo — that are also searching for more reps and a chance to be this year's version of Toney.

Upshaw isn't spooked by the competition, quite the opposite, actually. He believes that everyone is going to have the chance to display their talent and learn from each other.

"I know I can get some tools from other receivers because they're so great," Upshaw said. "I can steal some things out of their bag, and they can steal some out of my bag. It makes us better because, at the end of the day, we're all one team."

Upshaw had seven catches for 105 yards as a freshman, but he had carved out a consistent role in the rotation by the end of the regular season before a foot injury kept him out of the playoffs. Now the former standout at Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, is healthy and is showing he can compete with anyone.

Upshaw wasn't a flashy recruit. He was a fringe four-star prospect on the 247Sports Composite and the 67th-ranked wide receiver and 474th-rated overall player in the 2025 class. He took official visits to Florida and UCF before committing to the Hurricanes. 

Flash might not be Upshaw's thing, but he's got a lot of game and clearly Mensah is a fan. With the Hurricanes having one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the country, it could be Upshaw that stands out when it's time to take the field. 

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