Miami's receiving room was already one of the biggest reasons the Hurricanes reached the College Football Playoff national championship game last season, and Greg McElroy believes it has improved.
The ESPN analyst ranked Miami No. 4 nationally in his preseason list of college football's best pass-catching groups. McElroy placed the Hurricanes behind Ohio State, Texas and Oregon, while ranking them ahead of Florida, LSU, Clemson, Indiana, Oklahoma and USC.
“Miami is the only unit in the top 10 that is probably better than it was a year ago.”@GregMcElroy has @canesfootball at No. 4️⃣ in his receiving group rankings#GoCanes pic.twitter.com/l7j6JP7DG7
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) June 23, 2026
Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate lead the way for Miami
"Miami is the only unit in the Top 10 that is probably better than it was a year ago," McElroy said on his Always College Football podcast. "Every other program on the list lost something meaningful. But you can make a case that Miami got better."
Miami had a star receiver entering 2026 as Malachi Toney alone made the Hurricanes difficult to defend. But now Cooper Barkate offers Miami a second proven 1,000-yard receiver and reunites with quarterback Darian Mensah after their 2025 season at Duke.
Toney and Barkate combined for 181 receptions, 2,317 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
Barkate's presence should change the way defenses approach Toney. Opponents that devote extra coverage to Toney risk leaving Barkate in favorable matchups. Teams that play more balanced coverage against both receivers could open larger running lanes for Mark Fletcher Jr. and create room for Mensah to spread the ball around.
Miami added multiple WRs in the transfer portal
Vandrevius Jacobs arrives after leading South Carolina with 32 receptions and producing 548 receiving yards with four touchdowns in 2025. Cam Vaughn transferred after catching 35 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns at West Virginia.
Miami also brings in a loaded high school WR class
Milan Parris, Tyran Evans, Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford all arrived as part of the 2026 class. Their presence will creating more competition for future roles.
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