So much for that. This winter, Miami football coach Mario Cristobal made it a priority to rework the defensive secondary, as the group really let this team down last campaign. Let's be real, the defense cost Miami a shot at pushing for an ACC title and a trip to the College Football Playoff.
One of the main additions for the team was cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, who was ready to be a defensive leader for the Hurricanes in 2025. Well, he's already on his way out of town. On Monday, the breaking news arrived that Karnley decided to call it a career with Miami less than four months after he committed to the program. He's off to the transfer portal once again:
Miami cornerback Emmanuel Karnley has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @cbssports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 21, 2025
The 6-foot-3 Karnley had transferred to Miami from Arizona earlier this offseason and was one of the top-ranked cornerbacks during the winter cycle.… pic.twitter.com/97TJTRPzdU
Miami CB Emmanuel Karnley has left the program and he'll enter the transfer portal
This winter, Karnley committed to Miami ranked as the No. 7 transfer CB out there. Checking in at 6-3, he provides fantastic length at CB, which was going to be needed for the Miami defense. However, don't forget that Miami brought in four transfer corners to come in and compete for a job.
Karnley was pushing for a starting job, but he fell behind a bit in the pecking order this spring. That's not a knock on him or anything, it's just that there are just so many seats at the table in terms of starting roles, with one of them likely to go to Wisconsin transfer and Florida native Xavier Lucas.
Last season for the Arizona Wildcats, Karnley posted 15 tackles and five pass deflections in 10 games. Corey Hetherman and Cristobal had high hopes for Karnley, but it's a bit disappointing that he's leaving Coral Gables without even playing in a single game for the program. Thankfully, there's now depth at the position, but you would have hoped Karnley would have pushed for playing time during fall camp instead of throwing in the towel on his Canes career so soon.