Just days before the Miami Hurricanes faced the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the team's depth chart took a hit.
Redshirt freshman Daylen Russell, a defensive lineman who played in four games this season, announced he planned to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.
In his four appearances, Russell earned six total tackles (three solo), playing against Bethune-Cookman, USF, Stanford, and Syracuse.
Third Miami player plans to enter transfer portal
Russell became the third Miami football player to announce he would enter the transfer portal when it opened in January, joining wide receiver Nathaniel "Ray Ray" Joseph and safety Markeith Williams.
With an adjusted and shortened window, the transfer portal doesn't open until January 2 and remains open until January 16, giving players 15 days to officially decide if they want to enter the portal or not.
If the Hurricanes make it all the way to the National Championship, Miami players would have a five-day window open the day after the title game to decide if they wanted to enter the transfer portal.
Also read: Canes can cross one QB off their list for a target from the transfer portal
Despite the transfer portal not opening for nearly three weeks, players across the country had already started announcing their plans for the future, sharing with their team and representatives that they would transfer as soon as the season was officially over and they were actually allowed to do so.
Clearly, Russell was not a consistent presence for the Canes on the defensive line, but his plan to leave the program is yet another hit for the Miami depth chart, especially as other players reach the end of their eligibility or declare for the NFL Draft.
So far, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal hasn't lost any key athletes from his roster, but a loss is still a loss, and the Hurricanes need to start working on player retention alongside their preparation for the College Football Playoff.