Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will not have to look outside of Coral Gables for the next Miami Hurricanes quarterback even if ESPN can't see if yet.
ESPN has Miami at No. 6 in its future power rankings, which go through the 2027 season and take a number of program issues into account, including quarterback situation, offensive line/defensive line outlook, coaching staff and so forth.
Over the next two years, who will be the best overall CFB team? 🤔@ESPNRittenberg dives into future power rankings 👀
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) June 9, 2026
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Adam Rittenberg writes this about the Hurricanes quarterback situation:
"Miami isn't subtle with its transfer portal QB acquisitions and made another splash with the late-cycle pickup of Darian Mensah, who led Duke to the 2025 ACC title and has 6,696 passing yards and 56 touchdowns on 66.5% completions in two seasons. Mensah has junior eligibility and could leave for the NFL after 2026. Redshirt freshman Luke Nickel and others fill out the depth, but Miami could once again go into the portal if Mensah moves on."
There's always a chance that Miami could go back to the portal for a fourth season, but the high likelihood is that Cristobal and Dawson already have a plan for one of the in-house arms to take over the offense next season if Darian Mensah decides to go to the NFL. The reason this plan is now in place is because hey have accomplished the primary goal of giving themselves multiple options to fill both the starting and backup quarterback roles on the future roster.
Miami has everything it needs at quarterback for the future
Israel Abrams, who was recently given a five-star from 247Sports, is the most important piece of this process. Whether it's in 2027 or 2028, he's been pegged as the guy. The blue-chip prospect from the Chicagoland area has already immersed himself in the Miami culture. This doesn't mean that Abrams is penciling himself as the next great Hurricanes quarterback. He knows that he has to put in the work.
“I'm not a finished product, I just gotta keep working, man," Abrams said to Sebastian Font from CanesInSight. “Them guys out there [are]hungry, just like I'm hungry. But I'm not going to let them be hungrier than me. So I'm just out there trying to work and just trying to pick up everything I can.”
READ MORE: 247Sports updated rankings confirm the 5-star empire that Mario Cristobal is building
There will be a couple of players battling with Abrams to get those starter reps. Emory Williams transferred to East Carolina after three years in a backup role with Miami, but Nickel will be going through his third offseason in 2027 and should provide a challenge. The Hurricanes signed in-state prospect Dereon Coleman in the 2026 class and, after a likely redshirt year to add some weight to his listed 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, the Orlando Jones High School product should be ready to compete in 2027 as well.
While Miami has been hitting the portal for the top quarterbacks, Cristobal and Dawson never took their eye off recruiting arms. They both know that it's much easier to build a roster with an in-house quarterback rather than going on the transfer market and battling with a handful of schools for the top guys and busting the budget. It's easy to just point to the portal to fix every problem and fill every hole, but Cristobal knows there's a better way and he has taken the right actions.
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