Miami football lands transfer DB and fans are hoping Sam Leavitt is next

Boston College defensive back Omar Thornton has committed to Miami out of the NCAA transfer portal. Thornton is viewed as one of the top defensive backs available this cycle, ranking No. 89 overall and No. 5 at safety in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings.

Boston College DB Omar Thornton transfers to Miami

Thornton's 2025 production jumps off the page. In 12 games with 11 starts, he totaled 82 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception. He also earned All-ACC honorable mention and was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week after a career-high 11 tackles at Michigan State.

Thornton forced four fumbles in 2025 alone, which is rare production for a defensive back and speaks to how physical he plays in traffic. Over two seasons at Boston College, he logged 111 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception.

Thornton is primarily a nickel defender and a large portion of his snaps came in the slot or in the box, which lines up with how Miami has deployed its better hybrid defensive backs in recent years. Thornton has two years of eligibility remaining.

Thornton has a connection to Miami as is a South Florida native who played at American Heritage and is from Carver Ranches, Florida.

Miami has a good recent history of transfer DB's

Miami's secondary is a good example of Cristobal's portal plan paying off. After the back end was a problem in 2024, Miami went out and re-built the DB room with transfers, including Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), Ethan O'Connor (Washington State), Charles Brantley (Michigan State), Emmanuel Karnley (Arizona) and Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State).

Keionte Scott, another portal get (Auburn/Houston), has been one of Miami's tone-setters. His biggest play this season was the 72-yard pick-six that helped Miami secure a CFP win over Ohio State.