Miami football proving to have the most dynamic transfer duo in the country

Miami's approach to roster building has been laid out. Mario Cristobal focuses on building through the trenches outward, focusing his high school recruiting on elite offensive and defensive linemen first and then adding offensive and defensive skill players around that.

The transfer portal is used to fill in the big gaps where Miami's solid NIL budget is best spent — quarterback, defensive back and wide receiver. And it's at quarterback with Carson Beck and wide receiver with CJ Daniels where the Hurricanes have hit big this season.

Beck has bounced back beautifully from a rough 2024 at Georgia and is one of the names that is constantly being mentioned in the Heisman race. The senior had his best game of the season on Saturday against FSU, going 20-of-27 for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Daniels said the Heisman talk for Beck is well-deserved. 

"He's a leader, he's our alpha," Daniels said in a CBS Sports interview. "He just gets stuff right. He's a guy that works hard in practice, and he comes out here...he doesn't flinch at all. When he first came into Miami, he set the standard, and we followed suit."

Daniels, an LSU transfer, was just as good with five catches for 78 yards, two touchdowns and a whole lot of trolling once he reached the end zone. Daniels and freshman Malachi Toney have proven to be one of the best wide receiver combos in the nation. 

"We've got a room full of guys that I think are [number one wide receivers], we take that to the practice field, and we compete," Daniels added. "We were able to show the world what we're about."

And let's not forget defensive back JaKobe Thomas. The Tennessee transfer has put it all together this season to be a stablizer on the back end of the Hurricanes defense. Thomas had another stellar performance against the Seminoles, one that got him PFF National Player of the Week honors.