2024 four-star wide receiver Jojo Trader took a backseat to Malachi Toney and Miami’s veteran transfer portal additions in 2025, CJ Daniels and Keelon Marion. Then, with Marion and Daniels out of eligibility, rather than step into a starting role, the local Miami product is heading to the Transfer Portal.
The former Chaminade-Madonna product entered the portal on Thursday, three days after Miami’s national championship game loss to Indiana. However, Mario Cristobal and the Miami staff already have the perfect wide receiver replacement ready to sign.
On Saturday, UM WR coach Kevin Beard said based on his talks with Jojo Trader: "I have no doubt in my mind he will be back." But then UM pursued Cooper Barkate, who led Duke last season with 72 catches for 1,106, to pair with Mensah. And Trader entered portal tonight, per CBS
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 23, 2026
Miami expected to pair Duke WR Cooper Barkate with Darian Mensah
After missing out on Sam Leavitt and Ty Simpson, Miami went all-in on Duke transfer Darian Mensah. While the legal battle over Mensah’s eligibility rages on, there’s still a strong likelihood that he suits up for the Hurricanes in 2026, and reportedly, he’ll have his No. 1 target from 2025 with him.
Cooper Barkate still has one year of eligibility remaining, and the former Harvard wide receiver doesn’t intend to use it in Durham. After one season with the Blue Devils, Barkate was a last-second entry into the portal, following Mensah, and reportedly, he’s set to follow him all the way to Coral Gables.
It’s never a guarantee that a player can make the leap from the FCS level to Power 4 football, but Barkate had the most prolific season of his college football career in the ACC. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound pass-catcher brought in a career-high 72 passes for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns.
Despite his unimpressive size, Barkate’s precise route-running allows him to get off the line of scrimmage against press coverage and create separation on the outside. Though he struggled a bit with drops, he has good hands and, once he gets the ball in them, is not afraid of playing through contact for extra yardage.
While he may not be as dynamic as the most optimistic projections for Traders’ development, Barkate is a proven commodity whose intimately familiar with Mensah. He also wouldn’t be a bad fit with Toney, who is sure to be the focal point of offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s passing attack next season.
While Toney wins with quickness and yards after the catch from the slot, Barkate could serve as an outside-the-numbers chain mover. Barkate lacks the true top-end speed of a serious vertical threat, but he has enough speed that defensive backs respect the downfield shot, which allows him to create space with his exceptional deceleration.
Those comebacks and outbreakers were a go-to for Mensah on late downs and against the blitz when he knew he had man coverage. With Toney as the game-breaker and Barkate as the chain-mover, Miami’s passing game could take a step forward in 2026, even with the losses of Daniels, Marion, and Trader.