Are you paying close attention? The Miami Hurricanes may have one of the best teams ahead of this season. While they did lose some key pieces on defense and in the trenches, a lot what made last year's team so special shall be returning to Coral Gables in 2026. So when CBS Sports' Cody Nagel and Shehan Jeyarajah looked at its most irreplaceable non-quarterback, they found the right player.
Jeyarajah was the one who wrote up the blurb on Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Of the 15 playoff contenders Nagel and Jeyarajah looked at, Fletcher was one of only two running backs they mentioned, along with Ole Miss tailback Kewan Lacy. Fletcher returned to Coral Gables for his senior season. He is coming off a year with 1,192 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 216 carries for Miami.
In the event that transfer portal quarterback Darian Mensah goes down, Jeyarajah does not believe Malachi Toney or Cooper Barkate will be the one that will keep the Miami offense afloat. Fletcher is a punishing runner who is elite at breaking tackles. Given that he will be playing behind an offensive line that just lost some players to the NFL, he will have to be the one to fight for that extra inch every time.
Having a balanced offensive attack will do wonders for Miami as it tries to get back into the playoff.
Mario Cristobal must lean on Mark Fletcher Jr. during his senior season
It is always a tricky proposition for a running back to return to school for his senior season. Fletcher did more than enough last year to merit being drafted. While he was never going to eclipse former Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love as RB1 in this class, Fletcher does many things that many teams would love to have in their backfield. He is both a bell-cow back and a guy who can mix it up for Miami.
The thing that really jumps off the page about Fletcher is he seems to be a true foxhole guy. Amid adverse conditions within the context of a game, Fletcher usually finds ways to win. Not every player who is dripping with talent can honestly do that. In a way, that is why he stands out among the likes of Barkate, Mensah, and Toney in this offense. He has the clutch gene that Carson Beck never realized...
So what Miami needs to do is lean on Fletcher in what will be his final season of college football. To be quite frank, this is probably going to be the last year that Mario Cristobal will get to employ both Shannon Dawson and Corey Hetherman as his two rockstar coordinators. One or both seem to be destined to lead their own teams here soon. Miami nearly won it all, but came up one touchdown shy.
At this time, a well-balanced Miami offense will do the Hurricanes more good than anything next fall.