Miami's offense is built to serve the many mouths Shannon Dawson will have to feed

The key word for the Miami Hurricanes offense this year might be sacrifice. Many players, even the top guys, might have to be willing to sacrifice some numbers for the greater goal of winning. And it has nothing to do with the offense being less explosive. Quite the opposite, actually.

There are a LOT of mouths to feed on offense this year, much more than last season, and it should benefit the players and the team as a whole — quality depth is never a bad thing. It's going to be a delicate thing for offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson to navigate, and it's going to test the maturity of the roster that Mario Cristobal has put together.

READ MORE: Miami has a shot at being the best offense in all of college football this season

We've already seen a player fall off. Wide receiver Cam Vaughn transferred to Coral Gables with around 1,350 receiving yards in his first two seasons at Jacksonville State and West Virginia respectively, but he was struggling to keep up with the competition to get on the field in the 3 and 4-wide sets. Then he got into some trouble and was dismissed.

Shannon Dawson will try to get everyone involved in Miami's offense

The good news is that Darian Mensah looks like the ultimate trigger man for Dawson's scheme. He needed a player that could distribute, make quick reads, look downfield and not get overly focused on a single target. Mensah is that guy. He can get everyone going without forcing the matter.

READ MORE: ACC coaches echo why Darian Mensah is so scary in Miami's high-octane offense

There are two 1,000-yard receivers, Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate, and one 500-yard receiver, Vandrevius Jacobs, on the roster along with an assortment of riches hungry to get on the field. Joshua Moore was the talk of the spring and Daylyn Upshaw has been the talk of camp. There are some freshmen that might see the field. That's not counting tight end Elija Lofton, who needs to take a jump forward this season.

It's easy to imagine a situation where Toney and Barkate record fewer catches and possibly fewer yards, but the pass game is much more explosive as a whole. Yes, Carson Beck had some physical limitations last season, but he also lacked a depth of weapons. Someone's always going to be open in this offense.

Miami came into camp with four legitimate running backs that could probably start at most Power 4 programs. With Jordan Lyle running into a legal roadblock, it opened the door for freshman Javian Mallory, who had a very good spring, to walk in the door. That should make Mark Fletcher's life much easier, but it might limit his carries in many games. 

"I think there's a world where Mark Fletcher's just as good as he was last year or improves, but he doesn't match his regular-season rushing output because they have the luxury of being able to depend on multiple guys," ESPN personality Josh Pate said during his Hurricanes' season preview segment. 

So, yeah, the top guys might see a small dip in the numbers and as long as the Hurricanes win like we expect them to, it's not a big deal. It also helps keep players like Toney and Fletcher a little fresher for the final third of the season heading into the playoffs.

But most importantly, it should raise the confidence level of depth and earn the trust of the coaches so that they can be used in crucial situations of big games. Dawson is definitely going to have to provide a balance, but the culture that's been built at Miami is one that the players can handle. 

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