On3 gives Miami much-deserved respect for its work in the transfer portal

The Miami Hurricanes were a big winner in the transfer portal.

With most business in the transfer portal basically done for the Hurricanes and most other major programs, On3/Rivals put together their list of teams that did well during the acquisition period, and it's no surprise that Miami was among that group. The Hurricanes landed top players at multiple positions to complete a roster that should compete for a national title in 2026.

Where does Miami's transfer class rank in the nation?

Both 247Sports and On3/Rivals had Miami in the top five in their respective transfer portal rankings. Mario Cristobal and staff had to balance building the 2026 roster with trying to win a national championship in 2025. Despite that challenge, they were able to secure early commitments from wide receivers Vandrevius Jacobs (South Carolina) and Cam Vaughn (West Virginia) and defensive back Omar Thornton (Boston College) — all of whom are expected to have starting roles or be major pieces in the rotation. 

The real fun came after the CFP Championship Game. Miami had tried to get one of the top quarterbacks that initially entered the portal, specifically Brendan Sorsby and Sam Leavitt. The Hurricanes also reportedly gave Ty Simpson a significant offer that he turned down to declare for the NFL Draft.

And then Darian Mensah jumped on the board and, oh what a story that became. However, at the end of the day, Miami got its quarterback, a second-team All-ACC performer in 2025, and added his favorite target, Cooper Barkate, to the roster. The Hurricanes will have some youth on the line, and they added an intriguing prospect, Jared Meriweather (Georgia), to the mix where he could play either tackle or guard.

Rebuilding the offense was only half the battle. Miami had to figure out how to replace some of the production of the dynamic pass rush that Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor provided, and they signed Damon Wilson II (Missouri), arguably the top pass rusher available in the portal. 

The Hurricanes also added a couple of kicking specialists -- Jake Weinberg (Florida State) and Jack Olsen (Northwestern) to round out the haul.

All the additions means that Cristobal has a roster he believes can finish the job in 2026.