With the bye week at hand, this felt like the rightt time to reset the Miami Hurricanes depth chart. Injuries on offense have forced a lot of changes and forced some true freshmen to step in and step up.
Two starters (Marty Brown and Joshua Moore) have already been ruled out with season-ending injuries and starting right guard Max Buchanan just had surgery.
The roster shuffling has put the Hurricanes' depth to the test and here is what the projected depth chart on offense looks like heading into the second half of the season:
Quarterback
Darian Mensah (R-Jr.)
Luke Nickel (R-Fr.)
Mensah has been playing at a Heisman level this season. We expected him to be good, but he has a 15-0 TD/INT ratio and only 21 incompletions. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what part of Mensah's game has been most impressive. Maybe it's the timing or the accuracy or the general comfort with Shannon Dawson's scheme. It's all better than even the most optimistic optimist could've imagined. Nickel has solidified himself as a backup and will be a factor in 2027.
Running back
Mark Fletcher Jr. (Sr.)
Javian Mallory (Fr.)
Fletcher has started to ramp things up over the past few weeks, and it feels like he could be hitting his peak at the right time. Marty Brown had a role carved out as an all-purpose back, but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3 and that opened the door for Mallory. The true freshman from West Boca Raton is averaging 7.4 yards per carry and has locked down the RB2 spot over Girard Pringle Jr. and Jordan Lyle.
Wide Receiver
Malachi Toney (So.)
Daylyn Upshaw (R-Fr.)
Cooper Barkate (Gr.)
Somourian Wingo (Fr.)
Vandrevius Jacobs (R-Jr.)
Vance Spafford (Fr.)
Toney has been one of the best wide receivers in the country, as expected. Barkate got off to a slow start, but his performance against Clemson (five catches, 98 yards, TD) should be the start of better things to come. The injury to Joshua Moore has opened the door for Jacobs to have a bigger role, but the South Carolina transfer has yet to take advantage. Wingo looks like the guy that could eventually slip into a larger role down the stretch.
Tight End
Elija Lofton (Jr.)
Gavin Mueller (Fr.)
Miami had high hopes for Lofton heading into the season, and he's become a playmaker that Mensah can rely on over the past three games. Mueller is getting a lot of snaps as a backup tight end and as both players improve their blocking, Dawson will feel comfortable using more double-tight formations.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Samson Okunlola (R-Jr.)
Left Guard: Ben Congdon (Fr)
Center: Ryan Rodriguez (5th)
Right Guard: Matthew McCoy (5th)
Right Tackle: Jackson Cantwell (Fr.)
Backups:
SJ Alofaituli (So.)
Jamal Meriweather (R-Jr.)
Rhys Woodrow (Fr.)
Jacob Hawks (So.)
I believe this is Miami's best starting five on the offensive line after Buchanan had surgery this week that will likely keep him out for an extended time. McCoy has been fine at right tackle, but he has plenty of starting experience at guard. The Hurricanes tried to start Cantwell out at guard, but he was a bad fit. He's a natural tackle and this is the time to get him ramped up for the big games down the stretch.
Alofaituli started the first four games of the season at guard, but he struggled and was benched for Congdon. Finding the right five is going to be a challenge for Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal.
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