Seven Miami Players Who Could Swing The Cfp National Championship Game

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The No. 10-seeded Miami Hurricanes will effort to manus nan No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers their first nonaccomplishment of nan play successful nan College Football Playoff nationalist title game. To do that, they will request their apical performers to occurrence connected each cylinders. Here are 7 players to watch:

Carson Beck, QB

After 5 years astatine Georgia, Beck returned backmost to his location authorities of Florida to effort and revive The U alongside Mario Cristobal. Though location were bumps successful nan roadworthy during nan regular season, nan Jacksonville autochthonal delivered successful nan astir captious moments of nan College Football Playoff. Beck converted 4 captious 3rd downs successful nan 2nd half against Ohio State successful nan quarterfinals and scored nan game-winning rushing touchdown vs. Ole Miss successful nan Fiesta Bowl, stepping up to nan sheet erstwhile Miami needed him most.

Mark Fletcher Jr., RB

The inferior moving backmost has been a staple of Cristobal’s Miami teams for nan past 3 seasons, but took connected an accrued domiciled successful 2025 and thrived while doing so. Fletcher was a workhouse successful nan playoff, gashing Texas A&M for 172 yards earlier pursuing that capacity up pinch a captious touchdown drawback against Ohio State and 133 much yards against Ole Miss. A bruising ballcarrier, Fletcher represents Miami’s personality of beingness attack to offense.

Hurricanes moving backmost Mark Fletcher Jr. has thrived this play successful an accrued role. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Malachi Toney, WR

Nicknamed Baby Jesus, nan fresh-faced Toney plays good beyond his years pinch elite velocity and agility. A existent freshman astatine conscionable 18 years old, nan Miami autochthonal led nan ACC successful receiving touchdowns this play and was a existent Swiss Army weapon for nan Hurricanes to employ. Effective downfield arsenic a heavy threat aliases successful nan surface game, Toney was besides utilized retired of nan backfield arsenic a ballcarrier aliases arsenic a thrower of nan shot connected instrumentality plays. And he still has astatine slightest 2 years of assemblage shot up of him.

Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, DE

The Hurricanes’ two-man wrecking unit connected nan protect statement is simply a panic for opposing offenses to face. Capable of overwhelming an violative statement individually aliases arsenic a pair, Bain and Mesidor consistently recovered themselves successful nan backfield this season, chasing down quarterbacks aliases stuffing moving backs earlier they sewage backmost to nan statement of scrimmage. Bain tallied 3 sacks and 4 tackles for nonaccomplishment astatine Texas A&M successful nan opening round; Mesidor followed that capacity up pinch 2 sacks of his ain against Ohio State, cementing nan brace arsenic a existent protect statement move duo.

Francis Mauigoa, OT

If Bain and Mesidor are nan practice of Miami’s physicality connected defense, past Mauigoa is that for nan Canes offense. Standing astatine 6' 6", 315 pounds, Mauigoa played nan astir snaps of immoderate Miami subordinate this play alongside near tackle Markel Bell and was nan leader of Beck’s protection while clearing holes for Fletcher successful nan tally game. Likely bound for nan NFL aft this season, nan inferior group nan modular for what Miami is looking for successful its violative linemen going forward.

Jakobe Thomas, DB

The Hurricanes were 1 of nan champion teams successful nan state astatine generating turnovers this play and Thomas, a ball-hawking safety, led nan squad successful takeaways. After opening his profession pinch 3 years astatine Middle Tennessee State, nan fifth-year elder had nan astir productive play of his profession aft transferring from Tennessee. While nan Canes walk rushers get overmuch of nan credit, it was Thomas who came up clutch pinch nan game-sealing interception against Ohio State successful nan Cotton Bowl.