Will The Miami Hurricanes Get A Second Wave Of Transfer Portal Commits?
The dead period is ending and the Miami Hurricanes are looking to become active players over the final stretch of the winter transfer portal window.
Confirmed Miami visitors this weekend, per 247 Sports, include:
Kentucky defensive tackle Justin Rogers- At 6'3, 332 lbs, he provides the type of profile Miami is looking for to beef up the interior of their defensive line. Rogers recorded 36 tackles and a one and a half sacks with the Wildcats last season. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Per Steve Wiltfong, he will visit LSU right before heading to Coral Gables, and he also plans to visit Alabama and Auburn the following week. Miami will have to beat out some tough competition, here.
Arkansas DT Isaiah Nichols- I can't say it enough, Miami needs more D-tackles! Nichols doesn't excite me as much as Rogers but he's an interesting option. He become a regular starter for the Razorbacks in 2022 and played more snaps than any of their other linemen. He recorded 78 tackles, six tackles for loss and two and a half sacks during his Arkansas career. He has one year of eligibility left.
Iowa cornerback Terry Roberts, Jr- The Canes have less of a need at cornerback, but when you have the opportunity to add veteran leadership and production to a young room, you take it. Roberts has one year of eligibility left. He had an excellent 79.9 coverage grade last season per Pro Football Focus. Roberts' father, Terry Sr, popped into our Locked On Canes live chat on Tuesday and told us his son is going to be a Cane. Let's see if it indeed plays out that way.
In addition to these visitors, Miami has offered Michigan transfer wide receiver Andrel Anthony Jr. He's 6'2, 175. Miami has a major need for long, outside receivers. I hope Miami makes a serious push for Cal transfer receiver J. Michael Sturdivant. He caught 65 balls for 755 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. We don't know yet whether or not Miami has offered him but it would seem insane not to.
I would also love to see Miami pursue UCF transfer center Matt Lee. He has two years of eligibility remaining and has been a consistent force on the Golden Knights line of scrimmage. Miami has reportedly been interested in adding another center to compete with Jakai Clark. I asked our colleague Brian Smith, who also covers UCF, what makes Lee special:
The Hurricanes have just four portal commits so far, from Alabama offensive lineman Javion Cohen, Washington State linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, Georgia State defensive tackle Thomas Gore and UCF cornerback Davonte Brown.
Some fans have become frustrated that Mario Cristobal hasn't landed a larger number of transfers to this point. I am not. This is a marathon, not a sprint. This window of the portal will stay open until January 18th. The portal will open again for 15 days in May. Several top players have been waiting until after their school's bowl game to make their exit. Others will decide to depart after spring ball. With a limited number of scholarships available, I can respect Miami for taking their time. So far they have focused on quality over quantity.
If the Hurricanes can come away with a tall, veteran wide receiver and another solid defensive tackle, I will consider their portal efforts to be a success. If they can do that plus add a solid center like Lee, I'll be doing cartwheels down Ponce de Leon Boulevard.
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