The Miami Hurricanes are set to kick off their 2026 season on Friday night against the Stanford Cardinal. Despite some attrition to the NFL, Mario Cristobal retooled his roster this offseason through some key transfer portal pickups and recruiting additions.

So who are some names we will see either take that next step to stardom or rise from the crowd to become a major contributor? Here are five Hurricanes set to take a leap this year.

1) DB Bryce Fitzgerald

Rare is the player who can step onto the field as a true freshman and play with the instincts of a senior. But that’s just what Fitzgerald looked like last year for Miami in his first season.

Fitzgerald tallied an incredible six interceptions for the Hurricanes, including turning the game-tying pass from Texas A&M into a game-sealing interception for Miami in the College Football Playoff. He has instincts you can’t teach to go with top-tier athleticism, and that combination is the foundation of potentially the next All-American safety at the U.

Fitzgerald is known by some casual fans already. He could be a close to a household name by December.

2) DB Omar Thornton

Miami’s defense looked like the Miami defense of old last season, and that was in significant part thanks to the lumber that they laid on ballcarriers. Physicality was a trait through all three levels of the defense, and it was led in the secondary by two transfers in cornerback Keionte Scott and safety Jakobe Thomas.

Enter Miami’s newest physical specimen through the portal from Boston College in Thornton, who dropped jaws in the spring game with some jarring hits. In 23 games for the Eagles, Thornton totaled 111 combined tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, and five forced fumbles. He appears set to take over as the Canes’ next hard-hitting defender in the secondary.

3) EDGE Marquise Lightfoot

I thought about going Armondo Blount here, as he seems to have the inside track on one of the starting edge rusher spots opposite Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II. And Blount himself could find his way onto a lot of people’s radars this year.

But Lightfoot’s upside is also considerable, as we saw in the Hurricanes’ win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Lightfoot notched a sack and generated three pressures in 10 pass rushing snaps.

I might be going out on a limb here with Lightfoot given he’s not been projected as a starter, but he’ll get his opportunities, and I think he cashes in on them.

4) WR Daylyn Upshaw

The Hurricanes’ WR1/2 combo are as good as it gets in college football with Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate. But who will step into the WR3 role this year alongside them? The Canes got catches in key moments last year from Keelan Marion in that role, and the Canes have a number of options to choose from to step in.

True freshman Somourian Wingo is one to watch, as is sophomore Joshua Moore. South Carolina transfer Vandrevius Jacobs has big play potential. That said, Upshaw is a player who’s generated some buzz in the offseason. The 6-foot, 195-pound sophomore from Columbus, GA had his freshman season cut short by injury in December, but he showed some big-play potential last year with some late season grabs, including a 41-yard catch in Miami’s win over Syracuse.

5) DB JJ Dunnigan

Sometimes a player comes in and makes an immediate impact. See Fitzgerald above. And the Hurricanes could have that this fall with true freshman defensive back JJ Dunnigan, a four-star recruit out of Manhattan, Kansas.

In fact, defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman raved about Dunnigan in particular during his press conference on Monday.

“He’s had a really good camp. He had, I want to say, another pick again today. Three picks the other day. He’s a guy, last year we talked about Fitz (Bryce Fitzgerald) early on in camp. He always found the ball. I think he’s been one of those guys right now. He loves football. He competes every single play. The ball just seems to find him. Today, I think he picked off, you know, he high pointed the ball, picked it off at the point of attack and then ripped it up the sideline.

“So he’s a guy, he’s had a really good camp. I’m excited to see him get an opportunity on the field. I know he’ll be on (special) teams early, and then, defensively, he’s going to get an opportunity.”

Miami is loaded in their secondary with Fitzgerald, Thornton, Zechariah Poyser, Xavier Lucas, and OJ Frederique as their starting secondary, with plenty of others pushing. But Dunnigan has played well enough to get an early shot on the field. And if his play from the practice field carries over, he might early a regular role quickly.