Miami Hurricanes reach a level of belief among national media not seen in a long time
The Canes are getting some preseason love
The Miami Hurricanes are entering the 2025 season with a number of question marks after coming tantalizingly close but falling short of the program’s first ever College Football Playoff berth last season.
The Hurricanes’ record-breaking 2024 offense has been gutted, with a number of new faces looking to fill the shoes that Cam Ward, Xavier Restrepo, Elijah Arroyo, and many others left behind. The defense will also look substantially different, particularly – and fortunately – on the back end.
But where did that leave the Canes in the eyes of the national media ahead of the season ? Even with the coaches, as it turns out. The 2025 preseason AP Poll was released on Monday, and the Hurricanes came in at #10, in the same spot as they were in the Coaches Poll.
The placement is notable because it’s the first time since the 2018 season that the Hurricanes have been ranked in the AP Poll preseason top 10. Miami was ranked #8 that year, and they were coming off the heels of a 10-win season, an ACC Championship Game appearance, and an Orange Bowl loss to Wisconsin. Of course, as Miami fans know, that season turned out to be a disaster in Mark Richt’s final year, as the team slunk to a 6-7 mark.
But the Canes found some potential answers to their pressing roster questions heading into the season. Carson Beck is about as good of a replacement for Cam Ward as one could expect or hope. TCU center James Brockermeyer should be a good replacement for Zach Carpenter in the middle of the line after a strong 2024 season for the Frogs. WR CJ Daniels has been drawing strong reviews through the offseason and fall camp. And the Hurricanes have revamped their secondary, with two new head coaches (Zac Etheridge and Will Harris) to go with former Wisconsin CB Xavier Lucas and ex-Jacksonville State S Zechariah Poyser.
2025 is a massive year for Mario Cristobal to take that next step with a still-very talented team and reach the CFP. And it appears many around the country enter the season with the belief they can do it.
