The Miami Hurricanes opened their 2026 college football season with a decisive 45-6 win over the Stanford Cardinal, and with Notre Dame football set to kick off its own season Sunday at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin, the game offered an early glimpse into head coach Mario Cristobal’s squad.

The Hurricanes are fresh off a national title game appearance a season ago, and Notre Dame will play Miami on Nov. 7 in what promises to be one of the bigger games in all of college football. This Miami team, however, is much different than the one that reached the championship game. Several important transfer portal acquisitions and new faces have stepped in for departed stars.

Here are the Miami players to know and some notes to consider after that contest.

Quarterback Darian Mensah looked comfortable from the start

It all starts with quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred over from the Duke Blue Devils this past offseason. Mensah was coming off a tremendous year in his lone season with Duke after beginning his career at Tulane, and he looked like he had been in Miami’s offense for several years against Stanford.

He was smooth, decisive, and did tremendous work against pressure. His body also looked a little thicker from his time with Duke, and clearly there had been some attention to adding good weight to his frame.

The ball came out with good overall pace, even better than what it did at Duke, which was one of my biggest question marks about Mensah heading into the season. That looked better, but it was his timing, precision, and comfort against pressure that really stood out.

Throwing for 400 yards and five touchdown passes is great no matter what the competition level is. Mensah looks like he’s ready for a huge season. I’m not quite ready to say he’s as good as what Cam Ward was a couple of years ago for Miami, but he is certainly a substantial upgrade over the talent the Hurricanes had with Carson Beck a season ago.

Sophomore WR Malachi Toney is a superstar

Outside of Mensah, the biggest and brightest star for either side was sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney, who set the Miami single-game receiving record with well over 200 yards. Toney is a dynamic weapon, which shouldn’t be breaking news for anybody who saw him as a freshman a year ago.

His ability to work after the catch and in and out of breaks while maintaining speed is truly eye-popping. Despite only being 18 years old and a true sophomore, he is already one of the best football players in the country.

Stanford seemingly didn’t have a great plan of attack for him, so you can bet that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash is going to need to cook up something good on Nov. 7. I expect we will see a lot of cornerback Leonard Moore matched up against Toney, whether he’s in the slot or stacked in different alignments.

He is the player that Notre Dame needs to stop most. As a route runner working to all levels of the field and after the catch, Toney is a superstar.

Cooper Barkate and the rest of the receiving corps

Toney’s partner in crime is former Duke and Harvard transfer Cooper Barkate, who had a long touchdown reception during the contest. Barkate is not a dynamic athlete, but he is incredibly smooth and works well after the catch. He lulls defenders to sleep athletically with precise route running.

He was a consistent separator against Stanford. Notre Dame is going to need to hold up in one-on-one matchups against Barkate, whether it is DJ McKinney, Christian Gray, or even Leonard Moore across from him. He is going to get a lot of attention as the season goes on.

The question heading in was who would emerge as the third wide receiver. We saw some good things from Joshua Moore, but the highlight plays came from freshman Daylyn Upshaw. Upshaw is a bigger receiver comparatively to the other two, at least from a density perspective. He worked well at the catch points and made some highlight-reel grabs, including a touchdown reception.

Moore is the biggest of the receivers at 6-4. Those players combined as auxiliary options in the passing game bring a pretty intriguing ceiling to the table.

The offensive line and run game need work

Junior tight end Elija Lofton only had one reception, but he did a nice job in the run game, including a great down block for a rushing touchdown by CharMar Brown. Brown was probably the most efficient running back on the day, but the running game overall was not very good.

Mark Fletcher Jr. struggled to get things going, and the Miami offensive line did not have a great showing, particularly in the run game. Samson Okunlola looked solid at left tackle, but the interior of the offensive line and Matthew McCoy at right tackle have a lot of room to grow.

Jackson Cantwell, the five-star freshman, did not start the contest, but when he did play, he flashed some good stuff. Miami is going to need to figure out who it wants to be as an offensive line this season, particularly in the interior. The showing was not great, and it will need to be a lot better as we get further into the schedule.

Defensive front has potential, secondary raises questions

On defense, Miami was a little bit up and down despite only allowing six points.

The interior duo of Ahmad Moten and Justin Scott flashed, particularly Moten, but they didn’t have any game-breaking moments. The best defensive lineman by far was junior Armondo Blount, who had a ton of pressures and was incredibly physical in the run game.

Damon Wilson II, who transferred over from Missouri this offseason, was pretty quiet, while Marquise Lightfoot did a nice job in the run game. As Lightfoot continues to put good weight on his frame, he should become a more impactful player.

His combination of speed, closing speed, and explosiveness is notable. As he continues to improve as an all-around player, he, Blount, and Wilson should make a nice trio down the stretch.

Mohamed Toure, the eighth-year linebacker in the middle, was solid during the contest.

The one big question mark comes in the secondary. O.J. Frederique left early in the contest, and he is their best overall cornerback when healthy, but durability has been a major concern during his Miami career so far.

Omar Thornton, a transfer nickelback from Boston College, was active, especially as a blitzer. He is playing the Keionte Scott role and should flash some good stuff overall. The secondary did give up some plays in this contest, and it will be important for any team, including CJ Carr and the Notre Dame passing offense, to take advantage when opportunities present themselves.