Mario Cristobal provides injury updates on Mark Fletcher, Wesley Bissainthe

Miami suffered a disappointing 31-24 loss to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday and had a couple of players get banged up during the contest.

Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher had two carries on Miami’s opening drive, before leaving the game with an injury. Fletcher did not return.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal provided an update on the freshman after the game.

“Mark hurt his foot,” Cristobal said. “They took X-rays. The X-rays were negative, but there’s certainly something else going on there.”

Another Miami player who got banged up during the game was linebacker Wesley Bissainthe.

Bissainthe went down with an injury early in the fourth quarter. The sophomore had 6 tackles, including half a tackle for loss, prior to being injured.

“Wesley sustained an upper body injury. I think we’ll have more information in a little bit,” Cristobal said.

Mark Fletcher and Wesley Bissainthe both had solid seasons for Miami in 2023.

Fletcher finished second on the team with 514 yards on 104 carries. He was also second on the team with five rushing touchdowns.

Bissainthe finished tied for fifth on the team with 44 tackles. He also had 6.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a forced fumble.

Xavier Restrepo announces decision to return to Miami for 2024 season

Mark Fletcher and Wesley Bissainthe will be back for Miami in 2024, as will receiver Xavier Restrepo.

Restrepo revealed his decision on Friday.

Former Miami wide receiver and NFL agent Shawn O’Dare shared the news to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday, revealing Restrepo will return to the Hurricanes in 2024.

Check out the graphic below, captioned with the phrase, “Run It Back,” featuring a photo of the Miami wide receiver.

2024 will be Restrepo’s fifth with the Hurricanes. He’s steadily improved in each of the previous four, with his best season coming in 2023. All in all, Restrepo has caught 131 passes for 1,717 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns.

Xavier Restrepo played high school football at Deerfield Beach (FL), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 645 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

In the Pinstripe Bowl loss for Miami on Thursday, Xavier Restrepo set the tone for 2024, catching 11 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. While he’ll prefer his gaudy stats to come in a win next time, the Miami wide receiver will enter 2024 with a chip on his shoulder, looking to make his fifth season his best.