July Player Performance Index: Ranking the Miami Hurricanes 25 Most Impactful Players for 2026 Season

Over the last two months, CaneSport broke down the 50 best Miami players on the roster one by one, with analysis. Now we’re doing something a bit different. Those rankings that started in May were based on each player’s talent level combined with experience/past production, with the intention to show how deep … or not … the talent base is on the roster.

Today we are ranking the top 25 players based solely on how productive we think each will be this coming season.

For instance, WR Malachi Toney was ranked No. 1 on last month’s list after his massive freshman season. But you will find him No. 2 on this list because with all the other pieces at receiver and on this offense it’s not going to be a one-man show in the passing game. The beneficiary statistically of the ridiculous amount of skill position talent is Darian Mensah, who could push toward Cam Ward’s program-record 39 TD passes. Likewise Josh Moore cracked the top 20 on the previous list because of his ridiculous physical skills, but is No. 23 on this one because of all the competition he will have to not just start, but get the ball in his hands. You saw Ethan O’Connor at No. 24 on our top 50, but he doesn’t make this list’s top 25 because despite being a guy who could probably start for most ACC programs he’ll be a backup cornerback given the depth in that room. Jack Olsen moves up from 28 on the prior list to 22nd on this one because as the starting kicker we think he’s more than capable and will put up solid numbers. The same with No. 21 Chase Smith, who was 30th on the prior list as a guy who really hasn’t flashed much in his career … but we expect him to start at LB so he’ll have a decent amount of production. You get the idea.

This is a production-driven top 25. That’s why you won’t find Marty Brown (No. 23 on top 50) or Jordan Lyle (22nd on top 50) on it. They will be in a rotation led by Mark Fletcher.

In the days ahead we will break down why we put each of these 25 players in the spot they find themselves. We’ll also project out what kind of statistics we expect from each.

Here’s your top 25, with a brief synopsis of each:

25. KEONA DAVIS: Davis started at Nebraska and was the Cornhuskers’ most consistent lineman. We saw this spring that he was working mostly at tackle, but he also plays end. So we envision him in a similar role to what we saw from Armondo Blount last season. Which means Davis will get a lot of reps, and a lot of opportunities for difference-making plays.

24. ELIJA LOFTON: No, we have not given up on Lofton having an impact season. Last year he was a disappointment, with being banged up part of the year playing a factor. There’s not a lot of competition for reps in the tight ends room with Luka Gilbert an inexperienced No. 2, so Lofton will get every opportunity to fulfill his vast potential.

23. JACK OLSEN: In what should be an explosive offense we expect this Northwestern transfer to get a lot of opportunities. He won’t set you on fire with his leg strength (career long of 47 yards), but he is pretty consistent when the team gets inside the 30. He could have some longer opportunities taken away by FSU transfer Jake Weinberg, who is less consistent but has a stronger leg.

22. CHASE SMITH: Smith should finally get his opportunity to start as a sixth-year senior. The oft-injured linebacker passes the “look” test for sure, but while he has good physicality the speed aspect and coverage ability isn’t elite. Still, assuming he starts he will have a chance to get to 70 tackles or so.

21. SAMSON OKUNLOLA: Okunlola is expected to get his first starting opportunity, and he played a lot of reps in conjunction with starter Matthew McCoy last year. Okunlola struggled a bit with penalties last season, but the former 5-star has good strength, size and enough experience to be better than last season. A solid season at guard should be in store.

20. MARQUISE LIGHTFOOT: Lightfoot averaged more QB pressures per pass rush rep last season than Rueben Bain or Akheem Mesidor, so there’s a lot of hype surrounding him having a breakout season. He has put on weight to be an every down guy, but we’ll see if that affects his explosion to the backfield. We are optimistic here, but it is a crowded room with guys like Keona Davis, Armondo Blount and Damon Wilson fighting for reps.

19. ARMONDO BLOUNT: Yes, we have Blount ahead of Lightfoot on this list, the reverse of our prior top 50. And the reason is this: Blount has that combination of strength and quickness vs. Lightfoot’s more flat-out pass rushing ability. Which means Blount could be on the field more as an every down guy, whether it’s helping at end or tackle (we saw him at both last season). We think Blount is being a bit undervalued and is in store for a massive year.

18. JACKSON CANTWELL: This is the best-looking true freshman OL I’ve seen at Miami in my time covering the team dating back to 2001, apologies to Francis Mauigoa and some others. He has ridiculous size, power and agility, able to toss around older linemen. Despite Cantwell’s youth, QB Darian Mensah should have no concerns with his blind side.

17. JOSH MOORE: Moore and Malachi Toney are probably the most physically talented receivers in the room. He’s got the length, speed and athleticism to run by and go up over DBs. Moore won the starting job in the spring but must hold onto it in the fall. We can’t imagine him not getting a lot of reps … and we have heard his summer is going off-the-charts well, hence him placing high on this list.

16. MAX BUCHANAN: Those in the know think Buchanan could be in line for an All-ACC type season in his first year as starter. Watching him you note his combination of balance and strength, and he’s a very good run blocker. Miami fans may not know his name as much as some other guys, but he’s at No. 16 on this list for a reason.

15. ZECHARIAH POYSER: Poyser had a very solid 2025 season even if he was overshadowed a bit by playmaking senior Jakobe Thomas. With Thomas gone, Poyser needs to really step up and make more of those game-changing plays. He’s at a position where Corey Hetherman sets you loose to roam the secondary, blitz, etc. So Poyser is set up for some big numbers.

14. DYLAN JOYCE: Joyce is one of the top returning punters in the ACC, and we’ve seen in his time at Miami how he can flip the field and put the defense in very good position. There are no worries with Miami’s punting game.

13. MATTHEW MCCOY: McCoy returns for his third year starting, and we anticipate he will be moving from left guard to right tackle. That’s a transition, of course, but he looked good at tackle this spring and we expect a very solid season from him. He shared a lot of reps with Samson Okunlola last year; this season he’ll be getting pretty much all the meaningful reps.

12. BRYCE FITZGERALD: Off a six-interception true freshman season spent mainly as a backup (started some games at nickel when Keionte Scott was hurt, and also played safety), the sky is the limit for Fitzgerald. We anticipate him starting at his more natural safety spot, and he’s got a nose for the ball. See what Jakobe Thomas did last year, and maybe Fitzgerald can chase some of those numbers.

11. JUSTIN SCOTT: The Ahmad Moten/Scott combination could be this year’s interior version of Rueben Bain/Akheem Mesidor. Scott perhaps hasn’t put up big numbers to this point of his career, but you could see the last half of 2025 how he was really starting to dominate at the point of attack. If he keeps that up the interior line will be scary for opponents.

10. OMAR THORNTON: Thornton arrives as BC’s leading tackler, and you could see this spring how he really does a nice job in pretty much all aspects – sticky in coverage, fast and physical to the ball. He can play nickel or safety, but we anticipate him starting at Keionte Scott’s former position. And we saw how Corey Hetherman was able to dial up plays for Scott, right? That should put Thornton in great position to get around the ball.

9. OJ FREDERIQUE: Frederique was a Freshman All-American in 2024, then was hampered by injury last year and didn’t make a big impact. He will be back healthy and is one of the most talented DBs around, a really good cover corner. Teaming with Xavier Lucas it should be tough for opponents to get a lot of easy throws.

8. COOPER BARKATE: Barkate was a 1,000-yard receiver at Duke and is best friends with QB Darian Mensah. So why isn’t he higher on this list? Well, because the receiver room is stacked with talent, so it might be tough for him to get back to quadruple digits. It’s hard to imagine Malachi Toney not being Plan A given he’s one of the top 2 most dangerous receivers in the nation along with Jeremiah Smith. Yes, Barkate will get his targets. But we see more in the range of an 850-yard season for him.

7. XAVIER LUCAS: Lucas has that NFL combination of size and quickness, and he had a really good Year 1 at Miami in 2025 after transferring from Wisconsin (he was a backup there as a true freshman). We see a strong year ahead for Lucas, who should get a lot of opportunities to make plays on the ball considering there is really no weak area of the secondary for opponents to pick on.

6. MO TOURE: Toure came off a knee injury that cost him the 2024 season at Rutgers to lead Miami in tackles last season. And he’s back for more. There’s no reason to think he won’t again be the team’s top tackler – he has the strength and power combination that lets him push through and wrap up the ball carrier. One area we want to see improvement on is in coverage.

5. AHMAD MOTEN: Moten is projected by many as a first round NFL Draft pick, and for good reason. Last year he started to really show how he can dominate up front, and he should be even better with another off-season under his belt. He’s not just solid vs. the run but also is quick enough to chase down the QB and ball carriers in the backfield.

4. DAMON WILSON: Wilson has elite pass rushing skills, which he showed off last year with nine sacks at Missouri. Projected by many as a first round NFL pick, the only issue with him is whether he can be good helping vs. the run. But even if he’s mainly working on passing downs it’s not hard to envision him with double-digit sacks. His speed, quickness and pass rush moves are off the charts good.

3. MARK FLETCHER: Fletcher is that guy who fights for every yard and bowls over and through defenders, wearing the other team down as the game goes along. Off his breakout 1,000-yard season that included domination throughout the playoffs, the sky is the limit for Fletcher. If the offensive line does its part he should be one of the nation’s top running backs.

2. MALACHI TONEY: Toney is coming off an All-American season as a freshman, so the next logical step is he’ll be All-World this year. If that was a thing. Yes, he can do it all. He has a knack for getting open quickly off the line, and good luck tackling him when he gets the ball in space. His strength for his size is off the charts, and he accelerates from 0 to 100 like a finely tuned sports car. Oh, and he can play running back and throw TD passes, too. Yeah, he’s not too bad.

1. DARIAN MENSAH: Let’s put it this way – Mensah threw 34 touchdowns in 14 games at Duke last season with far fewer offensive weapons than what he now has at Miami. So playing in the same conference against mostly similar competition it’s not hard to see him shooting toward Cam Ward’s program-record 39 TD passes. Mensah has great touch on his deep ball and overall excellent accuracy. He makes good decisions and has enough escapability with his feet to extend plays. Mensah’s in line for a massive season at Miami as he seeks NFL first round status.