By Barry Jackson
Last year, the Miami Hurricanes signed all seven of the transfer portal players who visited in the days and weeks after the spring game.
If the Canes can do that this year, they would be adding some high-end talent.
A look at who’s scheduled to visit and who else is being targeted:
▪ North Dakota State running back CharMar Brown — who won the Jerry Rice Award last season, which is given to the top FCS freshman — told Canesport that he’s visiting UM on Monday. On3.com said the visit will be Tuesday.
He ran for 1,181 yards (4.8 per carry) and 15 touchdowns last season.
Arkansas, West Virginia, Nebraska and California also have expressed interest.
UM has four scholarship running backs — Mark Fletcher Jr., Jordan Lyle, Chris Wheatley-Humphrey and Girard Pringle. Adding a fifth is essential from a depth standpoint.
▪ UM is expected to host Boise State defensive tackle Braxton Fely early this week. A bunch of schools are pursuing the 297-pound Fely, who visited Cal last week. He had 25 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season and was named All Mountain West.
The Canes are looking for an experienced tackle to join David Blay, Justin Scott and Ahmad Moten in their top four rotation.
▪ Kansas State Class of 2025 safety Noah King has told recruiting websites that he’s visiting Miami on Monday. The four-star recruit is exploring his options after just one semester at Kansas State.
Per On3.com, he has fresh offers from Ohio University and Miami of Ohio after receiving offers from Oregon State and West Virginia coming out of high school.
UM is trying to find a safety who can compete with Markeith Williams and Dylan Day to start opposite Zechariah Poyser. One potential target is Houston’s A.J. Haulcy, who played for new UM defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge at Houston. He had 74 tackles and five interceptions last season and was second-team All-Big 12; if he joins UM, he would come in as a starter.
▪ Cincinnati receiver Tony Johnson is visiting UM on Thursday after a trip to UCF on Tuesday, per 247 Sports. He had 48 catches for 449 yards and six touchdowns last season. He began his career at FAU.
The Canes also are pursuing multiple other receivers and are expected to add one or two. Among them:
▪ Miami has emerged as a legitimate contender for BYU’s Keelan Marion, who played his first two years at Connecticut and his last two at BYU, where he blossomed into an All-American kick returner.
He had 24 catches for 346 yards last season and led the Big 12 by averaging 26.2 yards on 18 kickoff returns, including two touchdowns. UM, Oklahoma, FSU and Colorado are among his many suitors.
The Canes also are pursuing San Jose State’s TreyShun Hurry (who had 28 receptions for 482 yards last season) and one of the pearls of the portal — Syracuse receiver Trebor Pena, who had 84 catches, 941 yards and nine TDs. Pena visited Penn State recently.
At linebacker, Miami has been linked to BYU’s Harrison Taggert, who was recruited by Mario Cristobal at Oregon. A natural middle linebacker, he had 69 tackles, a sack and interception in 12 starts last season.
UM added 13 players in the first portal window: quarterback Carson Beck; center James Brockermeyer; tight ends Alex Bauman and Jack Nickel; receiver CJ Daniels; defensive tackle Blay; Poyser; cornerbacks Xavier Lucas, Charles Brantley, Ethan O’Connor and Emmanuel Karnley; kicker Carter Davis and long snapper Adam Booker.
[Update: Karnley is entering the transfer portal. Second-year kicker Abram Murray, who was beaten out by Davis, also announced Monday that he’s leaving.]
Kiffin mocks Beck
If you missed it, Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin mocked Beck when asked about his reported $4.3 million NIL deal during an appearance on a podcast last week.
“Miami gave him $4.3 million? Did they watch his game against us?” Kiffin said on “The Pivot” podcast with ESPN’s Ryan Clark and WQAM 560 host and former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder. “I was trying not to go there. You set me up.”
Beck completed 20 of 31 passes for 186 yards and an interception in a Georgia’s 28-10 loss against the Rebels last season.
There have been conflicting reports about the value of Beck’s NIL deal, ranging from $3.5 million to $4.3 million.
▪ Former UM defensive tackle Joshua Horton, who entered the portal last Monday, agreed to a deal with Georgia.
Horton, Karnley, Murray, receiver Ny Carr, safety Zaquan Patterson, and defensive lineman Elias Rudolph are the six Canes who have entered the portal since the spring game.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 10:14 AM.
