The last time Mishael “Meesh” Powell ran onto the field for a football game, he was a Washington Husky going against Michigan for the national title.
Powell and the Huskies fell short in that game, and it was the last time he put on the UW uniform. He transferred to Miami in the winter. He chose the Hurricanes because he believes his new team can reach the same heights his old one did.
“This feels like looking into a mirror, honestly … Overall, I think this team is going to be great,” Powell said. “I think it’s going to be elite. I wouldn’t come here and be with this staff and this team if I didn’t think we have a shot to win it all, and I’m very confident in that.”
Why would a national runner-up look at a 7-6 team and decide it had a good chance to make a postseason run? The Hurricanes returned key players from some of their strongest position groups last year and upgraded at positions that struggled. The result is a team that is in the top 20 in the preseason AP poll and coaches poll. They were also predicted to finish third in the ACC.
“That’s the mood: national championship,” freshman wide receiver JoJo Trader said. “That’s the only thing we’ve been talking about. It’s going to be very special.”
The most obvious improvement is at quarterback. Tyler Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin after an up-and-down 2023, and Miami replaced him with Washington State transfer Cam Ward. Ward flirted with entering the NFL draft before choosing to spend a season at Miami. The veteran quarterback was picked as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year.
But Miami did not just add Ward. The Hurricanes brought in several other key transfers on offense, including running back Damien Martinez, a 1,000-yard rusher at Oregon State, and Sam Brown Jr., who had 815 receiving yards at Houston. They also shored up the offensive line by adding center Zach Carpenter from Indiana. They also signed a top-five recruiting class.
“College football, with the changes that have happened with it, the team dynamics are really important,” third-year coach Mario Cristobal said. “We feel really good about the blend of having a little more bit more than a handful of players that have been here for a couple of years. And then you have a talented freshman class that played last year and one that just arrived. Then you have some really talented transfer portal guys that arrived here — most of them — in January, and then a couple of them here in the summer. So it’s a neat blend because they’re very like-minded individuals. They want to get after it. They’ve worked really hard. They’ve taken to the standards of practice and just our protocols relatively quickly.”
The focus is on the offense, which also returns key players such as Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, Jalen Rivers, Anez Cooper and Francis Mauigoa. The defense offers more questions. Miami had to replace much of its defensive line, bringing in 12 freshmen and transfers in the offseason. The secondary is depleted, with four of five starters leaving early for the draft or after using all their eligibility.
But new and unproven does not mean the defense will play poorly. Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry improved the defense from 67th nationally in points allowed per game to 44th, and he hopes they will take another step forward with the mix of new and returning players.
“I feel like everybody’s focused on offense right now, but defensive-wise, I like the defense we’re putting together,” transfer defensive end Elijah Alston said. “From spring until camp now, defense has been crazy this year. I’ve got high hopes for the defense this year Everybody else might doubt us or overlook us, but when we step on that field, y’all going to see what type of defense we’ve got this year.”