Miami added a high IQ, option route wide receiver in Daylyn Upshaw

Miami commit Daylyn Upshaw generated high praise from high school WR coach Cody Sanders

Miami landed a commitment from Phenix City (Ala.) Central wide receiver Daylyn Upshaw on Saturday evening.

Following his pledge, InsideTheU caught up with Upshaw’s wide receiver coach Cody Sanders, who works directly with the pass catchers at the Yellowhammer State powerhouse program under head coach Patrick Nix, the father of first-round NFL draft pick Bo Nix and a former college offensive coordinator.

College football expert ranks Miami as a top ten team going into 2024

Miami continues to get more respect going into the 2024 season.

The Miami Hurricanes football program is one to watch going into year three of the Mario Cristobal era.

Cristobal has assembled a roster that is Top 25 caliber and is returning coordinators Shannon Dawson (offense) and Lance Guidry (defense) after successful showings in 2023.

UM is widely viewed as a preseason Top 25 team by many college football publications and now Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews magazine has listed the Hurricanes as the No. 10 in the country going into 2024 and the favorite to win the ACC.

“…In 2022 Tennessee led a great revival season. In 2023 it was Texas. Next up is Miami – they are ready to win the ACC and return to the national stage.

“Cristobal has built up their strength in the trenches and packed the roster with consecutive Top 10 high school recruiting classes and Top 10 transfer hauls. With Florida State sending most of their starting lineup to the pros and Clemson receding from the Dynasty Tier, the ACC is wide-open for the taking. Miami placed in the Top 15 in all but one of my national unit rankings – this is a complete team and ready for a breakthrough.”

 

Ciancia ranks Georgia as the top team in the country going into 2024, followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Texas, and No. 5 Ole Miss.

 

Ciancia ranks in-state rival Florida State as the No. 11 overall team in the country. Clemson checks in at No. 14 nationally. Other Top 25 teams in the ACC, according to Pick Six Previews, includes No. 23 Louisville and No. 24 NC State.

 

On paper, the 2024 Miami Hurricanes have plenty of promise.

 

UM did some damage in the transfer portal on the offensive side of the football, bringing in proven veterans like quarterback Cam Ward (3,736 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 8 rushing touchdowns at Washington State in 2023), running back Damien Martinez (1,185 rushing yards at Oregon State in 2023), and wide receiver Sam Brown (815 receiving yards at Houston in 2023). The Hurricanes also return productive skill players from 2023 like receivers Jacolby George (864 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Xavier Restrepo (1,092 yards, 6 touchdowns along with running back Mark Fletcher (514 yards, 5 touchdowns).

 

Miami’s offensive line returns three starters in Jalen Rivers, Francis Mauigoa, and Anez Cooper while adding veteran Zach Carpenter at center.

Dawson returns as the coordinator after putting together an attack that made significant year-over-year improvement. UM’s attack averaged 31.5 points per game in 2023, up from 23.6 points per game in 2022.

The Hurricanes will enter the 2024 season with one of the best defensive lines on paper as UM returns Rueben Bain (45 pressures, 7.5 sacks in 2023) along with Akheem Mesidor (7 sacks in 2022) while adding proven veterans via the portal in Tyler Baron (six sacks in 2023 at Tennessee), Elijah Alston (six sacks in 2023 at Marshall), and defensive tackles Simeon Barrow (5.5 TFL in 2023 at Michigan State), CJ Clark (4 TFL at NC State in 2023), and Marley Cook (six TFL in 2023 at MTSU).

 

Kiko Mauigoa returns after an ultra productive 2023 season in which he totaled 18 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and 25 pressures.

Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry returns after leading improvement year-over-year on his side of the ball as well with the Hurricanes allowing 22.8 points per game in 2023. UM allowed 26.8 points per game in 2022.