Miami football 2022 season prediction, preview, awards, 2022 bowl game

Mario Cristobal enters his first year leading his alma mater’s Miami football program.

After a challenging last few decades, the Miami football program might be on the verge of something special, as former Hurricanes offensive lineman and Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal is tasked with making The U … The U again.

Cristobal left Eugene after having the Ducks emerge as the preeminent power in a down Pac-12 conference. It took a lot to leave a great gig like that, but when your alma mater calls out of desperation, you feel compelled to go home and make sure things do improve. It may take a year or so, but we are so incredibly optimistic about what Cristobal is going to do down in Coral Gables.

Rolling in at No. 14 on FanSided’s Preseason Top 50 Rankings, the Miami Hurricanes!

Miami football 2021 season in review

2021 was a season of great expectations for the Hurricanes, meaning they absolutely and unequivocally disappointed. Faced with the impossible task of opening with top-seeded Alabama in Atlanta, that went about as well as you thought it would. After nearly losing the home opener to Appalachian State, Miami would fall to 1-2 after Michigan State proved Tuck was indeed coming.

After getting back to. 500 with a win over Central Connecticut, Miami then proceeded to drop its first two conference games to division opponents to fall to a disastrous 2-4 on the year. While they rattled off three in a row over North Carolina State, at Pittsburgh and laughable Georgia Tech, the Canes would fall in their least favorite place in the world (Tallahassee) to a bad team they hate.

Even with a pair of division wins over Virginia Tech and Duke to finish the campaign at 7-5, Manny Diaz found himself out of a job at the end of the season. Though his termination was an absolute embarrassment to him and his family, he found a sweet new gig coordinating the Penn State defense for James Franklin. More importantly, Cristobal left Oregon to be all about The U again.

Previewing Miami offense for 2022 season

Returning starters (8): Tyler Van Dyke (QB), Jaylan Knighton (RB), Key’Shawn Smith (WR), Will Mallory (TE), Zion Nelson (LT), Jalen Rivers (LG), Jakai Clark (C), DJ Scaife Jr. (RG)
Newcomers (3): Frank Ladson Jr. (WR), Logan Sagapolu (C), Henry Parrish Jr. (RB)
Impact player: Tyler Van Dyke (QB)

A big reason to be optimistic about Miami this season is how many starters they return on offense. The Hurricanes have around eight returning starters, including quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and tight end Will Mallory. With most of the starting offensive line from a year ago returning as well, Miami could be exponentially better on offense with Josh Gattis coordinating the thing.

Miami has a trio of newcomers who could be seeing some major playing time on offense for the Canes. Those players include wide receiver Frank Ladson Jr. coming over from ACC foe Clemson, offensive lineman Logan Sagapolu following Cristobal to The U from Oregon and running back Herny Parrish Jr. being done with Lane Kiffin at The Sip. Look for these guys to help in a big way.

If Miami wants to be on the precipice of New Year’s Six inclusion like the Canes were during the COVID year, they need Van Dyke to come up massive for them. He was impressive taking over the reins of the offense for an injured D’Eriq King. If Van Dyke builds off a sensational first year as a starting quarterback, he has the chance to be one of roughly six first-round quarterbacks in 2023.

Previewing Miami defense for 2022 season

Returning starters (7): Jahfari Harvey (DE), Jared Harrison-Hunte (DT), Keontra Smith (LB), Tyrique Stevenson (CB), James Williams (S), Kamren Kinchens (S), Te’Cory Couch (CB)
Newcomers (6): Mitchell Agude (DE), Caleb Johnson (LB), Daryl Porter Jr. (CB), Akeem Mesidor (DE), Jacob Lichtenstein (DT), Darrell Jackson Jr. (DT)
Impact player: James Williams (S)

Miami returns a handful of starters on defense, but the bulk of them will be in the secondary. This is viewed as The U’s strength on that side of the ball, as they try to rebuild its front-seven on the fly. Key returning starters on defense for the Hurricanes include cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and safety James Williams. While RIP Turnover Chain, this secondary should be able to make big plays.

The Hurricanes have about six newcomers on the defensive side of the ball, including three transfers slated to start for them right out of the gate. Those players include defensive end Mitchell Agude previously of UCLA, linebacker Caleb Johnson formerly of the Bruins as well and Daryl Porter Jr. at safety. He used to play for Jahmile Addae when they were with West Virginia.

It is expected to be a bit of a youth movement at least defensively for the Hurricanes. With Leonard Taylor expected to make noise in the trenches in his first full year as a starter, look for his classmate James Williams to be all about the ball at safety in his sophomore season. The former five-star recruit has all the athleticism you could ever hope for in a physical, ball-hawking safety.

Miami football players awards watch for 2022 season

Eight Miami football players have been named on major awards watch lists for the 2022 season.

Tyler Van Dyke, Maxwell, Davey O’Brien

Van Dyke has made his way onto the watch lists for both the Maxwell and the Davey O’Brien. Since he may not have the best personnel to work with, it might actually help his case for both.

Jakai Clark, Rimington

Center Jakai Clark headlines a very experienced Miami offensive line. He is up for the Rimington entering this season. While it is such a competitive award, snapping the ball to Van Dyke helps.

Will Mallory, Mackey

Mallory is up for the Mackey as the veteran pass catcher amongst the group. The redshirt senior may not win the award for the best tight end in the country, but he is the best hope The U has got.

Zion Nelson, Nagurski, Outland

Hurricanes left tackle Zion Nelson is up for both the Nagurski and the Outland entering this season. Although he is not the only Miami player in this spot, he is the more experienced player.

Leonard Taylor, Nagurski, Outland

Taylor finds himself on the preseason awards watch lists for both the Nagurski and the Outland as well. Even if Nelson has more experience than him, Taylor was a top-tier recruit out of high school.

James Williams, Bednarik

In a bit of a shock, Williams was named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik. While it is hard to classify what he does for the Miami defense, his talent is simply undeniable at this point.

Andres Borregales, Groza

Miami should have one of the better special teams units in the Power Five this season. The first specialist appearing on an awards watch list is kicker Andres Borregales, who is up for the Groza.

Lou Hedley, Ray Guy

Not to be outdone by Borregales, a throat-tatted punter from Australia Lou Hedley is in the mix for the Ray Guy. He might be pushing 30 as is, but somebody has to be the new Punt Gawd, amirite?

Miami football biggest game on 2022 schedule

Looking at Miami’s 2022 regular-season schedule, there does not seem to be a ton of variance for how this year could potentially go for the Canes. In essence, there are not a ton of either-or games. Miami could get to 10 wins in Cristobal’s first season at the helm if they take care of business vs. everybody else besides Texas A&M and Clemson. However, the Virginia game is scary.

While the road dates at Kyle Field and in Death Valley are perhaps too menacing for a new head coach to realistically overcome, Miami needs to beat a first-time head coach in Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers in Charlottesville. That comes after a gimme game at home vs. Duke, but right before arch-rival Florida State comes to town. Miami better be ready for Brennan Armstrong to sling it.

Should Miami beat Virginia on the road, the Hurricanes could be New Year’s Six-caliber at 10-2.

Miami football best-case scenario

Admittedly, it is hard to see Miami being any better than 10-2 (7-1) during Cristobal’s first season back in Coral Gables. In due time, the Hurricanes could be every bit as menacing as Clemson or Texas A&M, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. However, Miami may already have the best quarterback in the conference. They are so fortunate not to face NC State or Wake Forest this year.

This will allow Miami to build up confidence throughout the season. Even though it is unlikely, let’s just say they split the pair between Texas A&M and Clemson on the road. That would require The U catching Gig Em asleep at the wheel, which is totally possible, as well as Clemson having already pivoted to Cade Klubnik over an ineffective D.J. Uiagalelei in what is another lost year for the team.

Going undefeated is not happening, but there is a snowball’s chance in South Beach this team goes 11-1. Even if the Canes do mash Clemson in Death Valley, it is hard to imagine Miami beating them again in the ACC Championship game. Then again, what if it is not the Tigers waiting for them at Bank of America Stadium? Could The U win the ACC over NC State or Wake Forest?

Miami can make the playoff as a one-loss ACC Champion over NC State or Wake, but not Clemson.

Miami football worst-case scenario

What if it hits the fan in Miami? The U might be smelling what The Rock is cooking, but it is not great. Although it is not going to be Nevin Shapiro bad, the results may not be all that much better than what it looked like in Diaz’s final season at the helm. Miami starts the season out 3-1 with its lone loss in that group to Texas A&M on the road. Again, it’s not the end of the world. It’s expected.

From there, they split their next two winnable games vs. UNC and at Virginia Tech. Miami will have to accept its playoff dreams are over before Halloween, and the pathway to Charlotte will be a narrow one to walk going forward. After beating Duke because who doesn’t, Cristobal’s boys lose a soul-crushing shoot-out to Armstrong, Elliott and the rest of those Hoos down in Hoo-ville.

With three loses on the year before hosting Florida State, Mike Norvell gets his Butch Jones Hail Mary of a Dobbs Nail Boot Game. He is visibly seen praying to the football gods on the Hard Rock Stadium turf, forever thankful he gets to coach the Noles for one more season. After beating the unmitigated disaster that is the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech, a Clemson loss is so coming, y’all.

At 6-5, Miami wants to avoid being a game worse than it was a season ago. Is Pitt 2 Legit 2 Pitt or not? If Pitt is the better team, the Panthers will surely find a way to lose this one at Hard Rock for soccer girlfriend quarterback transfer reasons. While it seems pretty unrealistic to be honest, Miami remains stagnant to finish 7-5 with Van Dyke sprinting to the NFL Draft as fast as he can.

Miami football 2022 season prediction

Let’s use Occam’s razor, shall we? The simplest explanation for how Miami’s season is going to go is the most likely. Miami will go 10-2 (7-1) with road losses at Texas A&M before conference play commences and loses a heartbreaker in Death Valley to a potential playoff team in Clemson. Because the Hurricanes avoid NC State and Wake Forest during ACC play, they will go to Charlotte.

Meeting them there will be Clemson again, unfortunately. Cristobal would be praying that it would be NC State or even Wake Forest winning the Atlantic, but those prayers will go unanswered. Attempting to convince themselves they can beat Clemson in the rematch, that is sure to go over splendidly. After Dabo Swinney’s team runs roughshod on them, Miami is just pleased to go NY6.

A 10-win season is just enough to get a three-loss ACC runner-up team in Miami to the NY6, man.

Miami football 2022 bowl game prediction

The absolute best part about bowl season for the Canes is they don’t have to go nowhere. That’s right. It will be a home-field advantage for Miami, as they will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Capital One Orange Bowl as part of the New Year’s Six. Nothing is going to taste better than sweet citrus victory and nothing will make Miami fans happier than Cristobal orange peel smiling.

Up next: No. 13 Baylor Bears

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