Carson Beck proved a lot of people wrong this season. He was written off the moment he held off the NFL Draft for a year to return to college and play for Miami. Nobody gave Miami a chance before the season started. Then they doubted the Hurricanes after losses to SMU and Louisville threatened to halt their College Football Playoff aspirations.
Beck landed in the title game, but in perfect Beck fashion, tossed a game-sealing interception to Indiana, ending his college career without a national championship. He’s one of many players on this Miami squad that just played their final collegiate game for one reason or another. Here’s how Miami can look to replenish their stars for another title run next season.
QB Carson Beck
Beck has finally exhausted all of his collegiate eligibility, meaning he won’t be back in south Florida next year. He did exactly what the Hurricanes paid him to do, which was get Miami into the CFP and compete for a national championship. Against all odds, he nearly completed it. Miami won’t miss him though. He looked a shade better than he did his last year at Georgia, but he still made Miami’s season harder than it needed to be.
Miami's likely replacement for Carson Beck: Darian Mensah
With him gone, it’s safe to say Miami will turn to the spring transfer portal window to replace him. All rumors are pointing toward Darian Mensah. Mensah jumped into the portal with hours remaining in the window and all suspected reports are hinting at Miami luring him out. If he does in fact land at Miami, it would be tampering in the highest form.
That said, he’s also an immediate upgrade for their offense next season. Both Mark Fletcher Jr. and Malachi Toney will be back for the 2026 season so adding Mensah instantly makes Miami a threat to dominate the ACC. This is probably the easiest solution to replacing Beck that Mario Cristobal will have.
EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
Perhaps Miami’s biggest loss will be Rueben Bain Jr., who absolutely went on a tear during the College Football Playoff. In his four CFP games, including the national championship game, he finished with one sack and nine tackles. On the season, he had 9.5 total sacks, a forced fumble and 54 tackles. He’ll be a first round pick and possibly even a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft. Because of that, it will be nearly impossible to replace him immediately.
Miami's likely replacement for Rueben Bain Jr.: Princewill Umanmielen
Cristobal will have to get creative in the transfer portal. The best name for Cristobal to watch is Princewill Umanmielen from Ole Miss. According to On3, he’s expected to hit the transfer portal and if he does, LSU will probably be atop his list and Cristobal has to make sure he lures him away.
Umanmielen is the perfect replacement for Bain. He may not be the perfect player, but he’s a dang good choice to have.
Keionte Scott
Keionte Scott burst onto the CFP scene with his interception returned for a touchdown against Ohio State in the quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl. He’s headed to the NFL Draft and the Hurricanes, fortunately, have his replacement already on the roster. Bryce Fitzgerald was one of the most explosive freshman defensive players this season. He had six interceptions, including two against Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff this season.
Miami's likely replacement for Keionte Scott: OJ Frederique Jr.
Considering the transfer portal has already sucked up and reshuffled the top defensive backs, the best thing for Cristobal in this sense is Scott’s replacement is already on the roster and already a contributor.
OJ Frederique Jr. saw time in the Hurricanes secondary this season, but will almost surely step into a larger role barring any substantial or surprising transfer signings for Miami.