OPINION: There are a lot of portal additions needed to supplement this Miami Hurricanes roster

If Mario Cristobal was given a magic lamp and the genie granted him one portal wish for his Miami Hurricanes team, it likely would be landing a franchise-type quarterback. Because the last two seasons that have seen Miami struggle … well, a lot of that has come from inconsistency behind center, right? Having a great quarterback can mask a lot of problems, and as the portal is set to open Dec. 4 adding a top QB is really task No. 1 for Miami.

But there are so many other needs, too. That much was obvious not just from last year’s 5-7 season in Cristobal’s first year here, but also from just not quite being able to pull away from opponents this season.

That’s how you lose some close games and have a couple of overtime wins. This needs to become a program that isn’t just eking out wins, but dominating anyone that isn’t, say, in the nation’s top 35 teams.

How do you get there? Well, a combination of recruiting, roster development and landing free agents in the aforementioned portal.

So let’s take a closer look at where Miami really needs to hit some home runs in the portal. And we’re not talking about adding backup depth or guys similar to current starters that can help out with some reps here and there. It seems fairly obvious by now that for UM to really make a big jump up in play next year – and yes, there was obvious improvement from Year 1 to 2 of the Cristobal era – following the Florida State plan might be wise. Because FSU didn’t just settle for “just another guys” in the portal. The Seminoles added difference-makers, with double-digit transfers starting this year. Let’s not forget that Mike Norvell had a pair of losing seasons there before back-to-back double-digit wins now, and there’s no reason Miami can’t have similar success.

Certainly it seems easy to say that Miami needs to upgrade its talent at every single position across the board, but in reality the team is looking at probably taking 8-12 transfers. After all, with a scholarship roster limit of 85 and the team expected to take 25-30 recruits, there isn’t that much young fat you want to trim away before you know what those guys can really do at this level.

With 12 scholarship players walking on senior day and a good chance that Matt Lee returns (he was one of the 12), Cristobal is likely going to have to say goodbye to about 20 players that have eligibility to return but just don’t appear to have a bright enough future here. How’d we get to that 20 number? Well, Miami is right about at the 85 limit, you add about 35 recruits/transfers and have about 15 leave including seniors/those that want to go pro early and you have 20 that need to be taken off the roster.

That’s going to be rough.

But today let’s focus on the additions instead of subtractions, and where they are most needed. And we’ll go with the Canes adding 10 transfers, for the sake of argument (after all, Cristobal took double-digit transfers each of the last two years).

Here’s a look at where it makes sense for Miami to target position-wise in the portal starting Dec. 4 based on what is returning on this team:

QUARTERBACK (1): This is the biggest area of need, with Tyler Van Dyke, Emory Williams and Jacurri Brown the three scholarship guys this year and Judd Anderson the lone QB commit so far in the incoming class. Van Dyke was turnover prone all year and struggled early last season before having a couple of really good games and then going down with what essentially was a season-ending shoulder injury. This year he started off strong (11 TDs, 1 INT as team started 4-0) before throwing 10 interceptions in a span of four games. He was benched for Williams against FSU (Williams had also started in the win over Clemson), then returned and played pretty well these last two games. Williams? The true freshman really wasn’t asked to do a lot of down-the-field throwing. Now Van Dyke may or may not return, and Williams remains very much a question mark and is coming off a broken left arm injury. Brown, as has been reported, struggles with accuracy dating back to starts last year when Van Dyke was injured. He may transfer out and if he does return remains a question mark. So where does that leave Miami? Well, needing a top portal QB. So we’ll have to see who is available in the portal, and South Florida native and Tulane star Michael Pratt has to be considered a possibility if he forgoes entering the draft. UCLA freshman Dante Moore, a former industry 5-star, has always been enamored with Miami and perhaps could be persuaded for a change of scenery given some of the issues up there. It also has been reported that Mississippi State QB Will Rogers is expected to enter the portal, and he had great success there under Mike Leach in the Air-Raid before faltering a bit this past season in a different system. So he might be a great fit. Regardless, this is a key spot where Miami has to add a top transfer.

WIDE RECEIVER (1): Fans might look at the receiver spot and see a room stacked with nine returners and all three starters and think “well, that position is fine.” Well, it’s not. Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Colbie Young might be good enough, but they have done nothing to show they are elite guys that another defense must gameplan to shut down. The last go-to threat Miami had was Charleston Rambo, and you could see the difference he made in the offense. That’s the kind of difference-maker this program needs. And to land a top QB in the portal it would help to be able to sell getting a top WR out of the portal as well, right? This can’t be another case of taking a Frank Ladson or Tyler Harrell – this position has to hit in the portal.

TIGHT END (1): If you want to rely on Riley Williams developing in Year 2 after he struggled in limited reps this year … or if you want to gamble on Elijah Arroyo finally being fully healthy after two years  of issues and perhaps living up to his billing even though he’s never been “the guy” before … then sure, this position is fine. But in reality the Canes have missed here, with Jaleel Skinner never developing and struggling with drops, and Oregon transfer Cam McCormick unable to make any kind of impact in the passing game. Other than those four it’s just freshman Jackson Carver on this team – he redshirted to get bigger and stronger. And while, sure, UM is adding an ultra-talented TE in recruiting with Elijah Lofton, it’s tough to pin your hopes on a first-year guy. So expect the Canes to be active in the portal at tight end. All you have to do is look at a Louisville game where their three tight ends that normally were barely used in the passing game had nine catches for 112 yards and then look at the Miami tight ends that can barely make a dent in the passing game to know help is needed here.

OFFENSIVE LINE (1-2): Matt Lee is likely returning, but that’s not for sure, and Javion Cohen has announced for the Senior Bowl. So don’t be surprised to see Mario Cristobal again look for more success with transfers here. It sure worked out well with Lee and Cohen, right? And the best bet for the position Cristobal targets will be a guard with Cohen gone … and he’d need a center if Lee leaves (signs are right now he’ll be back). At center behind Lee you have Antonio Tripp, who will be a redshirt freshman, and unproven Ryan Rodriguez. A talented guard to replace Cohen will be helpful (RG Anez Cooper returns), and tackle should be well stocked with LT Jalen Rivers, RT Francis Mauigoa (three starters), OT/OG Samson Okunlola and OT Matthew McCoy (both very talented). Plus OT Zion Nelson could finally, finally get back to work off injury … but he also could wind up tranferring out so he’s one to monitor.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (1-2): The interior line depth wasn’t great this year and it didn’t help that Leonard Taylor didn’t play up to his potential. With Branson Deen out of eligibility it really is just Taylor (he likely needs to return to get a good NFL Draft grade) and Jared Harrison-Hunte as the returning pure DTs with experience. Freshman Josh Horton had a bright future, and ends Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor can also work here. But the team needs more top DT talent. Miami has already offered Penn defensive tackle Joey Slackman, who had 12 TFL and five sacks this year. Look for Miami to actively pursue landing another DT or two.

LINEBACKER (1): This position worked out well this year in part because of the addition of Francisco Mauigoa, who has been all over the field and leads the team in tackles for loss. He’s been really, really good in the middle and returns. But the outside spots have been hit-and-miss, and with the defensive line injuries the team went to using three linebackers at a time quite a bit. Wesley Bissainthe hasn’t lived up to his high ceiling yet and has split time with KJ Cloyd, and Corey Flagg walked at Senior Day and is unlikely to be back. So you need some numbers here, and a top OLB to complement Mauigoa would be huge. It’s either that or you are hoping one of four true freshman can step up, with perhaps Marcellius Pulliam the most advanced of that group right now. So look for the Canes to be in the market for a playmaking OLB.

DEFENSIVE BACK (3-5): This is the position that really needs the most help, and it’s possible that the Canes will lose both starting safeties along with starting CBs Te’Cory Couch and Jaden Davis, who both are out of eligibility. It’s more likely that S James Williams leaves to go pro as opposed to Kam Kinchens right now, but regardless there just isn’t a lot of safety depth with Brian Balom, Jaden Harris and true freshman Kaleb Spencer the only numbers there. So it would not be a surprise at all to see the team turn to one or two safeties in the portal. And Miami likewise needs to add 2-3 cornerbacks to help restock a position that doesn’t have a lot of depth / proven talent. At corner Daryl Porter and Damari Brown will be back as guys that played the most reps this year aside from Couch and Davis, but neither are shutdown players at this point. And the other CBs on the roster are unproven or have struggled when getting into games. So landing at least a couple of top corners is a must. This can be an elite defense if UM hits at this position with quality free agents in the portal.

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