Hurricanes return deep receiver room, complemented by new transfers, freshmen

The 2024 season is on the horizon, and Hurricanes fans hope to see a major step forward in Year 3 of the Mario Cristobal era.

As Miami keeps adding talent through high school and transfer portal recruiting, UM appears poised to be a major contender in the ACC this season.

This summer, we will take a look at a different position group each week to see who departed, who arrived and who should have big impacts this year.

Last week, we previewed the Hurricanes’ running back corps. This week, we’ll look at more offensive skill players: wide receivers.

Who left

Like other positions, the Hurricanes lost several wide receivers to a combination of graduation and the transfer portal.

The biggest loss to the room did come via the transfer portal. Colbie Young, an 11-game starter last year, left Miami for greener pastures up north. The 6-foot-5 receiver will try his luck at perennial powerhouse Georgia.

Young is a tough player to replace. His size is an innate characteristic that makes him a challenge to cover. In two seasons at UM, he had 79 catches for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last year, Young had 47 catches for 563 yards and five scores. Pro Football Focus gave him a 70.2 offensive grade.

The Hurricanes also lost a potential playmaker in Brashard Smith. Like several other Hurricanes the last several years, Smith transferred to SMU, where he could play for former Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

Smith, a Miami Palmetto alum, had 770 receiving yards and four touchdowns along with 177 rushing yards and a score in three seasons. He was also a weapon on kick and punt returns, scoring on a key kickoff return against Texas A&M last season.

Smith had 22 catches for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns last year and had a career-high 132 rushing yards. Pro Football Focus gave him a 68.2 offensive grade with a 70.5 receiving…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hurricanes-return-deep-receiver-room-205400749.html

Author : South Florida Sun Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-05-31 20:54:00

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