Building the Roster…battles rage

updated: January 20, 2026 | 10:00 p.m. ET

Miami’s fantastic but frustrating 2025 season ended on Monday night. Now it’s time to begin the process of fine tuning the roster for another run at the national championship.

The Canes have relatively few roster needs but two position needs are going to be very important going into spring practice, quarterback, offensive tackle and edge rusher.

This article takes a look at three key targets for Miami this week.

Quarterback:

At this time, Miami has four returning quarterbacks, all relatively inexperienced. Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson realize the need for an experienced and proven quarterback to guide this talented roster.

NEWS: Emory Williams enters portal.

In recent days, a new potential transfer portal target has emerged, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah. Reports have him entering the transfer portal. Other reports have him leaning heavily to Miami.

But wait, there’s a hitch. Mensah is reportedly under an NIL contract for the 2026 season. If so, Mensah will need to negotiate a buyout with Duke. It’s messy and Miami must avoid any tampering with this player until he officially enters the portal and Mensah frees himself from his NIL contract with the Blue Devils.

If all this happens and Mensah transfers to Miami, the Canes will immediately be positioned to seriously compete for an ACC Championship and another run in the college football playoffs.

Edge Rusher:

Miami will be losing two of the best edge rushers in college football, Rueben Bain and Ahkeem Mesidor. Hall-of-Fame coach Aaron Taylor has few young bucks coming up that could be the next great Miami pass rushers. However, they are relatively inexperienced and may need more development time as they transition into rotational roles in 2026. So, Miami is looking for an experienced and proven edge rusher as a bridge for the very talent young guys.

Recently, former Missouri edge Damon Wilson entered the portal and immediately catapulted to the top of Miami’s board. At 6’-4”/250, the Venice, Florida native and #2 transfer edge brings both three years of experience and production. In 2025, the former high four-star recorded 23 tackles, 9 1/2 tackles for loss, nine sacks and one interception. Miami is battling Ohio State, LSU and Texas Tech for his signature. He is visiting Miami on Tuesday. A decision is expected shortly after his visit to Coral Gables.

Offensive Tackle:

Miami is well known for developing offensive linemen, particularly offensive tackles. Miami offensive line coach Alex Mirabal is considered one of the best OLine coaches in college football. Two of Miami’s offensive tackles, Francis Mauigoa an Markel Bell are expected to be drafted this spring. While Miami is hoping to have Bell back in 2026, his departure would mean Miami would have to replace that experience and production in the same year. Mirabal had great success in landing Jackson Cantwell, the #1 offensive tackle in the 2026 class, Miami needs a proven veteran to bribe to the next generation of great Miami tackles.

Miami’s target is former Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton. At 6’-5”/330, Seaton entered the portal on January 12, 2026. He is rated 98 and ranked the #1 transfer tackle in this cycle. Miami is battling LSU, Oregon and Mississippi State for the talented left tackle.

Miami is also considering former Georgia OT Jamal Merriweather.

BOTTOM LINE:

Miami is battling for key transfer talent this week. Stay tuned for updates.

GO CANES!