Fall Camp ’26: 8.5.26

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Head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff conducted the second fall practice on Wednesday.

The practice was again a high energy session. Here are some of our takeaways…

Defense won the day, especially on the line of scrimmage and the secondary. That’s to be expected since offensive line coach Alex Mirabal is still experimenting with his new, young and relatively inexperienced line. We should check back in a week or so to see the progress of the offense line.

Samson Okunola saw time at both offensive tackle and guard today. Freshman Ben Congdon got reps at guard. The experiment continues.

Junior running back Jordan Lyle showed improved body size, speed and quickness on Wednesday. He will be a factor for the Canes in 2026

Miami’s interior defensive line is going to be nasty this season. The rotation of Ahman Moten, Jr., Justin Scott and Armondo Blount is going to give opposing offensive coordinators nightmares. Defensive end Marquise Lightfoot’s pass rushing prowess was on display today.

Miami’s defensive secondary had another outstanding day, featuring OJ Frederique (2 INTs) and Xavier Lucas. Freshman Camdin Portis, JJ Duninigan, Cortez Redding, Omar Thornton, Zechariah Poyser, Ethan O’Connor all turn heads with their physical coverage on Wednesday. Jaboree Antoine and Jaelen Waters are also going to push for playing time this season. Depth is a strength of the secondary.

With the jury to Luka Gilbert, true freshman tight end Gavin Mueller has an opportunity to grab immediate playing time. He has all the attributes and how quickly he adjusts to the speed of play at the college level will determine his playing time this season.

GO CANES!