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Was Miami’s 2024 season a success? 8 thoughts on the Hurricanes’ present and future
Miami wrapped up its third season under Mario Cristobal by losing three of its last four games, firing defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and entering the offseason with a big question mark at quarterback.
Where did things go wrong? What should we take away from it all? And what needs to happen next for the Hurricanes to avoid tumbling back to mediocrity with Heisman finalist Cam Ward off to the NFL?
Here are eight thoughts on 2024 and what’s ahead in 2025.
1. It’s hard to categorize Cristobal’s third season as anything other than a golden opportunity missed.
Yes, there was significant progress, and that can’t be ignored. Miami won 10 games for only the second time since joining the ACC in 2004 and had the No. 1 scoring offense in the country (43.9 points per game). At this point last year, most Miami fans would’ve considered that a successful season after 5-7 and 7-6 campaigns in Cristobal’s first two years on the job.
But players like Ward are special. Six Miami quarterbacks have been invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony dating to 1984: Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Steve Walsh, Gino Torretta, Ken Dorsey and Ward. The first five won national championships at Miami. With Ward, the Hurricanes failed to make an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff or even qualify for the ACC Championship Game. That’s going to sting for a while.
Cam Ward averaged 331.8 passing yards per game in 2024. (Brett Davis / Imagn Images)
2. Miami’s downfall was its defense. Cristobal was confident he had acquired enough talent before the season to complement Ward and what he expected to be an elite offense. The problem was Cristobal failed to correctly assess that his secondary was in bad need of upgrades. Miami, instead, spent most of its name, image and likeness funds on acquiring veteran defensive linemen, several of whom didn’t exactly pan out.
Washington transfer Mishael Powell, a former Huskies walk-on, wasn’t the problem in the secondary. Powell made the biggest play in Miami’s only win over its last four games with a pick six against Wake Forest. The issue was the Hurricanes didn’t develop enough of their own recruits in the defensive backfield. Guidry, who was fired after his second season in Miami, coached the safeties and hired former Marshall assistant Chevis Jackson to handle the cornerbacks this year.
Miami’s secondary was a collective mess when it was needed most. Go back and watch the defense on third-and-long in the second half at Georgia Tech against a backup quarterback and against Syracuse in the regular-season finale.
Guidry deserves some blame, obviously. Miami played more man coverage than anyone in the ACC (46.7 percent of snaps), according to TruMedia, and allowed 12 touchdowns while in man (tied for third most in the league). The Canes weren’t good in zone coverage either. There were far too many instances of receivers going in motion before the snap that resulted in someone being left uncovered. You expect freshmen like O.J. Frederique to make those mistakes. But it happened to veterans, too, which makes you question what they were or were not learning in the film room.
3. Let’s not make this all doom and gloom, though. Miami had some other positive moments in 2024 aside from Ward.
Homegrown receiver Xavier Restrepo topped the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season. Miami has had one other 1,000-yard receiver (Charleston Rambo) since 2015. It helps in recruiting when you can point to significant achievements like that.
Miami led the ACC with 5.7 yards per carry, up significantly from when Cristobal first took over in 2022 and the team ranked ninth in the league (3.7). Damien Martinez became the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Mark Walton in 2016.
If you need proof Cristobal has significantly improved Miami’s offensive line in his three years on the job, look no further than those numbers. There’s a standard to maintain, and that standard should be held up with four starting linemen back in 2025.
4. The big questions: Who replaces Ward at quarterback and whom will Cristobal hire to remedy the defense?
There’s no doubt quarterback is the most important position on the field. It always will be. But having an elite defense matters, too. National semifinalists Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas and Penn State rank Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 7 in scoring defense. All four allow fewer than 16 points per game.
Last year, national champion Michigan led the country in scoring defense at 10.4 points per game. In 2022, national champion Georgia finished fifth (14.3 ppg).
Here’s how Miami has ranked in scoring defense over the last nine years:
- 68th in 2024 (25.3 ppg)
- 44th in 2023 (22.8 ppg)
- 67th in 2022 (26.8 ppg)
- 84th in 2021 (28.4 ppg)
- 51st in 2020 (27.0 ppg)
- 23rd in 2019 (20.2 ppg)
- 18th in 2018 (19.5 ppg)
- 28th in 2017 (21.0 ppg)
- 12th in 2016 (18.5 ppg)
Having a great quarterback is cool. But building a championship defense with talents like Vince Wilfork, Jonathan Vilma, Antrel Rolle and Ed Reed is probably more important.
5. Landing a quality starting quarterback out of the transfer portal, though, is necessary if Miami is going to have any realistic shot of contending for a Playoff spot. Sophomore Emory Williams inspired very little confidence with his performance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
The problem is most of the top quarterbacks are off the board. Miami native Fernando Mendoza — the No. 4 prospect in our QB portal rankings — left Cal to join his younger brother at Indiana. Ex-Washington State starter John Mateer followed his offensive coordinator to Oklahoma. I’m not sure Miami really was in line to land either, but they were the biggest names the Canes showed an interest in.
The best-case scenario at this point for Miami is that someone like Georgia’s Carson Beck or Texas’ Quinn Ewers — both NFL prospects — decides to come back to college for one more season and follow Ward’s example of doing so in Coral Gables.
6. Otherwise, the 2025 season will be about the program Cristobal has been building through his high school recruiting and portal efforts.
But many of his imports have already left via the portal or exhausted their eligibility.
Only five of the 15 high school recruits Cristobal signed in the Class of 2022 are still at Miami — linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, safety Markeith Williams, left guard Matthew McCoy, defensive tackle Ahmad Moten and right guard Anez Cooper.
Only half of Miami’s 26-member 2023 recruiting class still calls Coral Gables home. That’s a group of mostly backups to this point, anchored by starting right tackle Francis Mauigoa, defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. and running back Mark Fletcher.
That puts a lot of pressure on Cristobal’s 2024 class — which ranked No. 4 in the 247Sports Composite — to deliver next year. Frederique, tight end Elija Lofton, running back Jordan Lyle and receiver Joshisa Trader definitely flashed as first-year freshmen.
But now Cristobal and his staff have to show what they can do with all of those players serving as the foundation.
7. The majority of Miami’s additions through the portal have been productive contributors under Cristobal in the past, which is why you should be fairly optimistic about the eight transfers he’s landed since the end of the season.
Miami hit the secondary hard and probably isn’t done yet. All four defensive backs acquired — Ethan O’Connor (Washington State), Emmanuel Karnley (Arizona), Charles Brantley (Michigan State) and Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State) — started at least half of their team’s games last season, and three (Karnley, O’Connor and Poyser) have three seasons of eligibility left.
Miami lost talented second-year tight end Riley Williams, who returned home to Oregon State, and replaced him with Alex Bauman, a 25-game starter at Tulane.
Starting center Zach Carpenter has been replaced by TCU’s James Brockermeyer — making it three former starting centers from Power 4 programs acquired via the portal in the last three offseasons.
Defensive lineman David Blay, a first-team All-Conference USA selection at Louisiana Tech, helps make up for the loss of Simeon Barrow inside and will team with returning veterans Akheem Mesidor, Bain and Moten.
CJ Daniels, meanwhile, comes over from LSU and provides a veteran presence (30 career starts) to a really, really, really young group of wide receivers.
8. Do I believe the 2025 team — as it’s currently constructed — will be as good as the 2024 Hurricanes? No. But at this time last year, Ward was headed to the NFL and we had no idea who was going to be the starting quarterback.
The transfer portal remains open for graduate students and for players on teams still in the Playoff. It also reopens again for everyone in April.
Few imagined Florida State would finish 2-10 after going 13-1 in 2023.
Few believed SMU would play for the ACC title and make the Playoff in its first year in the league.
All I’m counting on is for more of the unexpected.
(Photo of Mario Cristobal: Rich Barnes / Imagn Images)
Miami, FL
Pair arrested in connection with armed home invasion robbery in Miami, cops say
MIAMI — Two men have been arrested in connection with an armed home invasion robbery in Miami last month in which investigators say masked suspects entered a home, pointed a gun at a victim and repeatedly demanded money before searching the residence.
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Miami police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Earl Gerry Baldwin and 21-year-old Zakis Kawone James, both of Miami-Dade.
According to arrest reports, officers responded to the home on April 4 after the victim reported that two masked men had entered the residence and robbed him at gunpoint.
The report states that he victim told investigators he was in the kitchen when two men wearing ski masks entered through an unlocked front door.
Police said shortly after, one of the intruders allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded cash, repeatedly asking, “Where’s the money?” as the two men searched the home.
Investigators said the gunman took the victim’s iPhone 16 Pro Max while both suspects searched bedrooms for money. The victim told police the suspects also asked about his younger brother before continuing their search.
According to the reports, the gunman kept the victim at gunpoint while the other suspect ransacked rooms throughout the home. After failing to find any money, the men left the victim inside his mother’s bedroom, closed the door and fled, investigators said.
Authorities said the victim then ran to a neighbor’s home and called police.
Detectives said surveillance footage obtained from nearby locations showed a silver Chevrolet Trailblazer parked near the home before the robbery.
According to the reports, video showed two suspects exiting the SUV and walking toward the residence before entering the home. Minutes later, the pair were seen running from the property and getting back into the vehicle, which drove away.
Investigators said license plate reader data identified the SUV and showed it traveling through Miami shortly after the robbery. Historical reader data and GPS records linked the vehicle to a residence in the 700 block of Northwest 65th Street, according to the reports.
Detectives said additional surveillance footage later captured Baldwin inside the SUV while wearing clothing matching what was seen during the robbery.
Investigators said they also identified him during a separate contact on May 15 and later obtained cellphone records and location data that allegedly placed his phone in the area of the robbery and traveling with the SUV before and after the crime.
According to James’ arrest report, detectives identified him through surveillance footage, a resident database search and facial recognition software.
Investigators also obtained surveillance footage showing James making a purchase at a Walmart in Miami Gardens after the robbery using a debit card in his name, the report states.
Police said cellphone data associated with James’ phone also placed him at the robbery scene and traveling with the SUV throughout the day.
On Thursday, detectives executed a search warrant at the Northwest 65th Street residence and took both men into custody, according to the reports.
Baldwin was transported to the Miami Police Department’s robbery office, where he was advised of his Miranda rights and invoked them, according to his arrest report.
James waived his Miranda rights and provided a statement to detectives, according to his arrest report. Details of the statement were redacted from the publicly released report.
Jail records show both men are each facing one count of armed robbery with home invasion.
As of Friday, both were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where their bonds were listed as “to be set.”
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Miami, FL
Ex-Miami Heat player Terry Rozier facing additional bribery charges in sports gambling sting
Federal prosecutors have indicted ex-Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on additional charges in connection with a sports gambling sting, alleging he took a hefty bribe to exit a game early in March 2023.
Rozier, 32, was charged Thursday in a superseding indictment in Brooklyn federal court with bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Superseding indictments are used when prosecutors want to change or add new charges to an existing criminal case.
Rozier has denied participating in the gambling scheme, and has been fighting to have the case dismissed after pleading not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges in December. His attorneys argue in part that the government’s theory of the case — that he prevented sportsbooks from making informed decisions about accepting certain bets — runs afoul of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the federal wire fraud statute.
The new indictment “just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous — new charges, new theories, but all just an effort to make something stick,” Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Rozier was arrested in October along with former NBA player Damon Jones, who pleaded guilty last month for his role in schemes to defraud major sportsbooks including DraftKings and FanDuel. Others charged in the case include sports bettor and influencer Marves Fairley, who pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy, bribery and other federal charges in connection with gambling schemes targeting basketball games in the U.S. and China.
Rozier remains free on $3 million bond. The case has kept him off the court this season.
The new indictment alleges that Rozier not only defrauded sportsbooks, but also the NBA and the team he was playing for at the time, the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier is accused of conspiring with gamblers to leave a game early, citing a lingering lower leg injury, so they could cash in on more than $250,000 in bets that his points, assists and other totals would be lower than what the sportsbooks had set as betting lines.
Not all of the bets were successful because Rozier collected four rebounds, which was more than the betting line, the superseding indictment said. As a result, after the game, Rozier and his co-conspirators negotiated a discount on his bribe, cutting it from $100,000 to about $70,000, the superseding indictment said.
The new indictment against Rozier was filed within hours of the guilty pleas by Fairley, who goes by the name “Vezino Locks” on Instagram. As part of his plea, Fairley admitted to prosecutors’ allegations that he used insider information to get an edge when betting on NBA, NCAA and Chinese Professional Basketball League games — including paying Rozier’s longtime friend $100,000 in exchange for a tip that Rozier was going to leave a game early.”
Fairley’s attorney Eric Siegle said his client “deeply regrets and is ashamed of his conduct.”
“By publicly acknowledging his guilt and conduct today, Marves is taking the first step toward atoning for his wrongful conduct and to starting his ‘second half’ on the right foot,” Siegle said. ____ Associated Press reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed from New York. Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.
Miami, FL
Miami’s Jai Lucas Tackles Year Two With A New Roster and New Goal
One good season can set the standard of what the Miami Hurricanes can be for the future under Jai Lucas.
Lucas nearly broke many single-season records as a first-year head coach, but that didn’t stop him from learning from mistakes that could have helped him improve the following season. However, he has three returning players, so it is a brand new team for the upstart head coach.
Yeah, for me it’s like coaching a whole new team,” Lucas said on an appearance on the “Hoops HQ” basketball podcast. “I think something that goes into the past is you have something that fits, and you just try to rinse and repeat. That’s kind of how a lot of programs are built. But now with this portal era, you don’t know what you’re going to get every year. My team looks completely different than before, so I had to build it differently.”
Lucas dove into some of his transfer targets and why they fit well with the Canes, starting with his new star point guard, Acaden Lewis.
“It started with being able to get a really good point guard,” Lucas said. “We had one last year in Tre Donaldson, and that’s where Acaden came into play. Having somebody you feel can run the team, but also has the ability to take over games. Watching his stuff in the portal and doing the analytics, he’s one of the best point guards in the country pound for pound with what he’s able to do and how he’s able to create.
“Like I talked about earlier, we had a prior relationship that went back to when I was at Duke and we recruited him there. So it was kind of an easy recruitment once the portal opened and I was able to talk to him.”
Lewis is complemented with the Canes new star defensive anchor Somto Cyril.
“Then I wanted a big, and that’s where Somto came in,” Lucas continued. “He played for a coach who is on staff now, Eric Pastrana, at Georgia, so that was kind of the relationship built there.
However, the biggest missing link from last season was shooting and depth. Lucas got that and loves how his team feels and looks heading into the summer.
“Once we got those two pieces along with Shelton and Dante, who we had coming back, the one thing I knew we missed last year and needed this year was shooting. That’s where Nick Dorn, Brent Bland, DeShawn Goode, and some of these other guys who will be high level complementary pieces came into play with our foundational pieces like Acaden, Shelton, Dante, Somto, those guys.
“Then we wanted to get more depth than we had last year where we played about six or seven. I wanted to be able to play eight plus, maybe nine this year. So we focused on that, focused on the shooting, but also wanted to have size. Nick’s size at 6 foot 7 and his ability to shoot, and what he did at Elon and then having it transfer over to what he was able to do in a Power Five conference, I felt was a fit for what we want to do here.”
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