College football is a talent acquisition sport.
And in this modern era, the NCAA Transfer Portal affords programs to have different talent acquisition strategies for building a roster.
For programs that may not recruit at a top 15 level on a consistent basis, the portal provides opportunities to address deficiencies and raise the floor of a team. For teams that already recruit at a top level, the portal is an avenue to add top players who are proven at the college level.
Miami has once again attacked the portal to supplement its roster during the winter window, with ten portal commitments. Quarterback Carson Beck, who arrives from Georgia and will play his final year of college eligibility, is the headliner of the group.
The Hurricanes have also worked hard to address the issues that showed in the secondary in 2024 by adding four defensive backs in Ethan O’Connor, Charles Brantley, Emmanuel Karnley, and Zechariah Poyser.
Parity in college football is starting to become the norm thanks to the combination of the transfer portal and NIL.
The portal is a way to help a team take a step forward year-over-year as players look for an opportunity to play and earn significant roles at a new program.
Who are the best portal additions that Miami will see on its 2025 schedule? This article attempts to take a closer look.
The winter window is closed, but graduate transfers can make a move between now and the end of the spring window, which will open in April at the end of spring football.
Who are the top portal additions joining Miami’s 2025 opponents?
Read on for a look.
Note: This list only includes the FBS opponents on the schedule.
The Irish have added one of the top outside receivers who can overwhelm with physicality that was available in the portal in Fields. Over the last four seasons at Virginia, Fields has caught 129 passes for 1,849 yards with 11 touchdowns. At 6-feet-4 and 220 pounds, Fields caught 55 passes for 808 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Fields wins on the outside because he is physically imposing compared to most college level cornerbacks, but he also moves well at his size. Fields caught 12-of-24 contested catch opportunities this season. Fields will be a weapon that the Hurricanes will have to contend with in week one.
Schrader started his college career at Florida State and transferred to Appalachian State to find more playing time in 2024, earning the starting right tackle job for the Mountaineers and playing 781 snaps. In 2024, Shrader did allow 32 pressures, but he did not allow a sack. Shrader projects as an interior offensive lineman at USF. The offensive line was a weakness for the Bulls in 2024.
At 6-feet-3 and 205 pounds, Sturdivant is a veteran receiver who has played 1,798 offensive snaps at the college level between UCLA and California while catching 123 passes for 1,667 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 2024, Sturdivant caught 22 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Sturdivant is a solid contested catch target, reeling in 17-of-38 contested catch opportunities during his career. In 2024, Sturdivant had 100-yard performances against Minnesota and USC.
A former five-star recruit out of high school, Robinson is taking his talents to Tallahassee after two seasons at USC. Robinson caught 39 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns for the Trojans. At 6-feet-6 and 225 pounds, Robinson is a match-up problem because of his combination of size and movement skills at that size. His career 19.2 yards per catch average highlights the big play potential Robinson brings to the field. Robinson has not achieved a 100-yard game at the college level, but his role figures to be much bigger for a FSU program that lacked playmakers in 2024.
During his Louisville tenure, head coach Jeff Brohm has done a great job of resurrecting careers of veteran quarterbacks like Jack Plummer and Tyler Shough. Moss is the next one in that line of quarterbacks after his time at USC. Moss played in nine games as a first-year, full-time starter in 2024, throwing for 2,555 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 64.4 percent of his attempts. Brohm does a nice job of accentuating the strengths of a quarterback and Moss is at his best when he is working the intermediate passing game. Moss was benched after a week ten performance against Washington in which he threw three interceptions.
At 6-feet-4 and 225 pounds, Thomas will bring some pass rushing ability off the edge for a NC State defense that lacked the ability to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks in 2024. During three seasons at Temple, Thomas played 1,244 defensive snaps, totaling 44 pressures and eight sacks. Thomas is undersized, but he has a quick first step with the ability to bend around the edge.
At 6-feet-2 and 200 pounds, Neal is making the move from Fresno State to Stanford after a solid showing in 2024, earning 548 defensive snaps and totaling 35 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two interceptions as a cornerback. Stanford allowed 272 passing yards per game in ACC play in 2024, which ranked 15th in the conference. The secondary was an issue that needed to be addressed.
Syracuse must replace ultra productive 2024 quarterback Kyle McCord and the Orange will turn to LSU transfer Rickie Collins to lead their attack. As a recruit coming out of the 2023 class, Collins ranked as a Top 250 player. Collins has only played 32 offensive snaps in his career, completing 7-of-7 passes for 38 yards while rushing for 37 yards on seven attempts. At 6-feet-2 and 205 pounds, Collins has plenty of talent to develop.
At 6-feet-3 and 230 pounds, Spires is an experienced pass rusher who has played 1,762 defensive snaps between his time at Bowling Green and Utah State, totaling 101 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and 84 pressures. Spires will look to continue a strong pass rushing tradition under Pat Narduzzi. Defensive ends always produce under Narduzzi at Pittsburgh and Spires is the next one.
The Mustangs made an impressive transition from the Group of Five level to the ACC in 2024 and a big reason why was because of the productive defensive line (that was full of former Miami Hurricanes). M’Ba brings a massive body type to the interior at 6-feet-6 and 305 pounds. M’Ba started his career at Auburn before transferring to Purdue and this past season for the Boilermakers he earned 608 snaps, totaling 30 tackles, one tackle for loss, and 14 pressures. M’Ba will help bolster SMU on the interior of the defensive line.
At 6-feet-2 and 210 pounds, Greene is a talented, big-bodied veteran who has been plagued by injuries during his college career at Wake Forest. Greene has totaled 1,853 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 18.2 yards per catch in his college career. Due to injuries, he has only played one full season in college, catching 37 passes for 642 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. Greene is a strong downfield, contested catch receiver, reeling in 32-of-52 contested catch targets in his career.
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