Most impactful transfers for Miami this upcoming season

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal imported a surplus of talent via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason. On Monday, CaneSport’s Gary Ferman revealed which transfers will make the largest impact in their first season with the Hurricanes.

“The interesting thing about the portal is a lot of guys just change teams and they don’t necessarily make their situations better,” Ferman said. “When you look at some of these guys that came into Miami, they’re making their situations better.

“Damien Martinez, for example, you put him with Cam Ward, and like the other skill players that I just mentioned, he should have a lot of opportunities to run the ball in space. They’re also going to use him in the passing game, I believe, quite a bit. So, Damian Martinez is going to get that opportunity to really showcase himself for the National Football League.”

Martinez transferred from Oregon State this offseason. He spent two seasons with the Beavers, tallying 2,167 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. For his efforts, he was an All-Pac-12 First Team member in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

With transfer quarterback Cam Ward behind center, Martinez will have a chance to show off his route-running abilities this season, as well. Of course, Martinez is far from the only player Ferman believes will benefit from their move to Miami.

“Another guy that I think is going to have a huge opportunity on offense is going to be Sam Brown, the wide receiver who came in from Houston,” Ferman said. “[He fills] Miami’s need for that No. 1 alpha dude receiver. He has a lot of the skills you look for in a guy that you want to play that role.”

In the 2023 campaign at Houston, Brown notched 62 receptions for 862 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection for his excellent campaign.

Again, Brown will have a chance to improve his numbers with Ward delivering darts from the pocket. Although Ferman is excited about Martinez and Brown, he believes the Hurricanes’ defense may benefit even more from its transfer portal additions.

Who will make an impact on Miami’s defense?

“Defensive line, two guys: Simeon Barrow, for sure, and Tyler Baron,” Ferman said. “Simeon Barrow is a huge human being, who’s going to be a primary player, obviously, on the interior for Miami. Tyler Baron is going to get a chance to go after the quarterback quite a bit.

“The last guy that I would point to that I think would be in the defensive backfield at safety [is] Mishael Powell, coming over from Washington,” Ferman continued. “This is a guy who played in the national championship game last year.

“Is he elite? I don’t know if he’s elite, elite, elite, but you can’t underestimate the value of that kind of experience and what a stabilizer that it could be in the secondary for Miami, which is universally proclaimed as the weakest spot on the team.”