Canes Connection's NIL investment in Miami’s talent acquisition shows on-field results

At The Swamp on Saturday, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal watched three offseasons of talent acquisition pay off.

Top portal prize Cam Ward posted a 74.3% completion percentage on his way to throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns. EDGE Tyler Baron, the former Tennessee star who transferred to Louisville and then Miami this offseason, led the Hurricanes with two tackles for loss. 

Achieving this success in this era of college football comes with a top NIL operation. While Cristobal’s staff and players were celebrating the 41-17 blowout over Florida, Zach Burr was also inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium seeing a return on investment. 

The co-founder of the Canes Connection NIL collective is a former fundraising professional. Over the last two years, he’s dedicated his time to helping Miami have the necessary NIL funds to assemble a roster that can compete for a College Football Playoff berth.

Named one of On3’s top NIL collectives last week, sources have told On3 that Canes Connection is working with a budget of over $15 million for football. 

“You can’t be competitive in college football today if you’re not competitive in the NIL space,” Burr told On3. “I’m proud of the team we built. We kind of fly under the radar, not really here for the self-promotion. We play a very small part in the large scheme of things. Days like Saturday kind of validate all the hard work everyone puts in. 

“At the same time, keeping things in perspective, the first game of the year. But no doubt, Saturday was a special day, and it’s been three years, putting things in perspective. We went 5-7, 7-6. Not exactly what we envisioned when we started.”

Canes Connection not working with John Ruiz

Before Canes Connection, John Ruiz ran the NIL scene in Coral Gables. The owner of LifeWallet and Cigarette Racing used endorsement deals to pay Miami athletes while promoting his companies. Brash and aggressive, he picked fights with fans on and announced details of lucrative NIL packages on social media.

Burr told On3 that none of the dollars spent by Canes Connection are from Ruiz, ushering in a new era of NIL for the Hurricanes. Miami has not missed a beat, however, with Cristobal bringing in the nation’s No. 5 class in the 2024 cycle On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. 

The Hurricanes missed out on No. 1 prospect Jeremiah Smith, who picked between Ohio State and Miami on National Signing Day. But they landed five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott, flipping him from the Buckeyes. 

“Everyone wants immediate gratification, right?” Burr said. “But when Mario came here, he said, ‘It’s going to be a process, and take everybody’s hard work.’ We’ve finally built this team up to where we go into Saturday and we’re able to compete and win games on the largest scale.”

Transfer portal crucial to Miami’s success

Miami also pieced together one of the top portal classes this offseason. Ward, the former no-star recruit and Washington State transfer quarterback was the top prospect of college football’s free agency. Immediately the Hurricanes’ top portal target after entering, his decision ultimately came down to Miami or the NFL draft. He also visited Florida State and received a last-minute offer from Auburn.

Ward announced his intentions to enter the NFL draft on New Year’s Day 2024. But less than two weeks later he doubled back on his decision, committing to Miami. 

“The market is the market,” Burr said. “With that being said, that month of him going back and forth, was not a negotiation tactic. He was just trying to make the decision that was best for him either go to the NFL or come back to college football. I think it’s the best decision he made, which was to come back and play for the Miami Hurricanes.”

Just like other premium transfer quarterbacks like Riley Leonard and Dillon Gabriel, Ward is making north of $1 million, sources have told On3. But Miami didn’t stop its portal-heavy offseason at the quarterback position.

Despite seeing 34 players leave the program, Cristobal’s program added Oregon State running back Damien Martinez, Michigan State defensive tackle Simeon Barrow and Houston wide receiver Sam Brown. Baron was the final addition during the spring portal window. 

All those players committed in the spring, after Ward had flipped back to Miami. The belief in Ward paid off on Saturday. The quarterback threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns, going viral for his throws and presence in the pocket.

“We’ve seen the way Mario’s built this roster,” Burr said. “You can’t build your entire roster through the portal, but at the end of the day, we are in the talent acquisition game. You have to be able to go to the portal and supplement to make your roster better. And I think Mario went out and did that.”

NIL necessary to revamp blue blood

The Hurricanes jumped seven spots to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll this week, their highest ranking since making the top 10 in the 2020 season. For Burr and his team at Canes Connection, which includes attorney Darren Heitner, the win reinforced their daily work to position Miami to retain and attract talent. 

Entering The Swamp, questions lingered if Cristobal could turn around Miami. He had won two national titles at the school, but can he deliver one as a coach? Saturday gave fans the proof this team can compete, especially with the new 12-team College Football Playoff. 

“We haven’t been a blue blood in college football in 20 years,” Burr said. “If we want to get back to where we all hope to get to we have to compete at the highest level, and with that, you have to have the resources to be able to do it.”