MESSAGE BOARD MANIA: Should Miami Add a WR in the Portal or Trust Young Talent?

The transfer portal opens today, and the Miami Hurricanes are expected to be fairly active with potential top end needs remaining at wide receiver, defensive tackle, middle linebacker and safety.

To some extent the last few seasons under Mario Cristobal have been a live-by-the-portal, die-by-the-portal approach, and last year’s season certainly was impacted immensely by QB add Cam Ward, right?

But the question remains at which point you feel younger, unproven guys can be an answer vs. going to the portal for one-year fixes.

Which brings us to today’s Message Board Mania subject. Because Miami targeted several slot receivers in the first portal window without success, and it’s believed in this portal window they will continue to chase a starting slot guy and likely a top outside threat as well.

But do the Canes need to?

Should JoJo Trader or LSU transfer CJ Daniels be sent to the bench, for instance, in favor of a new portal guy? Is Ray Ray Joseph not ready to step up in Xavier Restrepo’s place, and should spring game star Malachi Toney not be getting reps after he was one of the standouts of spring ball?

Yes, it’s hard to turn down a top portal guy. That’s obvious. But there is a budget, right? It’s not unlimited money. So is it better to throw $500,000-plus at a receiver or use that money at, say, more pressing spots like defensive tackle and safety? The price tag of these portal “free agents” is spiking. And it doesn’t hurt to save money for 2026, either, if the determination is made the Canes’ receiver corps is more than talented enough … even if there isn’t experienced production to point to yet.

Cane50 addressed that in a recent War Room post, stating “Unless we can get a Jeremiah Smith type talent, I think taking a wide receiver is superfluous. I certainly don’t want a receiver like Sam Brown, who has all the speed and talent in world, but takes him more than half the year to learn the offense and takes snaps away from others. Also, coming in this time of year he is really behind it learning the offense and I don’t care how much time he has to throw and catch with quarterbacks. It still doesn’t give him the feel of the offense.. Plus, I will have to hear next year again how our receivers have no experience because they sat behind another middling receiver. If our receivers are that bad, we shouldn’t have recruited them but I think they have talent, just need snaps (maybe not superstar talent, but certainly talented enough, and more talented than last year’s, to make this offense go).”

Mr. 50 has a point. And the Sam Brown example is valid. Would Miami have been better off in retrospect getting a guy like Trader reps instead? Would this team have been just fine with Isaiah Horton getting a lot more reps with no Brown on board? Probably, and then the money spent on Brown would still be in the Miami coffers.

So let’s turn to some of the responses to Mr. 50:

Greentree: I say we only get a WR if he can fly and be a difference maker. We only need 1 WR that can take the top off or be a freak like JJ. A Ryan Williams type guy but those dont grow on trees.”

CFSteve: I tend to agree with you, but we’ll see what the coaching staff thinks soon. After shelling out big $ for Beck you have to make sure you give him weapons. I’d be very disappointed if they bring any jags in. The question is, do our coaches think we already have enough of those weapons or not?

289FIA: Need to be on the side of caution … if there is a “dude” available that provides near to elite experience … add it. We have scholarship room. Long season.

Rosiecane: If our goal is to make the playoffs we need an older, high-level WR…..Trader and one of the freshman will still play alot, but Daniels is average and no one else has experience, so it’s vital we get a high level guy from portal, you’ll see why it’s important when we face ND and their secondary…..

This reporter’s take?

Well, you can see from the above the sentiment is that if a stud receiver is there, grab him and pay the price. It’s hard to argue with that, right? But you really can say that about any position. It always sounds good to take one of the nation’s best at any spot. The key is to spend the money at the positions of need, it’s not an unlimited bag. And after watching this spring I think the WR group is going to be explosive with Trader, Daniels and the young guys led by Toney. Of more concern is DT, MLB and safety. So put the money there, outbid your competitors and move on.

That’s this guy’s take.

In the end, of course, Miami coaches will make the calculations on if 1-2 receivers are still needed in the portal window that opens today.

The decision that’s made will speak volumes to their take on if the current WR room is ready now … or not.