With the current state of the transfer portal each year, there is excitement and anxiety for college football fans as they wait in anticipation to see who their team will be welcoming and saying goodbye to. On Monday, four Miami football players announced their decision to enter the portal.
Tyler Van Dyke
As Miami’s starting quarterback for the majority of the year, Van Dyke looked promising in the early parts of the season, but as Miami faltered in the middle of the season, so did he. Van Dyke struggled with interceptions and eventually was benched for Emory Williams going into Miami’s matchup against Florida State.
After a strong outing in the ‘Canes blowout over Boston College, Van Dyke will finish the season completing 65.8% of his passes for 2,700 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 19:12.
Looking forward, Miami will likely look to freshman Emory Williams, who flashed in his limited playing time this year. With just him and Jaccuri Brown being the only two scholarship quarterbacks, Miami will most likely look to bring someone in to give that QB room depth. The Hurricanes have one signal-caller committed to their 2024 class, Judd Anderson.
Donald Chaney Jr.
Coming back from injuries that held him out for most of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Chaney was a valuable part of Miami’s stable of running backs. The fourth-year sophomore had a productive year for the ‘Canes.
Chaney was Miami’s second-leading rusher in carries and third in rushing yards, but in all but three games, Chaney received less than 10 carries. He finishes his season with 478 rushing yards and two touchdowns on five yards per carry.
As for the future, Miami’s running back group is very solid, with freshmen Mark Fletcher Jr. and Ajay Allen very involved this year and junior Henry Parrish leading the group. Miami also has a commitment from the fifth-ranked running back recruit in the nation per 247Sports, Kevin Riley, who could eventually step in to join that group.
Corey Flagg Jr.
Flagg has been a consistent staple of the ‘Canes for the past four years, being one of the team’s leading defenders in both tackles and tackles for loss. On a Miami team that has been one of the best in the nation at stopping the run, Flagg has been a consistent piece, registering 48 tackles, including seven for loss. He started two games this year.
Miami will miss the contributions of Flagg but will still have junior Francisco Mauigoa, who led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and tied for the lead in sacks. In terms of youth, Miami has sophomore Wesley Bissainthe, who registered 38 tackles, as well as several freshmen linebackers who could potentially step up in the future.
Jahfari Harvey
The fifth-year junior has been granted another year of eligibility and has decided he will be using it at another university. Harvey was another part of Miami’s stout defense in the trenches but has been unable to replicate his production from last year with 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss, as he finished this campaign with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Miami will take a hit in the trenches, losing Harvey and likely Leonard Taylor, who is projected to leave for the 2024 NFL Draft. Miami will likely rely heavily on freshman phenom Rueben Bain Jr., who has 9.5 tackles for loss this season and was tied for the lead in sacks with 7.5.
While these names are notable losses for Miami, there is still plenty of time left in the year for further losses and potential additions to the ‘Canes for next season. Officially, the portal will open on Dec. 4 and close on Jan. 3, 2024. How the team will evolve through the portal is yet to be determined, but these losses will be of note as Miami looks to end the season strong with a bowl victory to close out the year.