Miami has finally moved on from Cam Ward after a season that promised a lot but couldn’t deliver a dime. In many aspects, 2024 was a massive success for the Hurricanes. They won 10 games for only the second time since 2004. Mario Cristobal finally moved on from his 5-7 and 7-6 season finishes and established himself as a coach who has the potential to deliver at Miami. Yet, when you look back at the season, opinions polarize greatly. Was the performance Miami’s best with one of the top QBs in college football? Is this the highest Miami can go?
Well, on a surface level, Miami looked and performed their best. Ranked 1st in scoring offense in the country with 42.9 points per game. In yards per game, they also stood top of the pyramid at 536.2 yards per game. In pass completions per game, they notched up the 8th place. The offense surely didn’t take a wrong step in the season as Cam Ward, Xavier Restrepo, and Damien Martinez steamrolled opponents like they were playing in their backyard. The problems truly arose on the defensive front.
They were ranked 70th in points conceded and 67th in passing defense. To rectify the defensive shortcomings, Cristobal tapped into a vast reserve of recruits he and his staff scouted and kept track of and got a beast of a player.
Alex Donno, the host of ‘Locked on Canes,’ touted one edge rusher who is giving competition to players like Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. That too when he hasn’t started a single game till now and is yet to feature in his true freshman season. The host also declared him to be the ‘game changer’ for Miami. Well, the player is none other than the top Miami prospect of the 2025 class, Hayden Lowe. Alex Donno couldn’t stop himself from hyping up the player.
“Lowe, already 250-plus pounds, continues to look like the real deal and someone who can play as a true freshman. Seeing several reps that he won today out there in the indoor practice facility did not surprise me. If Hayden Lowe ends up having the sort of immediate impact that Reuben Bain had when he was a true freshman back in 2023. Miami got themselves a really good one in the five-star defensive end. This is someone who has been stealing headlines throughout.”
The Canes, under Mario Cristobal, are into their spring practices that would test the abilities of all the players. Hayden Lowe, in that regard, could be a player with an instant impact. Standing at 6’5” and weighing around 250 lbs, he is ranked as the number 3 edge rusher in the country and 34th overall player.
Add to that a rating of 96.67 on On3 and incredible high school stats to back him up. The player can surely emerge as the game-changer in defense. For context, in high school, Lowe notched up 159 total tackles, 24.5 sacks, and 29 QB hurries while playing for Oaks Christian High School in Westlake. Can he translate his spring practice and high school heroics into the regular season this year? Mario Cristobal would hope so.
Gunner Stockton takes a subtle dig at Carson Beck?
Carson Beck couldn’t quite repeat his performances of the 2023 season in Georgia last year and faced heavy criticism. He decided not to register for the NFL draft and moved to Miami with Mario Cristobal for another season to boost his stock. The move came with its own perks as $4 million NIL money lined up with prospects of winning the natty on Miami’s 2024 momentum. Back home in Georgia, meanwhile, ‘betrayal’ rumors were in the air. The supporters couldn’t forgive the QB, and even analysts jumped in with sharp opinions. But Georgia players were quiet until Gunner Stockton dropped a three-word bomb.
Stockton, who has taken the mantle of QB1 on his shoulders, was asked about Beck’s abrupt departure from Georgia. The now Georgia QB1, without mincing any words, indicated and pondered why Beck didn’t give him the heads-up about leaving. Stockton summarized the whole drama in three words and said, “He (Carson Beck) was busy.” The reply was short, crisp, and juicy. As to what it indicates? Well, the devil lies in the details, and Stockton avoided that by remaining brief. Yet one can easily imagine what Stockton is signifying here, right?
Gunner Stockton also stepped up in the last season when Carson Beck suffered the much-discussed UCL injury late in the season. The red-shirt freshman, having not started any games prior to that, had a major task on his hands: Texas Longhorns. He fought well in that game as Georgia clinched the SEC championship, only to lose the playoff game against Notre Dame. Stockton wasn’t quite as bad as touted in that game, as he produced 234 passing yards for a touchdown. All in all, he is a potentially exceptional player who needs a bit of experience. Moving forward, the player has a massive responsibility on his shoulders, and it remains to be seen how he wades and emerges out of it, eventually.
The post Mario Cristobal’s Miami Woes Take Surprising Turn After Carson Beck Gets Dragged by Ex-Teammate’s 3-Word Message appeared first on EssentiallySports.