Miami Hurricanes Football

Cormani McClain, a 5-star cornerback in the 2023 recruiting class, announced Thursday he's decided to play college football at Miami.

Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal reacted to the news:

McClain emerged as an intriguing two-way contributor at Lake Gibson High School in Florida, where he played both corner and wide receiver. He transferred to Lakeland High School for his senior season.

The versatile playmaker projects as a defensive back at the college level, and he could also be an impact player on special teams at the outset.

He's rated as the No. 2 overall prospect and the top-ranked cornerback in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Last May, McClain told Warchant's Michael Langston he still enjoyed playing on offense but his affinity for playing cornerback grew over time.

"I love playing press-man," he said. "I also play a lot of receiver, and whatever the team needs I'm going to do in making some big plays. Offense is probably more natural for me at times because that's where I started my career, so I'm comfortable with route-running. But corner ... I just love it there. Being out there on a corner, and it's one-on-one."

His steady growth as a corner allowed him to receive scholarship offers from many of the nation's top programs before he made his final decision.

Now his focus will shift to continuing that development in college.

McClain is a special talent on a path toward a potential NFL career, but there's still a major jump from high school ball to high-level college games, so a transition period should be expected as he arrives to Miami ahead of the 2023 season.

That said, even if he's not a Day 1 starter for the Canes, it probably won't take long before he sees the field. It's a significant recruiting victory for Cristobal and Co.

The Miami Hurricanes fell to the Duke Blue Devils 45-21 on Saturday to fall to 3-4 on the season, and head coach Mario Cristobal ripped his players for not working hard enough following his team's latest loss.

"If someone’s not playing hard, they have to go play somewhere else," Cristobal said, per Brett McMurphy of Action Network. "What we have to do requires tough people. To turn a program, rebuild it, it requires tough-minded people willing to do the work"

The Hurricanes had a solid start to the season, posting wins over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Since then, things have gone downhill for Cristobal's squad.

Miami lost its next three games to the Texas A&M Aggies, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and North Carolina Tar Heels and dropped to 2-3 on the season. The Canes bounced back with a slim 20-14 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Oct. 15, but their latest loss has them back below .500.

Miami struggled mightily in Saturday's game against Duke. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who completed 11 of 16 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown, exited with an injury and was replaced by Jake Garcia, who completed just 13 of 21 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns against three interceptions in relief.

The Hurricanes committed an unacceptable eight turnovers in Saturday's loss, including five fumbles in addition to Garcia's three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.

Fans had high hopes for Miami this season following the hiring of Cristobal, who led the Oregon Ducks to a 35-13 record and four bowl appearances in his five seasons as head coach, but that success hasn't translated with the Hurricanes.

Miami is going to need a solid turnaround to make a bowl in Cristobal's first season as head coach. The Canes have a tough schedule remaining with games against Virginia, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Pittsburgh.

They'll try to bounce back next weekend against Virginia.

The No. 25 Miami Hurricanes were upset by the unranked Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 45-31 on Saturday for their second straight loss, and it was a brutal showing for Mario Cristobal's team.

Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was replaced by Jake Garcia in the third quarter after completing just 16 of 32 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown while also tossing two interceptions.

It was a hideous performance from Van Dyke, who entered Saturday's game having completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 671 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in three games.

Garcia completed 10 of 19 passes for 169 yards in relief of Van Dyke.

The Miami defense was also subpar against Middle Tennessee, allowing Blue Raiders quarterback Chase Cunningham to throw for 408 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 attempts.

The Hurricanes were especially susceptible to big plays, as Middle Tennessee recorded four pass plays of 69-plus yards. The victors finished with 507 yards of total offense compared to Miami's 367.

Now 2-2 on the season following back-to-back losses, fans, understandably, ripped the Hurricanes on social media following the loss.

Miami will now go back to the drawing board heading into its bye week before its matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Oct. 8.

Four-star edge prospect Malik Bryant announced Wednesday that he is headed to Miami.

The IMG Academy star chose the Hurricanes over Florida, Alabama and Maryland. He is considered the No. 61 overall prospect in the 2023 class and fourth-ranked linebacker, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Bryant previously outlined the areas that would factor into his decision, per Jeff Sentell of DawgNation:

“I would definitely say the culture at the school and the tradition behind the schools. Definitely the history with the school, coaches and the team. Of course, like all the small stuff, too. I'd have to fit into the scheme and stuff like that. I'd definitely say the culture and it definitely has to be the right fit. I have to see myself there."

He is listed at 6'2" and 235 pounds, and he has the frame to add 10-15 pounds of muscle that would make him a potential star at the next level. He already has the burst off the edge and a refined set of moves to get to the quarterback. There's little reason to believe he will have to wait long before he's getting regular snaps on Saturdays.

The Hurricanes are currently the No. 8 overall recruiting class in the nation.

Sam Bruce, a former wide receiver at the University of Miami, died from a heart attack at the age of 24.

Per the Broward County Medical Examiner's report obtained by TMZ Sports, Bruce's official cause of death was coronary artery disease.

Bruce died on April 28 in a car accident in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A spokesperson for the Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. told TMZ Bruce was suffering from a seizure when the crash occurred.

"At this time, the circumstances surrounding this incident are not suspicious, and foul play is not suspected," the spokesperson said.

Speaking to Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Bruce's mother, Tracye Wilkerson, said her son was hospitalized five months prior to his death and said she felt his seizure may have been related.

The nephew of former Pro Bowler Isaac Bruce, Sam was a standout high school player at St. Thomas Aquinas. He was a 4-star prospect and No. 11 wide receiver in the 2016 class when he enrolled at the University of Miami, per 247Sports.

Three-time Pro Bowler Chad Johnson sent a tweet out upon learning of Bruce's death:

Bruce never appeared in a game for the Hurricanes and was dismissed from the program in October of his freshman season.

In an April 2021 interview with Footballville (h/t David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel), Bruce said his dismissal was the result of "a series of things" that piled up over time.

"Either late to meetings—my thing wasn’t really late to meetings—my thing was falling asleep in meetings," he explained. "That was my thing. I get there. I’m living rockstar lifestyle."

After his departure from Miami, Bruce spent time at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Southeastern University. He had tryouts with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League.

The Turnover Chain is no more.

New Miami Hurricanes head football coach Mario Cristobal said Wednesday the program will do away with the short-lived tradition:

Cristobal's remarks don't come as a major surprise. Offensive line coach Alex Mirabal reportedly told recruit Francis Mauigoa in January that the Canes "got rid of the turnover chains and stuff like that. We're here to play football."

Dating back to 2017, Hurricanes defenders would don a chain after securing a turnover.

But no more. Like so many of South Florida's inhabitants, the Turnover Chain is retired.