CORAL GABLES - The Miami Hurricanes made sure to capitalize on the transfer portal this past offseason.
A total of 15 players have hit the ground running since they arrived at Miami earlier this year, with some of them immediately standing out in a big way.
The most noticeable is quarterback Cam Ward, who transferred from Washington State. He spoke to media members during the Canes Media Day on Tuesday (July 30th) about his take on game outcomes and more.
“You’re either gonna succeed or you’re gonna fail,” Ward said. “You’re gonna get back up and do the same stuff every day. You’re gonna go up, work out, go to the weight room, watch film. So I tend not to worry about that stuff because it’s gonna happen one way or another. I can control what I can control, keep pushing every day, and whatever the outcome is, we’re gonna take it and run with it.”
Ward’s level of leadership has rubbed off on his teammates in a great way, so much so that it extends to off-field activities for both team bonding and relationship-building opportunities.
“We’re all on the game, playing against each other,” Ward said of the popular EA Sports College Football 25 video game. “The best person I played against who uses us [Miami] is Coop. For some reason, he knows how to use every player on the team. He’s subbing people in. So [Anez] Coop[er] is the best on our team. CJ [Clark] is good at the game. JoJo [Trader] is good at the game. But I wouldn’t say much has changed because we still know what our end goal is and what we want to accomplish.”
Ward implored his team to not look too far ahead and to focus on what was right in from of them.
“I feel like we just gotta take it one step at a time,” Ward said. “I feel like if we look too far into the future, that’s when we’ll miss the little stuff. So we’ll just take it day by day.”
Ward opened up about his overall growth as a quarterback. He touched on how his mindset has been elevated from a leadership standpoint.
“A lot has changed for me,” Ward said. “I wanted to take on that challenge. I embrace the challenge. I’m just excited for everybody to see what we did and what we’re gonna do throughout the offseason, during the season. We have a lot of talented guys on both sides of the ball, offense and defense. A lot of the skill guys get the majority of the praise. But at the end of the day, we got the easiest job. The hardest job is the o-line, d-line. They’re the reason why we’re gonna win a lot of games.”
Speaking of the line, Simeon Barrow Jr. is already emerging as a key transfer player in the trenches. The defensive lineman spoke about his decision to be a Cane and more.
“It was the culture, it was the guys, and the people they have around,” said Barrow Jr., who transferred from Michigan State. “The culture is great. The players are great. It’s a lot of talent on this roster, and I wanna win games. I feel like we’re gonna do a lot of it.”
Barrow Jr. spoke on how the depth of talent and chemistry built with his teammates will have a positive effect on the program.
“We got talent everywhere,” Barrow Jr. said. “There’s no drop-off. I’m really excited. Everybody’s gonna eat. We’re gonna be the best defensive line in college football this year.”
Barrow smiled when he spoke on Canes defensive line coaches Jason Taylor and Joe Salave’a.
“I’m super excited,” Barrow Jr. said. “They’re gonna build us to be a better football team. We got Coach Joe [Salave'a]. We got Coach [Todd] Stroud, Coach JT. We got a lot of experience. I feel like it’s gonna give us a big ole leap during fall camp, coming into the season.”
Fellow defensive lineman Tyler Baron chimed in when speaking with media members.
“I’m just glad to be here and to be focused,” said Baron, who transferred from Tennessee. “It’s a great cast around. It fits who I am as a person and who I want to be as a player.”
Baron spoke on what it means to be coached up by Taylor.
“It’s not necessarily one thing he said,” Baron said. “But it’s the experience in itself to be around a guy like that. Just kinda pick his brain every day, all day. How I can better myself as a player.”
Baron touched on the process behind his choice to be a Cane.
“Really for me, it was coming to peace with my decision,” Baron said. “Didn’t really want to rush anything. Didn’t feel like I had to necessarily. So it’s just having great conversations with the coaches and getting more comfortable with them.”
Baron shared what he brings to the Hurricanes defensive line:
“I bring a ton of experience,” Baron said. “A well-rounded player. A great leader. I think I can be a great teammate as well. It’s just all those things together. That’s gonna be a big piece to this puzzle.”
Fellow transfer Elijah Alston likes what he is seeing with this key defensive line unit.
“I like this d-line a lot,” said Alston, who transferred from Marshall. “We got people everywhere. Inside and outside. Rotation. Everywhere. I love this D-Line. We’re gonna have a lot of problems this year.”
Alston set his aspirations for his final year of college football.
“I just want to win,” Alston said. “I don’t have to be Superman. I don’t have to make every play, as long as I do what I’m supposed to do. Just gotta do my job and execute. Play my part.”
In the secondary, Miami has two key transfers in cornerback Dyoni Hill and safety Mishael Powell.
Hill spoke on the makeup of his position group and how well he fits in with the team.
“It’s a lot of talent around the room,” said Hill, who transferred from Marshall. “From here, our focus is gonna be continuing to develop, especially with the offense we got here, one of the best offenses in college football. I just feel like with us having the ability to go up against them throughout practice, that’s what’s just making us ten times better each and every practice.”
Hill on his unit being considered as a question mark:
“We are the talk of the town right now,” Hill said. “It gives us a better knowledge of where we need to be and how bad we need to work. It’s a good thing that everybody is looking at us. It’s allowing us to continue coming in and develop with an edge on our back.”
Powell sees this moment as a grand opportunity for his unit, to say the least.
“This is the most talent I have ever been around,” said Powell, who transferred from Washington. “These guys are young, 6-1, 6-2, running 4.4’s. That’s just something you don’t see all the time. They’re smart. They’re disciplined. Overall, they want to win. They know football comes first. That’s their priority.”
The seventh transfer made available to media members at UM Media Day was wide receiver Sam Brown, who previously played at Houston and West Virginia.
Brown spoke on his decision to be at Miami.
“I’m very happy,” Brown said. “I feel like I’m at home. It’s a decision that’s not regretted at all. I’m happy to see what’s next with training camp. I’m ready to put my head down. I’m locked in. I’m ready to get with the team.”
Another transfer at UM Media Day was running back Damien Martinez, who transferred from Oregon State. He shares the running back room with fellow running back Mark Fletcher, who will enter his sophomore season with the Canes.
“What we want to have is a real brotherhood,” Martinez said. “One of our core values. You want to play for the guys next to you and just make each other better. Being in a different spot in the room from the youngest guy to the most experienced, it’s definitely something I want to work on, especially with the other guys.”
At the end of the day, it all comes back to the unquestioned leader of this year’s Miami Hurricanes team, Cam Ward.
Martinez on Ward’s talent level and overall persona:
“He’s an elite playmaker,” Martinez said. “He makes plays with his legs. Not so much down the field, but just making plays so he could get the ball down the field to his receivers. He’s a great athlete. He’s down to earth. He’s a really cool person. He’s all about ball. It’s what we’re here for. It’s football.”
Other incoming transfers to Miami include:
•LB Jaylin Alderman - Transfer from Louisville
•OL Zach Carpenter - Transfer from Indiana
•DL C.J. Clark - Transfer from NC State
•DL Marley Cook - Transfer from Middle Tennessee State
•QB Reese Poffenbarger - Transfer from Old Dominion
•S Isaiah Taylor - Transfer from Arizona
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