Miami spring football is about a month away. The Hurricanes have added plenty of players to their roster and have lost several via the transfer portal.
Miami has officially lost 14 players to transfer and added 10 players to the roster.
There will be plenty of position battles to analyze down the line, but here are the top five tight ends.
This is the fifth of a series in which CanesCounty.com will rank Miami's best players going into spring football.
Related Links:
Ranking the top five Miami players on offense going into spring
Ranking the top five Miami players on defense going into spring
5. Jackson Carver
The departures of Dominic Mammarelli and Jaleel Skinner leave an opportunity for sophomore Jackson Carver to prove himself. The former three-star tight end played a total of six snaps last season. His size at 6'6" and 220 pounds makes him a versatile depth piece at the position.
4. Elija Lofton
Elija Lofton should be another NFL Draft pick from 'Tight End U.' He is a versatile chess piece that can be used in various ways in both the passing and the running game. At Bishop Gorman, he was used out of the backfield in the running game and can consistently catch to football.
He has yet to play on a college football field, but his potential has him ranked fourth on this list. He could be at the top of the list by the end of the season.
3. Cam McCormick
The veteran tight end, Cam Mccormick, will return for an unprecedented ninth year of college football with the Miami Hurricanes. The move provides stability at the blocking tight end position for the 2024 season.
The 25-year-old had eight receptions for 62 yards for the Hurricanes last season but was mainly used as a blocking tight end for the Hurricanes. He played 441 snaps at tight end and 623 snaps, including special teams.
According to Pro Football Focus, his best outing was against Texas A&M, where he received 65.4 - offense, 57.9 - passing, 71 - pass block, and 74.5 - run block grades.
His 2023 season grades were 42.8 - offense, 35.9 - passing, 60.2 - pass block, and 56.3 - run block..
2. Riley Williams
Riley Williams goes into his second year as arguably Miami's best tight end. According to PFF, the former four-star from IMG Academy received his highest grade on offense in the Pinstripe Bowl against Rutgers (79.7). His highest passing grade came in the opener against Miami (OH) (85.4), and his highest pass block grade was against Louisville (77.1). He also registered a high of 80.8 in run block against Bethune.
The tight ends were used minimally in 2023, but Williams made the most of his opportunities, catching eight footballs for 72 yards and a touchdown - the most on the team at the position.
1. Elijah Arroyo
This has to be the year for Elijah Arroyo. In three seasons, the former four-star has eleven receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown. His 2022 season was cut short due to a knee injury, and last year, he never looked one hundred percent, recording one catch for 11 yards.
From a sheer athleticism standpoint, Arroyo should by far and away be TE1, but the question will be whether he will ever return to the level coming out of high school. In his final year of high school, Arroyo had 31 receptions for 690 yards and 13 touchdowns.
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