Several talented Hurricanes, including leading rusher Henry Parrish Jr. and touted defensive end Nyjalik Kelly, have left the program in the spring transfer window, and Miami had not found any replacements for them in the portal this spring.
That is until this weekend.
Miami landed four transfers at key positions on Saturday and Sunday, significantly bolstering the roster with fresh talent. The Hurricanes now rank 10th in 247Sports’ transfer rankings.
Damien Martinez started the wave of commitments Saturday evening. Martinez is a more-than-adequate replacement for Parrish, who led UM with 625 rushing yards last year. Parrish transferred back to Ole Miss, where he started his college career.
Last year, Martinez rushed for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns and was a first-team All-PAC-12 selection. He has 2,167 rushing yards and 16 scores in his college career.
Martinez earned an 83.1 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus last year. He also had an 88.1 run grade, which was 40th in the nation among running backs with 100 or more carries last year.
The Martinez commitment filled a void for the Hurricanes, who were far from done adding players in the portal.
Former Louisville linebacker Jaylin Alderman was the next to commit to Miami, announcing his decision early Sunday afternoon.
Alderman, who is entering his fourth year of college football, started 13 games at Louisville last year. The Valdosta, Georgia, native racked up 58 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks last season.
Alderman was not a touted prospect coming out of high school, earning a three-star ranking in 247Sports’ composite rankings. But he was a consistently solid linebacker last year. Alderman was one of 23 ACC linebackers who played at least 500 snaps last season.
A couple of hours later, Marshall cornerback Dyoni Hill picked Miami, giving the Hurricanes a crucial pickup at a position of need. Miami’s cornerback depth was a weakness the team had all throughout spring following the graduations of starters Jaden Davis and Te’Cory Couch and the transfer departure of Davonte Brown.
Hill, who played under UM defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and cornerbacks coach Chevis Jackson at Marshall, appeared to be a good fit in Miami’s system. Hill, a 6-foot-tall Gainesville native, played two seasons at Marshall, and last year he had 55 tackles, 10 pass breakups and an interception. He is entering his third year in college.
Let’s work 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/jRAVLUMqoD
— Hill (@DBU_Hill) April 28, 2024
Pro Football Focus gave Hill a 74.1 defensive grade last year, which was 14th in the Sun Belt among cornerbacks who played 500 or more snaps.
Houston wide receiver Sam Brown Jr. was the final addition of the weekend, announcing his commitment shortly after 8 p.m. Brown, a Savannah, Georgia, native, was an All-Big 12 honorable mention last year after notching 815 yards and three scores on 62 catches last year. Brown is beginning his third season of college football.
Brown, who is listed at 6-2 and 195 pounds, joins a talented receiving corps that includes returning veterans Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George as well as up-and-comers like Isaiah Horton, Ray Ray Joseph, Robby Washington, JoJo Trader and Ny Carr.
Miami currently has 13 incoming transfers and 23 outgoing transfers this offseason. After spring football ended, the Hurricanes had work to do to cut its roster down to meet NCAA scholarship limits. After spring football, UM had 80 scholarship players enrolled with 10 freshmen set to enroll in the summer, putting the Hurricanes five players over the limit. Since spring football ended, eight scholarship players entered the transfer portal.
#GoCanes 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/xmh3nTEYqF
— Sam Brown jr. (@playboisammy) April 29, 2024
