After two season-ending injuries, who steps up for Miami at receiver, running back?

University of Miami admin September 22, 2026 0 Comments

After two season-ending injuries, who steps up for Miami at receiver, running back?

The Miami Hurricanes’ defense has already seen its depth get tested this season.

Now, it’s the offense’s turn.

The No. 6 Hurricanes (3-0) will be without two key skill position players for the rest of the year as running back CharMar “Marty” Brown and wide receiver Josh Moore have been ruled out for the season following injuries in Miami’s 33-20 win against Wake Forest on Friday.

“This game’s brutal at times, and we all know it going into it,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said Monday. “What great guys. It just sucks. The human element of that just sucks for me.”

It extends beyond the human element. From a pure game standpoint, starting with Miami’s game against Central Michigan (2-1) on Saturday (6:30 p.m., the CW), the Hurricanes are now going to have to tap into their depth to replace these key players in Brown and Moore.

Brown, who went down with what looked like a serious right knee injury following a 32-yard run in the first half against Wake Forest, was Miami’s No. 2 running back behind starter Mark Fletcher Jr. Moore, whose injury wasn’t specified, was second on the team with 107 receiving yards and one of three players with multiple touchdown catches through the first three games of the season.

“Certainly going to miss those guys,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “They are awesome. We have confidence that we can prepare and continue to develop the ones that are in that room to go earn the same status that these guys did themselves.”

So who are those guys? Here is a look at the options available.

Wide receiver

Malachi Toney is still Miami’s undisputed No. 1 option in the pass game. He leads the team with 28 catches, 444 yards and five touchdowns but was limited in the second half against Wake Forest with an undisclosed injury.

Beyond Toney, Miami has a handful of players who are capable of producing in the passing game as they replace Moore.

That group starts with Cooper Barkate, who transferred to Miami with starting quarterback Darian Mensah from Duke. Barkate has 10 catches on the season but only 96 yards through three games.

From there, look to a combination of sophomore Daylyn Upshaw, redshirt junior and Miami’s top three freshmen in Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris and Vance Spafford.

Upshaw has seen the most playing time of the five, being on the field for 76 snaps and catching eight passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Jacobs, a South Carolina transfer, and Wingo, who was the highest-rated receiver in Miami’s 2026 recruiting class, have the ability to stretch the field like Moore. He has four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Jacobs has two catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. Spafford and Parris each has three catches, but both have primarily played when the No. 2 offense has been on the field at the end of blowouts.

“Let’s go find out,” Cristobal said. “There’s a lot of guys that can do a lot of things.”

And that extends beyond the true wide receivers. Tight end Elija Lofton was active in the pass game against Wake Forest, catching five passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Dawson said Lofton is “playing as hard as I’ve seen him play and at a very high level.”

“He got a lot of touches,” Dawson said. “Honestly probably should have gotten a couple more. … He’s going to continue making those plays. I’m excited about where he’s at.”

Running back

Fletcher remains the Hurricanes’ top player in the backfield, but Dawson likes to spread the ball around in the run game to keep the position group as fresh as possible throughout the season.

Freshman Javian Mallory has showcased early this season that he can handle a larger workload if called upon. He has rushed for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns through three games. Sophomore Girard Pringle Jr. flashed in spurts last season as well.

And while Miami lost Brown, who was their main between-the-tackles runner besides Fletcher, the group is gaining an experienced runner in junior Jordan Lyle, who was suspended the first three games following an August arrest.

Lyle, who ran for 400 yards while averaging 7.4 yards per carry as a freshman before dealing with injury most of his sophomore season, has been practicing with the team and was on the trip to Wake Forest last week.

Neither Cristobal nor Dawson would elaborate on how Lyle will fit into the running back rotation as he gets back into game action.

“We have had him in training. At the end of the day, player safety is at the forefront of everything,” Cristobal said. “We have to keep guys in condition and engaged so that if there is an opportunity to come and play again, they’re ready, and that is the case with Jordan. He’s in good shape and doing the right things so that he’ll be able to contribute to the team.”