The University of Miami opened fall camp Aug. 4 at Greentree Practice Fields in Coral Gables with a roster loaded with preseason honors and a locker room still stinging from January's 27-21 loss to Indiana in the CFP Championship Game.

Six Hurricanes spoke publicly about the team's mindset heading into roughly four weeks of preparation before the Sept. 4 opener at Stanford. The theme was unanimous: tune out the noise, hold each other accountable and finish what last year's 13-3 squad could not.

"I can't wait to go and put on the pads," quarterback Darian Mensah said, according to the team's official athletics site. "It feels like I haven't done it in forever. Yeah, the excitement levels are high in this building."

Seven Hurricanes Land on the Preseason All-ACC Team

Mensah, a transfer from Duke, enters camp as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He is one of seven Hurricanes on the preseason All-ACC team, joined by running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (1,192 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns in 2025), sophomore receiver Malachi Toney (1,622 all-purpose yards, 11 touchdowns, ACC Rookie of the Year), defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (team-high six interceptions), defensive lineman Ahmad Moten Sr., offensive lineman Samson Okunlola and linebacker Mohamed Toure. Toney alone earned three All-ACC nods as a receiver, all-purpose player and specialist.

Miami was voted the preseason ACC favorite.

Fitzgerald said he views the returning expectations as motivation, not pressure, adding that hearing people tell him he has to repeat his freshman production gets him fueled up every day. Toney, now a sophomore, said the older receivers who left passed the leadership torch to him and he intends to do the same for the younger players in the room.

Moten Returns Healthy After Injury Cut Short His CFP Run

Moten totaled 31 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025 before an injury ended his CFP run. He was limited to meetings and non-contact work through spring drills. He's healthy now. In a Miami Herald story published Aug. 3 about transfer defensive end Damon Wilson II, Moten said the defensive line plans to "rush our asses off" alongside its new addition.

Offensive Linemen Point to Player-Led Culture Under Cristobal

Offensive linemen Matthew McCoy and Ryan Rodriguez emphasized the player-led culture head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal have built. McCoy called camp "the season for us," saying the daily grind dictates what the fall will look like. Rodriguez urged teammates to block out both praise and criticism, stay neutral and keep working.

The Hurricanes' next public milestone is the Sept. 4 trip to Stanford.