January 19 was supposed to belong entirely to Indiana. Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers had just capped a historic run by claiming the program’s first-ever national championship. But Miami… instead of absorbing the loss, pockets of Hurricanes fans drew fresh criticism for their conduct around the stadium and tailgate areas. CBS Sports’ Tricia Whitaker, who is an Indiana alum, shot a harsh attack at Miami fans while also rubbing some salt in their wounds.

“Unpopular opinion and I will absolutely wear it: Miami fans in the tailgate lots, as well as stadium, were classless, rude, and aggressively out of pocket,” Whitaker wrote on X. “Midwesterners had nothing to say you to except OPE!! WE WON. Thanks for hosting. We’ll take the championship. Checkmate.”

Multiple attendees echoed similar experiences in the replies, reinforcing a reputation that Miami’s fanbase has struggled to shake for years. Hurricanes supporters have long been accused of hostile and unsportsmanlike behavior, with incidents ranging from verbal abuse to physical altercations. A 2024 Sportshandle survey ranked Miami as the seventh-most annoying fanbase in the country, while Bleacher Report flagged them for similar reasons as far back as 2011. Reports from past games have included allegations of tire-slashing, parking-lot fights, and even Hurricanes fans admitting online that they avoid bringing children to games because of the environment.

Former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter added fuel to the criticism following Miami’s loss.

“Miami fans are the worst,” he said on the Bobby Carpenter Show. “I call them, you know, the Walmart Miami fans: going to buy the gear, and they like Michael Irwin’s craziness over there, the thug life stuff they used to have, their edge. Whatever, man, they don’t have any real fans for the last 20 years. No one’s been buying their c**p.”

Carpenter’s comments may carry some personal bias, Miami derailed Ohio State’s bid to defend its 2024 national title, but the scene inside Hard Rock Stadium during the championship did little to contradict his broader point. Hoosier fans noticeably outnumbered Miami supporters in the stands, and a visible portion of Hurricanes fans left before the game had concluded, even as Indiana closed out an undefeated 16–0 season. The postgame sequence only deepened the scrutiny.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck became the focal point of postgame criticism after walking off the field without acknowledging Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. As both teams lingered on the field for interviews and celebrations, Beck crossed Hard Rock Stadium surrounded by Miami staff before turning toward the tunnel, bypassing the customary postgame handshake. The moment briefly threatened to distract from Indiana’s historic night, until Mendoza, visibly emotional, stayed behind to thank opponents, teammates, Curt Cignetti, and the media. The contrast was hard to ignore.

While Beck exited, Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. sought Mendoza out for a postgame hug, even as reports later surfaced of Fletcher being involved in a brief altercation with a Hoosier player. Online reaction centered less on Beck’s stat line: 19-of-32 for 232 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and more on optics, with fans labeling the exit “classless,” as well. Once projected as a potential top NFL pick, Beck now enters the 2026 draft cycle with Day 2 expectations, a slide made more visible by how the night ended.

The losing QB can still be allowed some leeway, but fans who turned extreme can’t be excused. And, it doesn’t help that Miami’s own alumni bolster that image.

Warren Sapp allegedly started fights with Hoosier Fans

Former Canes icon Warren Sapp stirred a controversy of his own ahead of the National Championship.

Sapp, who is currently part of Deion Sanders’ coaching staff at Colorado, had multiple witnesses accuse him of disruptive behavior around Hard Rock Stadium during the national championship. Indiana alum Zander Diamont alleged on social media that Sapp was intoxicated and attempting to provoke confrontations at an Indiana tailgate, including with women. Another attendee accused Sapp on social media of inappropriate and threatening behavior toward Indiana fans during the tailgate, further alleging intoxication.

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No video evidence has emerged substantiating the most serious allegations, but the accusations themselves gained traction online and were repeatedly raised in replies to Sapp’s own posts about the game. The reaction was intensified by Sapp’s stature within the sport. A former No. 12 overall pick, four-time First-Team All-Pro, and Super Bowl XXXVII champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sapp played 13 NFL seasons and remains one of Miami’s most prominent representatives.

All in all, rather than ending with Indiana’s historic title, the night again drew attention to Miami’s lingering image issues. The Miami fanbase has to try to better their image, considering the momentum the program is on despite the loss in the National Championship.