Just a little over a month ago, the Miami Hurricanes made history by reaching the College Football National Championship game for the first time since 2003. That momentum, however, was halted by the Indiana Hoosiers right in the Hurricanes’ backyard. On top of that blow came Matt Merritt’s move to the Arizona Cardinals, leaving a vacancy at running backs coach. But that search now appears to have reached a happy ending.

Miami is bringing $6.8 billion Denver Broncos quality control assistant Favian Upshaw as its running backs coach. What is even more interesting is that Upshaw already has a history with Miami’s head coach. He signed with the FIU Panthers when Mario Cristobal was its head coach.

His college football coaching journey started back in 2021, when Upshaw joined Georgia Southern as its running backs coach. During that time, his team averaged 192.5 rushing yards per game. Such an average becomes crucial when we take into account that Miami averaged 151.8 rushing yards per game last year. Upshaw’s presence can help the rushing unit see a major surge.

The 32-year-old helped Broncos running backs coach Lou Ayeni develop undrafted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin, who later posted 189 rushing attempts for 906 yards with two touchdowns and 55 receptions for 236 yards. McLaughlin finished third on the club for rushing yards after J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. So, you can understand how well he can develop stars like Mark Fletcher, Girard Pringle Jr., and Jordan Lyle on Mario Cristobal’s team.

Before joining the NFL team, he returned to Tulane in 2022 as its offensive analyst and quarterback coach. He also worked there as its graduate assistant from 2018 to 19; it was the same time when the team won back-to-back bowl games.

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During his time with the Broncos, the Georgia Southern alum used to work closely with the offensive staff and the running back team, owing to which he also got a chance to interview for the wide receiver coach opening.

But he chose to come to Miami.

What works essentially in Upshaw’s favor is that he will have an upper hand with a stable Hurricanes running back room. Fletcher Jr. finished his extraordinary season, rushing 75 times for 507 yards in 4 playoff games, the most in college football playoff history, and also scored three touchdowns. Then he also has CharMar Brown, who was a valuable backup with 122 rushes for 474 yards and nine touchdowns.

While that’s that, filling Matt Merritt’s shoes might be a challenging issue. After taking the Miami Hurricanes to 71st nationally in rushing yards per game this season, it was clear that some of the talent and coaching staff would move to the next level. And with that, the Hurricanes have now sent one of the best running back coaches in the country to the NFL, as posted by Pete Thamel on X on February 5.

Merritt is the second UM assistant coach to leave the staff this offseason. Tight ends coach Cody Woodiel departed to take a position on Pete Golding’s staff at Ole Miss.

With the running back room looking stable, Mario Cristobal is also eyeing a major 2027 class recruit.

Mario Cristobal is building momentum with the 2027 class recruits

With the spring game approaching, Miami is making sure to pull up its recruiting game. A major focus for the program is its 2027 recruiting class, and it already has its eyes set on Opa Locka’s wide receiver Nick Lennear. He has even displayed a strong interest in Miami, as he scheduled an official visit for May 29.

With Lennear, they are also targeting five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews. The momentum keeps increasing for both, as Rivals insider Chad Simmons explained the entire situation.

“Just like (Mark) Matthews, Miami’s been setting the pace in this race even longer,” Simmons said. “I think a year-plus for Nick Lennear. People are just kind of waiting to see when he commits to the University of Miami.”

What adds up to Lennear’s interest in Miami is his love for it. A video of him went viral after he celebrated Miami’s win over Ole Miss. For now, he has 21 offers from top teams like Georgia, Florida State, and Indiana. But all signs are pointing straight at Miami. So, let’s wait and see if Mario Cristobal is able to grab his commitment or not.