“Everything is ahead of schedule, and we’re excited about his progress. He’s got a high football IQ, understands the game, and just has a natural presence about him.” Mario Cristobal, the Miami head coach, might see everything going ahead of schedule with Carson Beck, but the truth is, the player hasn’t thrown in the spring practices, and there’s a mountain of pressure on him to perform. And amid all the pressure are the criticisms that Beck might not be as talented as Cam Ward. Add to that the $4 million tag and you just got the recipe that resembles nothing less than playing with fire. So, to counter all of this and make his ‘Carson Beck‘ dream a reality, the head coach is doing what he does best: bringing players in to bolster Beck’s season.

Mario Cristobal isn’t just building his team this season, he’s preparing for war. The head coach has never shied away from using his NIL money, enabling him to land big-name prospects like Carson Beck and Xavier Lucas. Interestingly, Lucas’s transfer brought wider scrutiny for Cristobal as Wisconsin accused the head coach of poaching and tampering, but the head coach? He might be living by Tywin Lannister’s motto, “A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep.” So for now, the head coach is going all-out attack in the transfer market.

As per ESPN’s report in 2022, the program had invested $100 million in athletics, with its major chunk going to football. The result? In came James Brockermeyer from TCU, Ethan O’Connor landed in Miami from Washington State, Charles Brantley came from MSU, CJ Daniels from LSU, and Zechariah Poyser from Jacksonville State. Mind you, all of these transfers are top-notch, and all of the players are expected to perform at their full potential. But the head coach, even after landing 19 transfers, has said, ‘Not enough.’

According to Geo Millan, a Canes insider, Mario Cristobal is closing in on a top linebacker portal prospect, Mohamed Toure. The insider picked Miami to be the spot for the top linebacker prospect from Rutgers, as he said, “I have placed the pick in for Miami to land Mohamed Toure, and I think he would bring just a lot of impact to Miami’s team.” Milan even praised the talent and the experience Toure will bring to Miami as he ended by saying, “He has a lot of talent that he went up against, and he really looked the part. So, yes, I do like where Miami is trending there.”

Mohamed Toure will come to Miami in a linebacker room that is brimming with talent. It had players like Wesley Bissainthe (59 tackles, 2024) and Raul Aguirre (27 tackles, 2024). Apart from them, the depth is also immense, as Kamal Bonner (56 tackles, 2024) just came from NC State, and Cam Pruitt, among others, is bolstering the room. Even in the presence of these players, Mohamed Toure has the talent to emerge as the leader.

The 6’2″ and 236 lb. linebacker had an incredible 2023 season with Rutgers, where he totaled 92 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Even if we keep these stats aside, his performance against Ohio State in 2023 was undoubtedly remarkable as he emerged as the leader of the defense with 8 tackles, 4 solo tackles, and a sack on Kyle McCord, even if the team lost. Sure, Toure’s 2024 season was marred by injuries as he missed the season, but Geo Milan now said that “everything is medically cleared there.” So if Cristobal finally lands him, it will be a massive coup for Miami’s defense.

$2 million deal finally seal Jackson Cantwell’s commitment to Miami?

The 2025 class may be looking shiny and star-studded for Mario Cristobal, but the head coach isn’t stopping at 2025. He is also making moves to make the 2026 class even better, as the class is currently ranked 11th nationally on On3. So far, the head coach has landed 9 commitments with big names like Jordan Campbell, ranked 7th LB, and Jaelen Waters, ranked 17th CB. But the head coach is aggressively after the 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell and may well land him with his shiny $2 million offer.

As per On3’s Pete Nakos, the Hurricanes are reportedly willing to offer NIL money upwards of $2 million for Jackson’s commitment to their program. “Miami has the most lucrative first-year deal on the table for 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell, sitting around the $2M mark.” On3’s official Instagram account shared the update. Nakos even said, “When he put out his original commitment date, I think he was gonna go to Miami.” So, what does this mean for other teams like Oregon and Georgia, who were in the race?

Well, Steven Wilfong still believes that Georgia might have some edge over Miami despite the $2 million on the table. But let’s be real here. This is the NIL world where money rules, and prospects know that even coaches know that. The Dawgs have lagged behind for many years in the NIL scenario, and maybe this time, if Kirby Smart doesn’t play his cards well, he could even lose this player, too.