Legacy questions tend to expose more than nostalgia. They reveal how today’s players understand the program they represent and whose standard still carries authority. Ahead of the CFP National Championship game against Indiana on January 19, Miami players were asked a legacy question. Who belongs on the Hurricanes’ Mount Rushmore. The responses revealed consensus, contradiction, and one notable omission that still carries weight in Miami history. 

Former Miami legend Ray Lewis emerged as the constant among Miami players as captured by Always College Football on January 17. DE Reuben Bain Jr. started there, then built outward. 

“I got to go with Ray Lewis,” he said before adding Greg Rousseau, followed by Sean Taylor and Devin Hester. 

LB Wesley Bissainthe did the same, naming Lewis first, then took a risk by floating current WR Malachi Toney before circling back to tradition with Cam Ward and Michael Irvin. 

Other veterans leaned harder into legacy. Akheem Mesidor went straight to Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp, and Michael Irvin. Jakore Thomas opted for Sean Taylor, Edgerrin James, Ray Lewis, and longtime assistant Mike Rumph, a nod to internal program impact over national fame. Francis Mauigoa stayed conventional with Lewis, Reed, Irvin, and Bryant McKinnie. Mark Fletcher Jr. mixed eras entirely, naming Sean Taylor, DeeJay Dallas, Ed Reed, and closing again with Lewis. Every list bent differently but every list circled back to Ray Lewis.

That unanimity is earned. Ray Lewis arrived at Miami in 1993 and forced his way into the lineup as a freshman, starting the final five games and posting 81 tackles. By his sophomore year, he led the Big East with 153 tackles and anchored the nation’s top-ranked defense. As a junior, he finished with 160 tackles, second-most in program history, and was runner-up for the Butkus Award. He left after three seasons with the fifth-most tackles in school history and no debate attached.

Michael Irvin’s resume includes 3x All-American, centerpiece of the 1987 national title team, and author of one of the most decisive touchdowns in Miami history against Florida State. He set school records with 143 receptions, 2,423 yards, and 26 touchdowns before leaving early for the NFL, where he became a Hall of Famer and 3x Super Bowl champion. Yet his legacy now seems shared rather than singular.

The irony is that Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis remain visibly invested. Both were on the sideline for Miami’s Cotton Bowl win, embracing as the Hurricanes pulled away 24-14. Miami is now closer to a national title than it has been since 1991. The present is rising fast. And with legacy debates simmering, the current team has already shifted its focus forward.

Miami is locked in and tuned out ahead of national championship game 

While South Florida has ramped up into full championship frenzy, Miami has retreated inward. Players and coaches already arrived at a Miami Beach hotel before their short trip to Hard Rock Stadium for the CFP title game against undefeated Indiana. The Canes enter the game as the underdog once again. The top-ranked Hoosiers are currently favored by 8.5 points, continuing a postseason trend that has followed the Hurricanes through every round. 

“Stay true to who we are, battle adversity with great maturity like we do with every game,” WR CJ Daniels said. “I think we’ll come out on top, you know, just the way we play, Coach Cristobal said, it’s about us.”

The challenge is Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner who has been the engine of the Hoosiers’ run. He threw eight TDs in their two playoff wins, including five in a 56-22 semifinal rout of Oregon. 

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Miami QB Carson Beck said the team has treated outside chatter as irrelevant. 

“We don’t really listen to the outside noise,” he said. “That keeps us locked in and keeps us focused.”

Despite being the lower seed, Miami will play on its home field. The Hurricanes went 7-1 at Hard Rock Stadium during the regular season, a quiet advantage in a game marketed as neutral. Head coach Mario Cristobal emphasized process over moment as the team boarded the bus.

“We’re process-oriented,” he said. “Let’s just get to work.”

For a program steeped in history, that mindset fits. Miami knows its Mount Rushmore. But now is the time to carve space for the present.