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Hurricanes position preview: Malachi Toney, Dylan Joyce highlight special-teams units
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- Hurricanes position preview: Malachi Toney, Dylan Joyce highlight special-teams units
The Hurricanes' season opener against Stanford is less than two months away, and Miami's roster is set for the upcoming season.
The Hurricanes are coming off their best season in decades, going 10-2 in the regular season before winning three College Football Playoff games and reaching their first national championship game since the 2002 season.
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Expectations are high for the 2026 season, and we have spent the summer looking at each Miami position group.
Last week, we previewed Miami's safeties. The final position preview of the summer is a look at UM's special teams.
Who left
For the second year in a row, the Hurricanes will need a new kicker.
After Andy Borregales left for the NFL following the 2024 season, UM added two transfers: Bert Auburn and Carter Davis . Both departed after one season at Miami.
Davis, a Fort Lauderdale native and Western High alum, won the starting job for his one season with the Hurricanes, and he was solid in the role. The FAU transfer made 17 of his 24 field-goal attempts, scoring from as far as 53 yards away. He made all of his extra-point attempts.
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Davis struggled in the playoffs, missing three field goals during a windy playoff game at Texas A&M and missing one of his two attempts against Ole Miss.
Pro Football Focus gave Davis an 81.2 field-goal grade, which was 43rd nationally and eighth in the ACC among kickers with 20 or more attempts.
Davis also excelled at kickoffs, getting touchbacks on 86 of his 94 kickoffs. He had a 94.5 kickoff grade, which was the best in the nation among kickers with 50 or more kickoffs.
Auburn played sparingly, making his one field-goal attempt.
The Hurricanes also lost their primary kick returner, Keelan Marion . The wide receiver had 12 returns for 293 yards. A 38-yard return against Pittsburgh was his longest of the year.
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Who returns
Miami brings back two potential key players on special teams. One is a star, while the other is not as well known.
Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney became a national star for his performance as a wide receiver (and occasional quarterback) last season. But he was also a solid punt returner. He returned 23 punts for 290 yards. Toney did not score on a return, but he had a seasonlong 55-yard return in the playoffs against Texas A&M that he nearly turned into a score.
Toney is back for his sophomore season. The Hurricanes may not want to risk an injury by having Toney continue to return punts, but he has proven he can do it well.
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If the Hurricanes do not use Toney to return punts, they could turn to a freshman receiver like Vance Spafford or Somourian Wingo.
On the flip side, the Hurricanes also return senior punter Dylan Joyce. The veteran punter had 54 punts and averaged 44.4 yards, which was a career-best. He pinned opponents inside their 20-yard lines 23 times.
PFF gave Joyce an 82.5 punting grade last season, which was fourth nationally among punters with 50 or more kicks.
Miami needs to replace Marion as its primary kick returner. Junior running back Jordan Lyle is one option who could fill the role. He returned three kicks in 2024.
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Who arrived
Like in 2025, the Hurricanes added two kickers via the transfer portal to fill the void. UM added FSU kicker Jake Weinberg and Northwestern kicker Jack Olsen . The Hurricanes could opt to use both kickers during the season.
Olsen is a veteran kicker entering his sixth season of college football. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention at Northwestern last season after making 19 of his 21 field-goal attempts. He made all but one extra point.
Olsen specialized in short-range kicks, with his longest kick coming from 41 yards. His longest field goal is 47 yards. PFF gave Olsen an 80.4 field-goal grade.
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Weinberg, an American Heritage-Delray alum, was less accurate. The redshirt sophomore made 12 of 19 field goals he attempted in 2025, and he hit all of his extra points. Weinberg had two misses on 30-39-yard kicks, three misses on six attempts from 40-49 yards and missed both of his kicks from 50 or more yards. He had a 74.9 field-goal grade.
Olsen did not do kickoffs for Northwestern last season, but Weinberg did them at Florida State. He forced touchbacks on 56 of 64 kickoffs, earning an 87.8 kickoff grade (21st nationally among kickers with 50 or more kickoffs).
