The Canes have a number of candidates to see their names go up into the rafters in Coral Gables.
The Miami Hurricanes
have a long tradition of storied All-Americans in their history. From Ted Hendricks to Warren Sapp to Ray Lewis to Ed Reed, the Hurricanes' practice facility has some of the greatest names in football history on display. The program puts first-team All-American honorees
in the rafters of their practice facility.
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Who are the top five candidates on the current roster to potentially join those great names in the near future? Let's take a look.
5) EDGE Damon Wilson II
Wilson was one of the top, most proven commodities in the transfer portal last cycle. He came to Coral Gables off a second-team All-SEC season in 2025 where he totaled nine sacks for the Missouri Tigers
. That's a pretty strong base to be able to spring from to the next level.
With how Jason Taylor helped develop Rueben Bain, Jr. and Akheem Mesidor
into first round picks, it's not hard to imagine what he could do with Wilson's lofty skills. The drop off might not be much, if any this year off the edge, and if that happens, Wilson could be set to get a lot of accolades.
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I talked recently about Fitzgerald's potential to break out
from freshman standout to a big name on the national scene. And well within his ceiling is first team All-American honors. His instincts are second to none, particularly for a young player, and he should continue to ascend this year.
Miami had a first-team All-American safety in Kamren Kinchens
back in 2022. Fitzgerald's time could come before he leaves Coral Gables.
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Some might be expecting to see Mensah a tad bit higher here, but I'm putting him third based in part upon the competition at the position, particularly with names like Dante Moore
, Trinidad Chambliss
, and Arch Manning
to contend with.
That said, Mensah has a true Heisman ceiling, and with him under center, I think Miami's offense is going to look a lot more like the 2024 version with Cam Ward
than we saw last year from the Hurricanes' blunt-force-trauma ground game. Miami will still run the ball plenty, don't get me wrong, but OC Shannon Dawson has a potentially elite talent in Mensah to work with here.
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Ward's 2024 school records could be in play by the end of the year, and if that's the case, it would be an All-American-worthy year from Mensah.
2) DT Ahmad Moten, Sr.
You'll be hard pressed to find a better interior defender in the country this year. The Hurricanes' defensive line was dominant last year, and while Moten delivered his fair share of that success, a large portion of credit went to the Hurricanes' dynamic edge duo of Bain and Mesidor.
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This year, folks around the country could be set to find out that Miami's interior is going to be really, really tough to control, and that could help Moten get his due when the awards are voted on.
Who else?
With his varied skill set and usage as a wide receiver, runner, punt returner, and even at times quarterback, Toney has multiple path to All-American honors. He will garner consideration at both wide receiver and all purpose. That versatility gives him an advantage over everyone else on this list.
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Last year, Toney came up just short of AP first team honors, earning second-team All-American honors as a wide receiver despite serving as the offensive engine to Miami's trip to the national title game. This year, Toney should take that next step to first team honors. And if he does, it could also help Miami take that additional step to returning to the top of the college football world.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Ranking the Miami Hurricanes' top 5 All-American candidates heading into the 2026 college football season
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