The 2024 season is on the horizon and fall camp is right around the corner. Hurricanes fans hope to see a major step forward in Year 3 of the Mario Cristobal era.
With Miami adding talent through high school recruiting and the transfer portal, UM appears poised to be a major contender in the ACC this season.
This summer, we will take a look at a different position group each week to see who departed, who arrived and who should have big impacts this year.
Last week, we previewed the Hurricanes’ safeties as UM looks to fill the void left by Kam Kinchens and James Williams. This week, we preview the final group of players: the specialists.
Who departed
The Hurricanes lost just one specialist player in the offseason: long-snapper Justin Wood, who was part of UM’s practice squad last year.
However, Miami lost one key player who contributed significantly on special teams: wide receiver Brashard Smith.
Smith was the Hurricanes’ top kick returner, making 20 returns for 579 yards and a crucial kick-return touchdown in UM’s win over Texas A&M.
Smith, like several other Miami players over the last few years, transferred to SMU to play for former UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.
Who returned
The Hurricanes brought back their key specialists from last year: kicker Andy Borregales and punter Dylan Joyce.
Borregales continued his strong Miami career with 22 field goals on 26 attempts. He hit all of his field goals of 30 yards or fewer, nine out of 10 from 30-39 yards, four of five from 40-49 yards and four of six from 50-plus yards. Pro Football Focus gave him a 92.3 field-goal grade, which was fifth in the nation. Borregales also notched 44 of his 45 extra points.
The senior kicker has also excelled at kickoffs. He had 45 touchbacks on 75 attempts, and he earned an 84.4 kickoff grade. That was 24th in the nation.
For his efforts, Borregales was named to the All-ACC first team.
Joyce had a solid first season as Miami’s punter after taking over for fellow Australian Lou Hedley.
The freshman punter had a net-punt average of 41.9 yards per punt with 17 falling inside the opposing 20-yard line.
Joyce had a 79.1 punting grade from Pro Football Focus, which was 17th in the nation. He was an All-ACC honorable mention.
Miami also has key kick and punt returners coming back. Star wide receiver Xavier Restrepo returned seven punts and two kicks, and sophomore Ray Ray Joseph returned nine kickoffs and two punts.
Who arrived
Abram Murray is the one designated specialist who joins the team this year. The freshman kicker from Louisiana was listed as the No. 7 kicker in the 2024 class in 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Murray was rated the No. 6 kicker nationally by Kohl’s Kickin was picked for the Shreveport Times Elite 11.
The Hurricanes also added a freshman defender who starred on special teams in high school: Chaminade-Madonna safety Zaquan Patterson. The standout defensive back was a weapon on punt-blocking plays. He had five punt blocks in 2022 and a blocked kick in 2023, earning a spot on the Sun Sentinel Broward County small-schools first-team each year.
