A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Wednesday:
▪ The University of Miami made a decision last year to stand in support of the Atlantic Coast Conference and not follow FSU and Clemson in legally challenging an agreement that would require them to pay more than half a billion dollars in fees to leave the conference any time in the next 12 years.
UM’s decision already seemed prudent because it might not be a winnable lawsuit.
It seems even more prudent now amid two developments this week:
1). Longtime college football writer Brett McMurphy reported Tuesday that FSU would not have an invitation from the Southeastern Conference or Big 10 if the Seminoles bolt the ACC.
2). A source with direct knowledge reiterated to the Miami Herald this week that UM has no standing invitation to join the SEC or Big 10. (Also, social media speculation linking UM to the Big 12 is unfounded.)
That doesn’t rule out either the SEC or Big 10 eventually inviting UM if the ACC surprisingly implodes before the “Grant of Rights” media deal that essentially binds schools to the conference ends in 2036.
But UM knows that there’s no point in antagonizing the ACC by filing a dubious lawsuit (as FSU and Clemson have done) when there’s clearly no better situation available to them now.
McMurphy reported on Action Network that “if/when the Seminoles break free from the ACC, their top choices would be to join the Big Ten or SEC because of the huge difference in television media rights revenue, sources said.
“However, there are multiple concerns about adding Florida State, sources said. Those reasons include the fact that it doesn’t make financial sense for either league [and] there’s no appetite for more expansion.”
McMurphy said three SEC presidents told him that they had “no interest” in adding FSU, and it requires 12 of the 16 SEC presidents to approve adding another school. He added that several sources were not convinced they could “trust” FSU in light of their antagonistic approach with the ACC.
McMurphy adds if “the ACC no longer exists and the floodgates open, allowing a mass exodus from the ACC, North Carolina and Virginia would be highly sought after by the SEC and Big Ten, sources said.”
Barring some unexpected change of heart, UM has no intention of taking the ACC to court, a source has told The Miami Herald.
UM athletic director Dan Radakovich said in March: “Here at the University of Miami we are incredibly solid with the ACC.”
The growing disenchantment of FSU and Clemson stems largely from the widening revenue disparity between the ACC and the SEC/Big 10. Strategy and analytics consultant Tony Altimore estimated the annual media revenue for teams in the ACC, SEC and Big 10 once the new 14-team College Football Playoff deal kicks in, in 2026.
From 2026 through 2030, he said each Big 10 team will receive $96 million in media revenue rights annually, and each SEC team will receive $89 million. Notre Dame will be at $80 million, which each ACC school will pocket $52 million annually, Altimore says.
The revenue disparity grew wider in recent months with the finalization of the revamped College Football Playoff. Beginning in 2026, each Big Ten and SEC team will earn more than $21 million annually under the new agreement, while ACC teams will earn just over $13 million annually from the CFP.
If the ACC falls apart, the Big 10 is viewed by some inside UM as a more realistic option than the SEC, though all of this is fluid.
For now, UM remains loyal to the ACC, and that’s a sensible approach.
▪ The Canes, who have been on a recruiting roll for weeks, are eagerly awaiting Wednesday’s decision by five-star Zephyrhills cornerback DJ Pickett, who will pick among UM, Oregon and LSU at 7 p.m. on On3.com.
247 Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy predicts he will pick Oregon.
He’s rated by 247 as the No. 9 player and No. 3 cornerback in the class. The Canes were the first school to offer him, under Manny Diaz.
On Thursday, Newberry (Fla.) three-star defensive tackle Jarquez Carter will pick among UM, Ohio State and Penn State.
▪ EA Sports’ College Football 25 debuted this week, with the Canes slotted among the top 25 teams.
The game identifies right tackle Francis Mauigoa as UM’s strongest player and running back Chris Johnson Jr. as the team’s fastest player.
▪ Miami Columbus High power forward Cameron Boozer, the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 class, remains in play for UM. Joe Tipton, on.3.com’s college basketball recruiting newbreaker, offered this update this week:
“The 6-9 power forward out of Columbus High (FL) and son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer has had a pretty straightforward recruitment, containing mainly the same schools. To keep things simple, Miami has consistently been the school receiving the most buzz. Duke remains in the mix and Florida is a dark horse.
“Cameron will likely play college basketball with his twin brother, Cayden, one of the top point guards in the class.”
▪ Quick stuff: Alonzo Highsmith, who left his role as the UM football general manager earlier this year, was officially announced Tuesday as a senior personnel executive for the New England Patriots. Highsmith, who has been working for the Patriots for months, joins executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Matt Groh at the top of the hierarchy in the Patriots’ personnel department....
Washington Wizards rookie Kyshawn George, who left UM after one season, has shown flashes this summer, averaging 10.5 points and shooting 44.4 percent on threes in Las Vegas Summer League … Former UM standout Jordan Miller is making a case for a roster spot with the Clippers; he had 36 points and five rebounds and 21 points and five rebounds in his past two games in the Las Vegas Summer League.
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