How Canes who enrolled at Louisville, other ACC schools, are doing. And UM personnel notes

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Wednesday:

▪ More than 2,000 college football players transferred to FBS programs before the 2024 season.

So it’s no surprise that several former Canes are scattered across the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Eight members of UM’s 2023 team now suit up for other ACC schools, and Miami will see two of them — running back Don Chaney Jr. and tight end Jaleel Skinner — when UM plays at Louisville on Saturday (noon, ABC).

Neither Chaney nor Skinner has made a significant impact with the Cardinals.

Chaney has 33 carries for 110 yards, a subpar 3.3 average, to go along with five catches for 43 yards. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 175 rushing attempts in 14 games at UM, through three injury-marred seasons.

Skinner, rated one of the top tight ends in the 2022 recruiting class, entered the portal last December, after playing just 170 snaps and catching 10 passes in two years at Miami.

He has played only 18 offensive snaps for Louisville and has one reception for 4 yards.

So the Louisville grass hasn’t been particularly greener for Chaney and Skinner, who left because they didn’t expect to play much at UM this season.

The six others who played for UM last year and are now with other ACC schools: Virginia Tech linebacker Kaleb Spencer (one sack, one interception); FSU cornerback Davonte Brown (12 tackles, no interceptions in five games); Georgia Tech defensive lineman Thomas Gore (four tackles in seven games) and three players on SMU — running back Brashard Smith and defensive linemen Jared Harrison-Hunte and Jahfari Harvey.

Smith — who was primarily a receiver and occasional runner at UM — has moved full-time to running back and has been the best of UM’s in-conference transfer departures. He’s averaging 6.8 yards per rush on 83 carries, along with 14 receptions and eight touchdowns.

Harrison-Hunte has 16 tackles, an interception and a sack. And Harvey has 10 tackles and a sack for SMU.

▪ As Xavier Restrepo closes in on UM’s all-time record for receiving yards, coach Mario Cristobal told WQAM’s Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr. this week that “I don’t see anyone out there better in the country. He doesn’t get enough credit for the blocking he does. He is just tough. Look at that [catch against California] in the middle. He knows he’s going to get whacked. He makes sure he gets [the ball] tucked.”

Restrepo’s 2,465 career receiving yards rank third all time at UM, behind only Reggie Wayne (2,510) and Santana Moss (2,547).

▪ Cristobal, whose team is 6-0, said of 4-2 Louisville: “To date, they’ll be the best defense we play and the best team we play.”

He said Louisville coach Jeff Brohm “may be the best play-caller in the country. They’re really difficult to prepare for because they have a really large menu.”

Louisville is 22nd in total offense, 23rd in scoring offense, 32nd in scoring defense and 43rd in total defense.

Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough threw 16 touchdowns and six interceptions for Oregon in 2019 and 2020, when Cristobal coached the Ducks.

This season at Louisville, he has 14 TDs and three INTs. “When we were at Oregon, he led us to a conference championship,” Cristobal said. “He can do it all.”

▪ Kudos to UM linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, who has morphed from a pretty good player to a very good one. Pro Football Focus grades him as the best linebacker in ACC this year.

“He’s playing at a really high level,” Cristobal said. “His body has changed; his mind-set has changed. He’s a member of the leadership council. To see him grow and become such a great player is really awesome.”

On Saturday, UM will face Louisville’s Stanquan Clark, the ACC’s No. 2-rated linebacker, per PFF’s grading system. Clark, a Miami Central alum, picked the Cardinals over UM and others in the summer of 2022.

▪ On his podcast, ESPN’s Kevin Clark’s asked Cristobal what he will tell NFL teams about quarterback Cam Ward.

Among other things, Cristobal said: “His mind-set is that of a linebacker who is trying to kick your [butt] on every single play. He’s an alpha dog…. He wants to do nothing but win. Disinterest in personnel accolades. He holds himself to really high standards.

“I hope when the NFL watches tape, they [know] he came back to college to prove himself that he can lead a team to be a winner. His past history, always playing from behind, supporting cast wasn’t up to a certain level.”

▪ It doesn’t seem to matter when opponents blitz Ward; he’s torching them regardless.

When he’s not blitzed this year, Ward has a 124.5 passer rating using the NFL’s formula: 90 completions in 127 attempts for 1,331 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.

When he’s blitzed, he has a 124.0 passer rating: 58 completions in 87 attempts for 888 yards, 10 TDs and three INTs.