July Miami Hurricanes Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 2 WR Xavier Restrepo

CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster based on projected production, and today we’re at No. 2, Xavier Restrepo .

THE BIG PICTURE

You want a guy who is one of the hardest to cover off the line in the nation? Look no further than the quick, shifty Xavier Restrepo. The 5-10, 198 slot receiver broke out in a big way last season with 1,092 yards on 85 receptions. He’s tough to get on the ground after he catches the ball, and his catch radius is enormous for his frame. Plus QB Cam Ward formed a good connection with him this spring, so Restrepo could be on the verge of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. It also will help that Miami has other talented WRs, preventing defenses from solely worrying about Restrepo.

JULY PLAYER PERFORMANCE INDEX: No. 30 Elijah Alston , No. 29 Josh Horton , No. 28 Raul Aguirre … No. 27 D’yoni Hill … No. 26 Samson Okunlola … No. 25 Jaden Harris … No. 24 Markeith Williams … No. 23 Akheem Mesidor … No. 22 Jaylin Alderman … No. 21 Damari Brown … No. 20 Wesley Bissainthe … No. 19 Simeon Barrow/CJ Clark … No. 18. Elijah Arroyo … No. 17. Sam Brown … No. 16 Elija Lofton … No. 15 Zach Carpenter … No. 14 Tyler Baron … No. 13 Mishael Powell … No. 12 Dylan Joyce … No. 11 Francis Mauigoa … No. 10 Daryl Porter, Jr. … No. 9 Anez Cooper … No. 8 Jacolby George … No. 7 Andy Borregales … No. 6 Jalen Rivers … No. 5 Francisco Mauigoa … No. 4 Damien Martinez … No. 3 Rueben Bain

THE ANALYSIS

Restrepo never had more than 373 yards in a season prior to his 1,092 breakout 2023 campaign in which he ranked No. 19 in the nation in receiving yards . It probably helped that roommate/best friend QB Tyler Van Dyke was almost constantly looking his way, but it goes without saying that Restrepo was constantly able to wiggle free of defenders and make plays. With Cam Ward now on board and his NFL arm talent, Restrepo could be in line for even bigger numbers. As for Restrepo’s PFF grades? He had the best overall grade on the team at 87.4 percent, including an elite 89.0 receiving grade. He was noted with just four drops and 4.2 yards after the catch. He was a backup his first two seasons at Miami (nine games off the bench in 2020, 373 yards in 2021), then in ’22 wound up starting two games prior to injury and played off the bench in five others when he returned. Restrepo had a disappointing 21 catches for 240 yards and two TDs that year. So really a great jump up showcasing his ability and production this past season.

THE PROJECTION

We see no reason Restrepo won’t again crack the 1,000-yard mark, with perhaps the only caveat that the offense has a lot of playmakers and we’ll see if he still gets the 119 targets of a year ago. You could see this spring that Ward was developing a lot of trust in Restrepo, and it probably helped that the WR came up with some acrobatic catches. When it’s one-on-one coverage you’re going to find Restrepo winning that battle the vast majority of the time. Jacolby George and Houston transfer Sam Brown both had over 800 yards receiving last year, so they’ll take some pressure off Restrepo.

THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP

There isn’t much of a jump needed – just keep showing the dominance he did this spring when he regularly beat nickel Mishael Powell one-on-one. There really isn’t any weakness in Restrepo’s game, and he’s going to be a handful for any nickel to deal with. A tireless worker, his work ethic also rubs off on others on the team. He’s a guy that is constantly putting in the extra work, and the results consistently show on the field.

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