Michael Irvin has never been shy about hyping up his alma mater. So when the Hall of Fame wide receiver told On3 Sports that Miami would run the table in 2026, a lot of people rolled their eyes. But this time, the prediction might actually have some legs.
The Hurricanes barely scraped into last year’s College Football Playoff. Mario Cristobal’s team needed some late-season chaos to get in, but once they did, they went on a tear. They knocked off Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss before losing to Indiana in the national title game. That’s a three-game postseason run that nobody saw coming from a team that looked shaky just a few weeks earlier.
Now the question is whether they can finish the job.
Irvin’s bold take
“I think Miami will go undefeated this season,” Irvin said. “Our business is hand-to-hand, man-to-man combat. Raising your skill is one thing, but as you raise your skill, you have to equally deepen your collective will since we’re going against other men, grown men. It’s a will and a skill, and that’s the key to what has to happen. You got to have that collective will.”
Irvin being Irvin, sure. But the schedule actually sets up nicely. Miami has tough road games at Notre Dame and Clemson. That’s real. Beyond those two, though, the rest of the slate looks very manageable. No Georgia. No Alabama. No SEC gauntlet.
What Miami has this season
The roster is the bigger reason for optimism. Duke transfer Darian Mensah emerged as one of the top quarterbacks available in the portal this offseason. He’s already being talked about as a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. That’s the kind of arm talent Miami hasn’t always had since Cam Ward left.
Mark Fletcher is back at running back, which gives them a downhill threat. Malachi Toney is still there at receiver, and they added former Duke receiver Cooper Barkate, who should already have chemistry with Mensah. On defense, Miami returns an elite unit that was one of the best in the country last year. That side of the ball should be scary again.
The pieces are there. The question is whether they can all click early. If they do, Irvin’s undefeated talk starts sounding less like homerism and more like a reasonable bet.
Miami hasn’t gone undefeated in the regular season since 2002. That drought could end this year.
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