Miami Loses Talented Defensive Player To The Transfer Portal
The Hurricanes will see a lot of Transfer Portal activity
Miami is losing one of its top 2022 football recruits to the Transfer Portal.
Defensive end Nyjalik Kelly is leaving the University of Miami and will look for a new home, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Entering his junior season, Kelly is coming off an unfortunate injury that caused him to miss the majority of the 2023 season.
Coming out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard, Kelly’s recruiting ranking was as a 4-star. His 247 composite ranking had him at #90 in the nation.
Miami is now much deeper at the defensive end position that Kelly plays and perhaps that is why he will enter the Transfer Portal. Officially, the spring window opens on April 16 and closes on April 30, per the NCAA.
CFB Stats has Kelly’s 2022 statistics with 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. In 2023, Kelly played in only four games, recording 8 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Despite his limited production in 2023, Kelly is a really talented football player and should help another program this next fall.
Miami Loses A Safety To The Transfer Portal
The Miami football roster continues to shift
After gaining a potential safety starter from the Transfer Portal, Miami is losing that same player.
Playing for Vanderbilt in 2023, Pro Football Focus has Savion Riley playing 343 snaps, making 46 tackles, 9 of which were “stops” near the line of scrimmage.
Despite making a dent in Miami’s depth chart this spring Riley is on the move again, hitting the Transfer Portal a second time in a few months. This brings up a few key questions for the Hurricanes as they go into the summer months.
After gaining a potential safety starter from the Transfer Portal, Miami is losing that same player.
Playing for Vanderbilt in 2023, Pro Football Focus has Savion Riley playing 343 snaps, making 46 tackles, 9 of which were “stops” near the line of scrimmage.
Despite making a dent in Miami’s depth chart this spring Riley is on the move again, hitting the Transfer Portal a second time in a few months. This brings up a few key questions for the Hurricanes as they go into the summer months.
Could a player like 5-star safety recruit Zaquan Patterson be thrust into the rotation – or even the starting lineup – with Riley no longer being at Miami? It’s a lot to ask of a true freshman.
There’s time to remedy the situation, but Mario Cristobal and his coaching staff need to find another safety from the Transfer Portal while continuing to develop current players.
Today is the last opportunity for players to enter the Transfer Portal per NCAA guidelines, but the Hurricanes could add a transfer safety later this summer.
As a final note, it’s not when a player commits to a school from the Transfer Portal that matters, but rather getting the paperwork complete to enter the Portal in the first place. Miami could add another safety in late July, as an example.