The Rundown Take
Second Best in the ACC? U Talk Says Prove It on Paper First
With Devin, Larry Frank Jr. and E. Gray all in the building, the show tackled the question hanging over the whole offseason: is this finally Miami's year to be the clear No. 2 in the ACC behind Clemson? The trio ran through a recruiting board rebuilding fast, then argued out whether the roster, the coaching staff, or the NIL era gets Miami there first.
Key Takeaways
- Four-star cornerback Chris Graves, flipped away from LSU's vaunted DBU pipeline, becomes commitment No. 4, joining a class the panel says could turn a 73rd-ranked group into a top-21 class if five more targets close.
- Wide receiver Isaiah Horton (deciding between Miami and Tennessee) and tight end Jaleel Skinner are both in play, while offensive lineman Malik Agbo has Miami in his final five alongside LSU, Florida and Oklahoma.
- ESPN's game-by-game simulator has Miami going 11-1, losing only to Alabama — including a projected win at North Carolina, a game the panel still remembers losing on a busted coverage two years ago.
- E. Gray points to D'Eriq King's early NIL moves and the "Golden Club" scholarship push as proof Miami is out ahead of the coming name-image-likeness wave, calling it a turning point for big-market programs like Miami and USC.
- Caller Josh Ayers raises the "trap game" concern — can Miami avoid a hangover against App State the week after a signature win over Alabama?
Proving It on the Field
E. Gray's answer to the ACC question was blunt: "on paper, yes," but Miami has to show it, starting with the September 4th measuring-stick game in Atlanta. Larry Frank pointed back to the 2017 Notre Dame beatdown as proof this coaching staff can be dangerous defensively even against a superior offense, arguing this year's Miami roster is deeper on both sides than that unit was.
Rhett Lashlee's Platform
The two went back and forth on whether last year's offensive jump (from bottom-five nationally in 2019 to the 50s in scoring) was really Lashlee's doing given the shortened install, or whether Manny Diaz calling his own defense finally removes the excuses on that side of the ball. Both agreed September 4th settles the argument either way.
"I want to give them a little taste of the money and say, you know what, I want to get to the next level. I want to be great. I want more. Don't get complacent."
The NIL Floodgates
E. Gray framed the NIL rollout as a structural advantage for big-market programs, arguing Miami is already positioned ahead of the curve. The panel predicted the recruiting map shifting back toward cities that can actually pay — Miami and USC chief among them — over the next several years, closing with a warning to themselves not to look past the opener before it's even here.