What’s Next for the Miami Hurricanes After Losing Three Key Starters?
The Miami Hurricanes had a great comeback story for the 2025-2026 season. After finishing the previous two seasons, 15-17 and then 7-24, the bar was set low coming into this season, but in the end, they exceeded expectations. The Hurricanes wrapped up the season with a 26-9 record and reached the round of 32 in March Madness, where they unfortunately lost to Purdue. Although they came up short, the season was still seen as a success. It was so successful that head coach Jai Lucas was named the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year, recognizing the best new coach in Division I college basketball.
Miami has suffered two major losses so far in the postseason. Their top two leading scorers, Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson, have entered the NBA draft. Reneau, who was a senior, was the leading scorer, averaging 18.9 points per game. As for Donaldson, he was also a senior, the second-leading scorer, and led the team in assists per game, averaging 16.4 and 5.7. With the starting point guard and forward gone, losing starting center Ernest Udeh Jr. also hurts. The Florida native averaged 6.7 points and led the team in rebounds and blocks with 9.2 and 1.4, respectively. Udeh is also entering the draft, leaving the Hurricanes with three massive holes to fill in the starting lineup, likely meaning another rebuild year through the transfer portal.
So far, the Hurricanes have obtained two players from the transfer portal. Acaden Lewis is a freshman guard from Villanova who averaged 12.2 points and five assists. While this may be a decent replacement for Donaldson, Lewis shot an abysmal 27% from the three-point range. Miami has also gotten Somto Cyril. The sophomore center is transferring from Georgia, where he averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting an astonishing 75.9% from the field but an awful 57.8% from the free-throw line. The Hurricanes have also locked down five-star recruit Caleb Gaskins, who will be coming from the well-renowned Montverde Academy. The forward was also a McDonald's All-American, so he will surely be a key building block in creating a roster that reaches March Madness again.
There are plenty of good options in the transfer portal that Miami should target. Jake Hall is a stud guard from New Mexico who should be at the top of the recruiting board. The freshman averaged 16.4 points, but is a lackluster playmaker with only 1.6 assists per game. To make up for that, though, he is a lights-out shooter, shooting 43.8% from behind the arc. With Miami also needing a starting center, they should look to acquire Eric Reibe. The freshman from UConn averaged only 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds, but in the games he started, he averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds. Reibe is also a former McDonald's All-American and would fit perfectly into the starting five for the Hurricanes.
