Spring transfer portal is just around the corner, and trouble has already befallen Mario Cristobal. Under the larger storyline of Carson Beck and his much-awaited return to the field, some names will bid Miami goodbye. They’re hoping to join programs with better opportunities. Those departures can bode some problems for Cristobal. One of them did not have such a great season and is looking for a new pasture. Who are they and why are they leaving the Hurricanes?

The portal opens on April 16. Two players from Miami decided to enter it just before it began. The first was Joshua Horton, Defensive Tackle. He was a four-star recruit from Georgia, with some serious damage-causing potential. In his senior year, Horton produced 123 tackles, 4 sacks, and  2 forced fumbles. At Miami, however, he didn’t see much action. Even as a redshirt, Horton was facing some problems, which also affected Miami in turn.

Alex Donno of Locked on Canes shared where Horton was struggling. “The issue that Horton has had in Miami – true freshman year red shirt freshman year that just finished in 2024 – has been staying healthy and consistently being able to practice,” the host said. Horton appeared in just 3 games and has a total of 4 tackles across them. “Unfortunately, his inconsistent status injury-wise has really hurt his development and his ability to move up the depth chart. And it didn’t seem as though Horton was anywhere near the top right now,” Donno added. According to Miami Herald, it looked like David Blay, Ahmad Moten Sr., and Justin Scott were the higher priority choices.

The other player Donno named was Safety Zaquan Patterson. The story with him is a little different. Patterson saw more action than Horton. In fact, the safety made an appearance in 12 games. However, he missed Miami’s spring practice due to an injury. According to Donno, he also “wasn’t always that sound in coverage this past season.” Nonetheless, he remains an immensely promising player. In the 2024 recruiting class, Miami ranked 4 according to the 247Sports Composite. In that roster, Patterson is the 4-highest ranked signee overall and the top defensive back. That is one talent Mario Cristobal will regret losing, because Hayes Fawcett said that Patterson “immediately” joined the top-rated DBs in the portal.

These losses do pose a problem for Cristobal because he does have to work on the defensive tackle room a bit. On the other hand, losing Patterson is a noteworthy deficit for Miami. Despite that, Cristobal has some really great news coming from his steal of a quarterback, Carson Beck.

Miami fans, your long-awaited news from Mario Cristobal is here!

The footb-ll community was beyond antsy to see Beck perform at his new home. But he was still recovering from an elbow injury and was not able to be a part of spring practice. He was active in a limited manner, but we never got to see that Beck magic play out fully on the field. Mario Cristobal kept giving positive updates on Beck, indicating that he’s doing what is required of him from rehab. Now, however, Cristobal can finally heave a sigh of relief, because Beck is back!

The HC shared the much-awaited news with CBS Sports. According to him, Beck got the all okay to begin throwing and will soon be seen on the field. Miami has ended spring practice, but the news is a great development nonetheless, for Beck and Miami fans. The last time Beck threw was in the SEC Championship game, which he tried to win for Georgia. But the fact that he missed spring practice doesn’t necessarily trouble Cristobal.

For him, it was a willful decision to delay Beck’s arrival on the field. “Since we’re at the end of spring b-ll, we just took the extra precaution to (wait) another week,” Cristobal told CBS Sports on April 12. “He’s done everything regarding the b-ll. The only thing he hasn’t done is actually throw,” the HC added. Despite not being active on the field, Beck has kept himself busy. He’s attended meetings, walkthroughs, and observed drills.

With Beck finally coming back to lead the Hurricanes’ O-line, fans will look to him as worthy of repeating the brilliance that Cam Ward created. However, as the spring portal nears, is it possible that some more players will follow Joshua Horton and Zaquan Patterson?