The Big 3 Pulse Check

Pulse Check:

Miami:

Fresh off a heart-breaking loss to Indiana in the national championship game, the Miami Hurricanes needed to quickly pivot to 2026 to maximize their limited transfer portal window. While Mario Cristobal and team have continued to recruit extremely well in the trenches and are not scared to-pay up for quality transfers, they're losing two potential first rounds picks off the defensive line in Reuben Bain and Akeem Mesidor. While that production won't be easy to replace, the good news for Canes fans is that they've secured a commitment from Damon Wilson (prev. Georgia Bulldogs, Missouri Tigers), a top transfer who last year recored 9 sacks and an interception. The Canes should have a very solid receiving core, led by phenom Malachi Toney (ACC ROTY) who racked up 10 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in the title game. A reminder, Toney should have been a senior in high school this year but was torching nearly every defense he lined up against. The biggest question mark for Miami initially was who was going to be throwing to Toney and others. Redshirt Senior Carson Beck had exhausted his eligibility and backup Emory Williams transferred out after repeatedly having transfers brought in to play over him (Cam Ward, Carson Beck). However, Miami did what they're known to do and backed up the Brinks truck for Duke QB Darian Mensah. Mensah stunned Duke by announcing his intention to enter the transfer portal on the last possible day after previously resigning with the school just a few weeks prior. Mensah immediately raises the floor for Miami as he is one of the top returning quarterbacks in college football. In 2025 he led Duke to their first outright ACC title since 1972 and in the process threw for 3,973 yards, 34 TDs, and 6 INTs. Mensah's top wideout target from Duke, Cooper Barkate, also transferred to Miami right before the window closed. If Barkate can remotely replicate his 2025 season of 72 receptions, over 1100 yards, and 7 TDs, Miami is going to be very dangerous and poised for another deep playoff run.

Vibe Meter: 9/10

Florida:

Florida fans rejoice, Billy Napier is no longer your head coach. Although Gators fans were hopeful (maybe even assured) that they'd land former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, Kiffin ended up in Baton Rouge. The Gator administration quickly pivoted to now former Tulane head coach, Jon Sumrall. Gator fans wanted to avoid another G5 hire (see Napier), but Sumrall has made some positive moves as he looks to make the Gators respected in the SEC again. A move well regarded in coaching circles was the hiring of former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. Faulker was at the helm of an invigirated GT offense which produced 32 points per game and 460 yards per game (both 2nd in the ACC, behind Florida State). Faulkner brought with him QB transfer Aaron Philo who was Haynes King's backup the last two years. Although relatively unproven, he'll have a shot to start after former 5 star DJ Lagway transferred to Baylor. It should be a QB battle between him and redshirt freshman Trammel Jones. Sumrall managed to keep running back Jaden Baugh, receiver Dallas Wilson, and edge rusher Jaden Wood all out of the transfer portal. All three would have been highly coveted by schools looking to add elite talent; the fact all three are returning for 2026 gives Sumrall some juice heading into the season. That being said, he'll need to show improvement sooner than later, as Florida fans are running out of patience after going 5-7, 8-5, and 4-8 the last three seasons.

Vibe Meter: 7/10

Florida State

The vibes are very low in Tallahassee. After starting the season 3-0, which included dog walking a top 10 Alabama team (who made the CFP), Florida State finished the season 5-7, failing to make a bowl for the second year in a row. 7 wins in two seasons is absolutely not good enough in Tallahassee; point blank. A majority of the FSU fanbase wanted and expected coach Mike Norvell to get fired, regardless of the fact the school would have owed him over $50 million to do so. However the FSU administration didn't have the appetite to make a change and FSU will ride with Norvell into the 2026 season. The Noles were expected to return both coordinators until offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan announced his retirement earlier this week. Its a less than ideal timeline as Malzhan was instrumental in bringing in a preferred QB to run his offense. What hire could FSU have made if Malzhan made this decision in November? Instead, FSU promoted WR coach Tim Harris Jr. to offensive coordinator and it's been confirmed Mike Norvell will take back play-calling duties. On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Tony White will return for a second season. FSU fans were convinced he mentally checked out after the head job at UCLA (his alma-mater) opened up; he was quickly tied to the opening. It was around that time that the FSU defense seemingly forgot how to do literally anything. Personnel wise, FSU will have a transfer QB for the 3rd year in a row after Thomas Castellanos' waiver to the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility was denied. The Noles signed former Stanford and Auburn QB Ashton Daniels played sparingly in 2025 (3 TDs, 2 INT). This left much to be desired to FSU faithful as FSU was initially linked to Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph, UNLV QB Anthony Colandrea and UF QB DJ Lagway. It seems the Noles went 'cheap' in an effort to maximize the rest of the roster. Norvell & staff deserve their credit for convincing WR Duce Robinson to return. He's the first FSU wide receiver to surpass 1000 yards since 2019. FSU was also able to retain multiple talented defensive players including Jabril Rawls, Kevin Wynn, Ashland Barker, and the Desir Twins. Unfortunately, all of these players either did or threatened to enter the transfer portal as leverage to receive an increase in NIL. While it was critical FSU got them to return, that's not a great indicator of the culture Norvell is currently operating in. Offensively, FSU signed Texas RB Tre Eisner who last year led the Longhorns in rushing. Even that was met with mixed reactions as FSU reset the NIL RB market just last year for back Ousmane Kromah. Kromah was used sporadically during the dismal 2025 season and FSU fans are hopeful he'll have a larger role this season. It's hard to imagine the Noles winning more than 7 games next year but it's also hard to gauge what gets Mike Norvell fired at this point. The grace he earned after going 10-3 and 13-0 has very quickly evaporated after seasons of 2-10 and 5-7. FSU fans may be smart to find new hobbies for the fall.

Vibe Meter: 2/10