Me and Pete are breaking down each position group, post-Portal, on the CanesInSight Daily Podcast. Today was running back. A transcript of our discussion is below:
DMoney: I don’t think any of us expected this room to look this good heading into 2026. I thought Mark Fletcher might be gone. I thought we’d be scrambling. Instead, everybody’s back. This is a **** of a room.
Peter Ariz: Yeah. There’s a few ways to look at it. We heard before the playoffs that Fletcher was leaning toward coming back—then he has that playoff run, those consecutive performances. And you still thought, “Sometimes you strike while the iron’s hot.”
Then you’ve got Jordan Lyle—all of us expected him to hit the portal. He stays put. Marty Brown—I heard programs were coming after him hard, offering him a starting job at Power Four programs. Then Gerard Pringle hits the portal… you get him back.
I would’ve felt great if you keep three of the four. Now you’re thinking: nobody in the country has this kind of running back depth. Not even close.
DMoney: I’m with you. Look at the numbers. Starting with Fletcher, because now you really see it with the season complete—almost 1,200 yards, 5.5 yards per carry, 12 rushing touchdowns… plus 17 catches for 140 and two receiving touchdowns. Fourteen total touchdowns. He can make a run at the touchdown record if he stays healthy.
And blocking-wise, I’ve been saying it—best pass-blocking back in the country. Now you’ve got national guys saying it too. You saw what he did to Arvell Reese—that’s a potential top-two pick, and he couldn’t get through Fletcher. Wasn’t perfect—Aiden Fisher got him once in the title game—but that’s football. Fletcher’s as good as it gets.
Peter Ariz: And that’s what makes this room so wild. You’ve got the top end with Fletcher—people are going to have him top five nationally—and then the depth behind it. There are good backs out there. Ahmad Hardy is a **** of a player. Kewan Lacy. But this is about the whole room.
DMoney: Exactly. Marty Brown was similar to what he did at North Dakota State. People look at 3.9 yards per carry and shrug. But every big game Miami won, you saw No. 6 leave his imprint. Seven rushing TDs, two receiving TDs, 20 catches. Great blocker. Winning plays. That’s who he is.
Then Pringle—375 yards, over six per carry, four touchdowns. The explosive component. Jordan Lyle, who was the starter—took snap No. 1—ends up at 108 yards, 3.1 per carry. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey also had 108 yards on fewer carries, 4.9 per carry. But I think those two have more in the tank.
This season is longer now. You’re playing 16-17 games in the modern era if you go the distance. There’s never “too many” at a position like running back.
And Fletcher—he’s established himself as a national name again. People forget: as a youth player he was the guy locally. He’s dealt with injuries since high school. He told me this past offseason it was his first healthy offseason in forever. Even this year he missed time. But now? He’s a leader—maybe the leader of this team.
Peter Ariz: You can’t protect him from himself though. Same with Marty Brown.
DMoney: That’s the key—protect him a little. He’s upright, he’s physical, he invites contact. You need him healthy for December and for the pros. That’s why the depth matters.
Peter Ariz: And it’s also about using the skills correctly. Pringle—people nitpick pass pro, but that’s also on design and deployment. Because we know what he is: speed, juice, a home-run hitter.
DMoney: Marty can do a lot of the same stuff Fletcher does—physical, keeps the offense on schedule, blocks, catches it. You can split-back, you can lead-block, you can use him in different packages. What do you see from Marty this year?
Peter Ariz: More of the same: he won’t go down on first contact, he’s steady, he catches it, and he’s perfect in the middle and late parts of games. He’s the perfect complementary back… even if he’s complementing another big, physical back.
And D—let me pull up this comment from Kevin: don’t forget Javian Mallory. That one is interesting. He’s RB6 right now. I just hope he stays patient.
DMoney: No second portal window, so you can experiment. And Mallory is built to play right away. Big, natural runner, can catch it. I saw him at camp with Derrek Cooper—Mallory was the MVP in that setting. He reminds me of later-career, post-injury Frank Gore in style—hard downhill, tough, efficient lean and balance. If you need him, he can play.
Peter Ariz: It’s still tough for a freshman who’s used to being the man. But yes—good problem to have.
DMoney: Pringle—true freshman last year, banged up in spring, banged up in camp, didn’t get going early. But when he did? You saw juice. After the SMU loss, season on the brink, the run game wasn’t explosive enough—you get Pringle involved and he finishes the regular season strong.
Playoffs were different. Pass pro becomes everything. You’re dealing with monsters—Ohio State linebackers, Texas A&M pressure packages. It’s a tough spot for a freshman back. He gets frustrated, hits the portal, and Miami makes it a priority to get him back.
Because what he brings is unique: north-south runner who isn’t dancing, doesn’t shy away between the tackles… with legit 10.6-type speed.
Peter Ariz: And shout out Matt Merritt, the running backs coach. It’s not easy keeping this many talented guys bought in—especially when other programs are offering starting jobs. Merritt has to sell the role, explain the why, build the plan. That’s a big part of why this room stayed together.
DMoney: 100%. Weight gain is critical for Pringle—without compromising his speed. You don’t want him turning into a bowling ball, but there’s room to grow. The aspirational target they’ve talked about is Jahmyr Gibbs—not saying he is Gibbs, but that kind of frame and usage. Gibbs went to the Combine around 5’9, 199 and ran 4.36. Pringle’s speed is real. He can live in that 195–200 neighborhood and it helps him in pass pro and durability.
If Pringle truly stayed in the portal, you would’ve seen Georgia and Alabama on him. That’s the level of player he can be.
Peter Ariz: Wheatley-Humphrey—he was your kick returner with Keelan Marion. That’s trust. He’s been able to get on the field.
DMoney: He reminds me of Henry Parrish Jr.—slippery, between-the-tackles, always finds positive yards, can be productive. In the limited true tackle settings, he’s popped with legit runs. Spring and camp will matter for him because those full-pad scrimmage reps are where you learn who can really do it.
DMoney: We saved Lyle for last—not because he’s least important, but because I think he might be the sleeper of this whole room going into 2026.
Hard-working guy. Driven. His struggles weren’t about not caring—if anything, he wanted it too much. Probably came back from the injury too soon. Got tight. Tried to force it. But he’s built like Fletcher and Marty—size and strength—with a speed element closer to Pringle. He can catch it. He can pass protect. He has NFL-style completeness. It’s just availability, health, and letting it rip again.
Peter Ariz: At their peaks, he might be the most complete back in the room. You saw it in flashes—the USF run, the Stanford touchdown. But physically he never got right, and it seeped into the mental. Confidence shot. You reset now, hit spring, and let him be featured, because Fletcher doesn’t need a ton of reps and Marty is plug-and-play.
DMoney: Exactly. Some guys don’t make it because they don’t work, they lose focus. Lyle is the opposite. He’s been waking up at 5 a.m. running with his dad since he was a kid. The work isn’t the problem. It’s loosening up—running with instinct, not trying to prove it on every carry.
And people forget: he was Ohio State-bound, one of the top backs in the country, and at one point the No. 1 back on some boards. The talent is real. Now it’s about doing it against the best competition—Ohio State, Texas A&M—the games where you leaned on Fletcher and Marty.
I’m a believer in Jordan Lyle. I’m ecstatic he’s back. And Miami rolled out the red carpet for a reason—they believe in what he can do.
DMoney: I don’t think any of us expected this room to look this good heading into 2026. I thought Mark Fletcher might be gone. I thought we’d be scrambling. Instead, everybody’s back. This is a **** of a room.
Peter Ariz: Yeah. There’s a few ways to look at it. We heard before the playoffs that Fletcher was leaning toward coming back—then he has that playoff run, those consecutive performances. And you still thought, “Sometimes you strike while the iron’s hot.”
Then you’ve got Jordan Lyle—all of us expected him to hit the portal. He stays put. Marty Brown—I heard programs were coming after him hard, offering him a starting job at Power Four programs. Then Gerard Pringle hits the portal… you get him back.
I would’ve felt great if you keep three of the four. Now you’re thinking: nobody in the country has this kind of running back depth. Not even close.
DMoney: I’m with you. Look at the numbers. Starting with Fletcher, because now you really see it with the season complete—almost 1,200 yards, 5.5 yards per carry, 12 rushing touchdowns… plus 17 catches for 140 and two receiving touchdowns. Fourteen total touchdowns. He can make a run at the touchdown record if he stays healthy.
And blocking-wise, I’ve been saying it—best pass-blocking back in the country. Now you’ve got national guys saying it too. You saw what he did to Arvell Reese—that’s a potential top-two pick, and he couldn’t get through Fletcher. Wasn’t perfect—Aiden Fisher got him once in the title game—but that’s football. Fletcher’s as good as it gets.
Peter Ariz: And that’s what makes this room so wild. You’ve got the top end with Fletcher—people are going to have him top five nationally—and then the depth behind it. There are good backs out there. Ahmad Hardy is a **** of a player. Kewan Lacy. But this is about the whole room.
DMoney: Exactly. Marty Brown was similar to what he did at North Dakota State. People look at 3.9 yards per carry and shrug. But every big game Miami won, you saw No. 6 leave his imprint. Seven rushing TDs, two receiving TDs, 20 catches. Great blocker. Winning plays. That’s who he is.
Then Pringle—375 yards, over six per carry, four touchdowns. The explosive component. Jordan Lyle, who was the starter—took snap No. 1—ends up at 108 yards, 3.1 per carry. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey also had 108 yards on fewer carries, 4.9 per carry. But I think those two have more in the tank.
This season is longer now. You’re playing 16-17 games in the modern era if you go the distance. There’s never “too many” at a position like running back.
And Fletcher—he’s established himself as a national name again. People forget: as a youth player he was the guy locally. He’s dealt with injuries since high school. He told me this past offseason it was his first healthy offseason in forever. Even this year he missed time. But now? He’s a leader—maybe the leader of this team.
Peter Ariz: You can’t protect him from himself though. Same with Marty Brown.
DMoney: That’s the key—protect him a little. He’s upright, he’s physical, he invites contact. You need him healthy for December and for the pros. That’s why the depth matters.
Peter Ariz: And it’s also about using the skills correctly. Pringle—people nitpick pass pro, but that’s also on design and deployment. Because we know what he is: speed, juice, a home-run hitter.
DMoney: Marty can do a lot of the same stuff Fletcher does—physical, keeps the offense on schedule, blocks, catches it. You can split-back, you can lead-block, you can use him in different packages. What do you see from Marty this year?
Peter Ariz: More of the same: he won’t go down on first contact, he’s steady, he catches it, and he’s perfect in the middle and late parts of games. He’s the perfect complementary back… even if he’s complementing another big, physical back.
And D—let me pull up this comment from Kevin: don’t forget Javian Mallory. That one is interesting. He’s RB6 right now. I just hope he stays patient.
DMoney: No second portal window, so you can experiment. And Mallory is built to play right away. Big, natural runner, can catch it. I saw him at camp with Derrek Cooper—Mallory was the MVP in that setting. He reminds me of later-career, post-injury Frank Gore in style—hard downhill, tough, efficient lean and balance. If you need him, he can play.
Peter Ariz: It’s still tough for a freshman who’s used to being the man. But yes—good problem to have.
DMoney: Pringle—true freshman last year, banged up in spring, banged up in camp, didn’t get going early. But when he did? You saw juice. After the SMU loss, season on the brink, the run game wasn’t explosive enough—you get Pringle involved and he finishes the regular season strong.
Playoffs were different. Pass pro becomes everything. You’re dealing with monsters—Ohio State linebackers, Texas A&M pressure packages. It’s a tough spot for a freshman back. He gets frustrated, hits the portal, and Miami makes it a priority to get him back.
Because what he brings is unique: north-south runner who isn’t dancing, doesn’t shy away between the tackles… with legit 10.6-type speed.
Peter Ariz: And shout out Matt Merritt, the running backs coach. It’s not easy keeping this many talented guys bought in—especially when other programs are offering starting jobs. Merritt has to sell the role, explain the why, build the plan. That’s a big part of why this room stayed together.
DMoney: 100%. Weight gain is critical for Pringle—without compromising his speed. You don’t want him turning into a bowling ball, but there’s room to grow. The aspirational target they’ve talked about is Jahmyr Gibbs—not saying he is Gibbs, but that kind of frame and usage. Gibbs went to the Combine around 5’9, 199 and ran 4.36. Pringle’s speed is real. He can live in that 195–200 neighborhood and it helps him in pass pro and durability.
If Pringle truly stayed in the portal, you would’ve seen Georgia and Alabama on him. That’s the level of player he can be.
Peter Ariz: Wheatley-Humphrey—he was your kick returner with Keelan Marion. That’s trust. He’s been able to get on the field.
DMoney: He reminds me of Henry Parrish Jr.—slippery, between-the-tackles, always finds positive yards, can be productive. In the limited true tackle settings, he’s popped with legit runs. Spring and camp will matter for him because those full-pad scrimmage reps are where you learn who can really do it.
DMoney: We saved Lyle for last—not because he’s least important, but because I think he might be the sleeper of this whole room going into 2026.
Hard-working guy. Driven. His struggles weren’t about not caring—if anything, he wanted it too much. Probably came back from the injury too soon. Got tight. Tried to force it. But he’s built like Fletcher and Marty—size and strength—with a speed element closer to Pringle. He can catch it. He can pass protect. He has NFL-style completeness. It’s just availability, health, and letting it rip again.
Peter Ariz: At their peaks, he might be the most complete back in the room. You saw it in flashes—the USF run, the Stanford touchdown. But physically he never got right, and it seeped into the mental. Confidence shot. You reset now, hit spring, and let him be featured, because Fletcher doesn’t need a ton of reps and Marty is plug-and-play.
DMoney: Exactly. Some guys don’t make it because they don’t work, they lose focus. Lyle is the opposite. He’s been waking up at 5 a.m. running with his dad since he was a kid. The work isn’t the problem. It’s loosening up—running with instinct, not trying to prove it on every carry.
And people forget: he was Ohio State-bound, one of the top backs in the country, and at one point the No. 1 back on some boards. The talent is real. Now it’s about doing it against the best competition—Ohio State, Texas A&M—the games where you leaned on Fletcher and Marty.
I’m a believer in Jordan Lyle. I’m ecstatic he’s back. And Miami rolled out the red carpet for a reason—they believe in what he can do.
