From the Desk of Dan Radakovich
Dear Canes Community,
Happy New Year and what a start to 2026 it has been for the Miami Hurricanes!
The Road Continues
Our football team’s remarkable postseason run continues Thursday night in Glendale, Ariz., when the Canes face Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Mario Cristobal’s squad entered the CFP as the 10th seed and opened with a 10-3 first-round victory before a crowd of more than 104,000 at Texas A&M. The Canes then followed that up with a scintillating 24-14 win over second-ranked and defending national champion Ohio State at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Our defense is playing lights out, yielding just 8.5 points per game, forcing four turnovers and racking up 12 sacks over two games. Carson Beck has been steady under center – setting a Cotton Bowl record with 13 consecutive completions – and Mark Fletcher, Jr., has rushed for 262 yards in the playoffs.
Also on the list of impressive postseason performers? Our fans! Both trips to the Lone Star State saw a massive amount of Canes support and we have nearly sold out our ticket allotment for the Fiesta Bowl. Miami fans can and will travel! One more win means we will be back on familiar turf — Hard Rock Stadium hosts the CFP National Championship Game on January 19.
Canes on the Hardwood
Jai Lucas’ men’s basketball team is off to a 12-2 start after opening ACC play with a home win over Pittsburgh on December 30. Malik Reneau scored 28 points against the Panthers and is pacing the Canes in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per contest. We currently sit 37th in the NCAA Net Rankings. Next up for the Canes is a Wednesday road trip to Wake Forest. Tipoff is 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
Tricia Cullop notched her 500th career win as a head coach when the Canes stormed back from an 18-point deficit to defeat Virginia Tech in Blackburg on New Year’s Day. The Canes (10-5 overall, 2-2 ACC) next host Louisville at Watsco Center on Thursday. Tipoff was moved up from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate the CFP kickoff time. Come check out the Canes before you watch the football team battle Ole Miss!
Latest News
Our swimming and diving team hosted its final home meet Saturday, honoring four swimmers (Evelyn Meggesto, Sarah Sensenbrenner, Kate Sommerstad, Hana Spaulding) and one diver (Mohamed Farouk) against Notre Dame. Congratulations to our seniors! The Canes next compete in a tri-meet Saturday against host FIU and Harvard.
Our men’s and women’s tennis teams kick off their seasons next week as the men host Troy at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on January 13, while the women welcome FGCU to Coral Gables on January 14. Our men’s and women’s track and field teams open their indoor season on January 16 at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville.
Record-Setting Semester
Our student-athletes set a department record by posting a 3.40 grade point average for the Fall 2025 semester. For the first time ever, all 18 of our programs exceeded the 3.0 mark in a single semester. Miami’s cumulative GPA was 3.37, marking the 23rd consecutive semester our student-athletes posted a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Congratulations to our student-athletes on a record-setting semester in the classroom! I would like to thank our academic support staff for working diligently with our student-athletes and our head coaches for continuing to place an emphasis on academic achievement.
Bowling with the Canes
Former men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga and All-America cornerback Antrel Rolle will serve as co-hosts of the UM Sports Hall of Fame & Museum’s 16th Annual Celebrity Bowling Tournament & Game Watch Party on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, from 6-9 p.m., at Kings Dining and Entertainment in Doral. The event will coincide with a watch party for Miami’s men’s basketball game at Florida State.
For more information on being a sponsor, bowling teams and game watch tickets, visit canesbowl.com. We hope to see you there!
Centennial Year
We just concluded the university’s centennial year and as aways athletics played a major part in the recognitions and celebrations. We created “100 Student-Athletes Stories,” a weekly online series celebrating 100 of Miami’s most successful and influential student-athletes across all sports. Click here to check out the entire list of stories.
We also published 100 Years, 100 Games: The Greatest Football Games in Miami Hurricanes History looks back at a century of UM football from the program’s humble beginnings to its rise as a college football power. This 162-page book, written by Carter Toole with a foreword by Jimmy Johnson, captures the history, theater and legacy of University of Miami football and serves as the perfect holiday gift for any Canes fan. Click here to purchase!
Our Canes Community remains stronger than ever thanks to your generosity. Happy New Year and Go Canes!
– Dan Radakovich
