CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It’s been just a little over two months since their 16-game season ended, and the Miami Hurricanes were last on the football field.

That’s meant the lead-up to spring practice has looked a little different this year.

Some of the Hurricanes who logged the highest number of game reps during Miami’s run to the College Football Playoff Championship Game went through an adapted off-season conditioning program that allowed their bodies to recover from the extended schedule.

Making sure the Hurricanes were as healthy as possible to start the spring was a priority.

But while some of the workouts and treatments may have been adjusted, the goal heading into Tuesday remained the same: the Hurricanes are determined to continue competing at the highest level and building on the success they’ve had.

“I don’t think momentum [has] ever stopped since even year one going into year two,” head coach Mario Cristobal said after the Hurricanes wrapped up their first of 15 spring practices. “And the way things ended [last season], I think everybody knows – the people in this building, that are here now – that the work we do is going to lead to continued progress. So, yeah, they’ve been chomping at the bit to get out there.”

Tuesday’s practice marked the first time the 2026 Hurricanes were on the field together, with some of Miami’s veterans – including running back Mark Fletcher Jr., safety Zechariah Poyser and offensive linemen Ryan Rodriguez and Matt McCoy – working to help set the tone for some of Miami’s newcomers.

It’s a responsibility none of those veterans said they took lightly.

“2025 is over with, that quick. It’s over with. This is a new team, new people and it’s a better mindset,” said Fletcher, who led the Hurricanes with 1,192 rushing yards and announced during Miami’s CFP run he planned to return for his senior year. “I won’t say it’s a new mindset, but a better mindset to know that we have to finish. We’re just trying to get those freshmen guys acclimated to that, and those guys transferring in from different colleges with a different culture. We’re just showing them the way Miami does it.”

Added Rodriguez, “The freshmen who came in, they’re all eager to learn. Every single one of them is hungry. They have a good work ethic. Obviously, under [offensive line coach Alex] Mirabal, you’re not going to be able to slack, so they came in and they understood. They’ve learned from the guys before because some of those guys got here when we were in our playoff run. … They know the standard and they’re great kids, great people, great young men. I’m excited to see all of them grow. … and I’m going to help them as much as I can.”

Among the newcomers expected to make an immediate impact at Miami is quarterback Darian Mensah, a transfer from Duke who finished second in the nation last season with 3,973 passing yards and was tied for second nationally with 34 touchdowns.

Mensah is the third veteran quarterback to join the Hurricanes during Cristobal’s tenure in Miami following former signal callers Cam Ward and Carson Beck, both of whom helped rewrite the Hurricanes’ record book during their respective Miami careers.

Ward went on to become the first overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft and recently completed his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans.

Beck, meanwhile, led the Hurricanes to the CFP Championship Game and on Monday, worked out for more than 100 NFL general managers, head coaches and scouts during Miami’s Pro Day ahead of next month’s draft.

One of the biggest questions now facing the Hurricanes is whether Mensah – a redshirt junior – can continue giving Miami an advantage under center.

After his first practice as a Hurricane, the quarterback drew rave reviews.

“A complete professional,” Cristobal said. “Ownership of the system, great command, personality, arm talent, escapability, pocket presence, accurate, knowledgeable [and] a great energy about him as well. People gravitate to him and people are attracted to that kind of energy. I think he’s another galvanizing agent. We’ve been very fortunate in that regard over the past several years about the quarterback being someone who galvanizes people, but I think him and then the return of guys like Mark Fletcher, Ahmad Moten Sr.… I think all those guys, Mo Toure, they galvanize this unit and I think Darian Mensah’s fit in perfectly.”

Added Rodriguez, “Mensah’s great. He uplifts everybody, good vibe about him. We love watching him play and when he’s doing his thing, he’s doing his thing. It’s great to watch. He’s definitely going to lead us. It’s going to be electric. … I definitely see similarities with both [Ward and Beck]. From Cam, I see that playmaking ability, that extend-the-play ability, that athleticism. He doesn’t have to sit in the picket to make a play. He’s also accurate, like Carson. … They’re all great quarterbacks.”

Now that the Hurricanes have put their first practice of the spring behind them, the focus shifts to continuing to improve and making the most of their 14 remaining workouts ahead of next month’s spring game.

All of them know the work they do over the course of the next few weeks will help set the foundation for the season ahead and they’re eager to do whatever’s needed to continue pushing Miami’s program forward and to keep the Hurricanes among the nation’s elite.

“During this time, you want to really master our systems and the technique and the fundamentals that go with it and then be able to play snap to whistle like all day,” Cristobal said. “That’s critical, right, because playing hard a lot of time makes up for a lot of stuff that maybe you didn’t do right. And with that goes just elite communication. You’ve got to be able to communicate. You’ve got to be able to secure the football. You’ve got to be able to disrupt it, and then the cultural part of it. … This team, they really love attacking work and we’ve got to make them callous; we’ve got to gain experience in certain areas that we don’t have a ton of experience at. All in all, I just see a team [that] has work to do, but [is] excited about the work to be done.”

Said Fletcher, “It came quick. It came real quick. But this is what we do, and I’m just ready to go back to work.”