Brett Gabbert is back for a sixth season, looking to lead the RedHawks to a second-straight MAC championship.
One team sits atop the Mid-American Conference throne every season, and for the 11th consecutive year, it’s not the same one as the year prior.
The Miami (OH) RedHawks entered the 2023 MAC title game as underdogs to reigning champion Toledo, but Miami shed that underdog label in Detroit and made a statement with a 23-14 victory, securing the program’s first conference championship since 2019.
Consistency is key to Miami’s success. The RedHawks have operated under the direction of head coach Chuck Martin since 2014, and the two parties inked a 5-year extension in April, solidifying the two-time MAC champion’s future in Oxford, OH. But the continuity at Miami extends well beyond just one head coach.
Offensive coordinator Pat Welsh also enters his 11th season on campus, although 2024 only marks his second in a coordinator role. Welsh spent the majority of his tenure as a tight ends coach, but Miami’s offense didn’t miss a beat with him assuming OC duties in 2023, increasing its points per game average by 5.4. James Patton returns to coach one of the conference’s best offensive lines, and rising star Gus Ragland (Miami’s starting quarterback under Martin from 2016-18) is quickly moving up the coaching ranks as the team’s second-year quarterbacks coach on a well-rounded staff.
Miami’s defense was the more dominant unit during the 2023 MAC title season, meaning the RedHawks could become even more dangerous in 2024 with an offensive leap. Last year’s offense left a lot of meat on the bone, finishing 110th in yardage and 79th in scoring. Now there’s staff continuity, quarterback continuity, and offensive line continuity, meaning all the pieces are in place for that leap to transpire.
Quarterback
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There are many sixth-year quarterbacks in college football. But there aren’t many sixth-year quarterbacks in college football that haven’t moved programs since 2019. In fact, there’s only one who is slated to be a starter for a sixth-straight year, and that’s Brett Gabbert.
Gabbert first arrived on the scene in Oxford, OH as a true freshman pitted against a gauntlet of a 2019 non-conference schedule featuring Iowa, Cincinnati, and Ohio State. Gabbert not only survived that grueling slate, it empowered him to the point where he was leading the RedHawks to a MAC Championship Game victory by December.
Gabbert continued to advance as a quarterback each season taking the field, but he never saw another year like 2019 from a health standpoint. He hasn’t started every game in a single season his true freshman campaign, missing the majority of 2022 with a shoulder injury suffered in the opener and missing the final six games of 2023 with a gruesome leg injury vs. Toledo, exiting the stadium on a stretcher while wearing an air cast.
According to Chuck Martin, the first thing Gabbert said after the wince-inducing injury was, “We can still get to Detroit. You know that, right?” Gabbert was correct in his assessment as backup Aveon Smith guided the RedHawks on a MAC title during the back half of the season. Smith has since transferred to Alabama A&M of the FCS level, placing Gabbert back in the starting quarterback position for the first time since the leg injury.
Gabbert collected 1,634 passing yards with a 14-to-5 touchdown to interception ratio in 2023, while on a career-high pace in the rushing department with 140 yards. It was enough to warrant Third Team All-MAC status, an achievement Gabbert also attained in 2021. Of the quarterback’s first five seasons in Oxford, 2021 was his best, accumulating 2,648 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and six interceptions on a 59.5 completion rate.
If there’s one element the sixth-year senior needs to improve in what is likely his last go-around at Miami, accuracy is an attribute which sticks out. Gabbert attempts one of the more riskier throw profiles in the MAC with an affinity for targeting downfield often, and that strategy has contributed to a 58.9 career completion percentage. But his 48-to-11 touchdown to interception ratio since 2020 is tremendous, showing his aversion to making costly mistakes despite the accuracy numbers.
Gabbert retakes the field Aug. 31 at Northwestern, but this year, he doesn’t have the security blanket of Aveon Smith as a veteran backup. Henry Hesson likely earns the role of second-string after starting the Cure Bowl last December, where he finished 5-of-8 for 16 yards in diffcult-to-throw, monsoon-like conditions. Maddox Kopp, who recorded a 1-of-2, 28-yard stat-line in that game, will also compete for the No. 2 spot in his second year since transferring from Colorado.
Redshirt sophomore Matt MacLeod and true freshman Thomas Gotkowski round out Miami’s quarterback room, both awaiting their first FBS snap.
Running back
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The run game was unquestionably the stronger facet on Miami’s offense in 2023, averaging 158 rushing yards per game on a respectable average of 4.4.
The RedHawks shifted to a more ground-oriented offense after Gabbert suffered a season-ending injury, which was also suitable for a mobile backup quarterback in Smith. Perhaps the biggest benefactor of this paradigm shift was running back Rashad Amos, who averaged 109 rushing yards and 1.5 touchdowns over the final six contests of the year. Amos is no longer with the team after an eventful offseason of transferring across the country, moving from Mississippi State to Colorado to Ole Miss.
Amos spent just one year in Oxford, arriving as a transfer from South Carolina in search of increased production. In similar fashion, Miami brought in Purdue transfer Dylan Downing in hopes of seeing him break through like Amos did. Downing spent three years on the Boilermakers, working as a secondary and tertiary back in Big Ten country. He totaled 740 rushing yards in black and gold, peaking in 2022 with 351 rushing yards and four touchdowns in addition to 100 receiving yards.
Downing — who has a single-game high of 113 rushing yards — could serve as a feature back for the first time in Oxford, or he could be another spoke on a crowded wheel. The depth chart still contains Keyon Mozee, who ranked first among Miami running backs in rushing yards in 2021 and 2022 before a dip in utilization last season. Mozee’s 1,178 rushing yards and eight touchdowns of production in a RedHawk uniform remain valuable, but he’s not the only established incumbent running back on the roster.
Kevin Davis and Kenny Tracy are long-time fixtures at Miami, with both players first arriving during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Davis has 785 career rushing yards under his belt (single-season best of 331 in 2021), while Tracy has 749 (single-season best of 305 in 2021). What’s notable about Davis and Tracy is their propensity to appear on passing downs. Both are more than effective in the receiving game, entering 2024 with 575 and 360 receiving yards, respectively.
Balancing numerous veteran running backs is no easy task, but Miami found a way to make it work in 2023. Now, the RedHawks replace Amos with Downing and otherwise attack with a similar stable. There’s another name to watch, however, in Jordan Brunson who could play a larger role after collecting 109 yards on FCS opponent Delaware State last September. The other incumbent backs are Nate Milanowski (11 rushes, 69 yards, one touchdown in that Delaware State game) and Danny Dunlop (missed all of 2023 with leg injury).
Thus, there are plenty of seasoned mentors for the true freshmen, so new faces like D’Shawntae Jones, Tito Glass Jr., and Josh Ringer have a lot to look up to while familiarizing themselves with campus.
Wide receiver
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Miami did not heavily utilize its receivers in 2023, averaging just 20.9 passing attempts per game — marking the fourth-lowest average in the FBS. But as mentioned earlier, the RedHawks swayed away from the aerial attack in the final six games following Gabbert’s injury. For comparison, Gabbert averaged 23.4 passes per game last year, although that number still paled in comparison to prior iterations of the Gabbert era.
Despite the lack of passing, the RedHawks unearthed a star at the receiver position in Gage Larvadain, whose 679 receiving yards were 324 yards greater than anybody else on the roster. Larvadain transferred to South Carolina, however, leaving the door ajar for a new No. 1 receiver in Oxford.
One candidate for that role is Cade McDonald, who ranked second on the RedHawks with 355 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 28 receptions in 2023. It was a breakout season for the former Michigan State transfer, who arrived last spring with just five receptions in four years as a Spartan. Another emerging familiar face is Javon Tracy, who added 348 yards and two touchdowns as a deep threat specialist last fall. Tracy’s most notable work involved turning five receptions into 123 yards in a win vs. Buffalo, and he’ll look to make those performances a regular occasion in 2024.
With Joe Wilkins Jr. and Miles Marshall no longer on the roster, the only other wide receiver who snagged a reception in a RedHawks uniform in 2023 is Reggie Virgil, who corralled a 34-yard touchdown in that 62-20 win over Delaware State where everybody on the offense earned a chance to contribute. A mainstay on special teams, Virgil should be in a larger offensive role in 2024 — a breakout which could be hinted by his jersey shift from No. 14 to No. 0.
But when you look at Gage Larvadain and Cade McDonald, as well as 2020-22 standout Mac Hippenhammer, it’s clear Miami achieves instant success with many of their transfer receivers. This year’s candidate is Andre Johnson from Arizona State, with no relation to the recently inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer. Johnson is as experienced as they come for MAC transfer arrivals, possessing 32 receptions and 387 yards to his name after five seasons at Arizona State. Miami gives the sixth-year senior the opportunity to potentially emerge as the top guy, just like it did for Larvadain and Hippenhammer. Miami also landed Indiana transfer Kam Perry from the portal. Perry hauled in three receptions for 22 yards with the Hoosiers last season and hopes to expand his playing time in his new midwest home.
The returning receivers still seeking their first collegiate catch include Jackson Izzard, Tommy Gallagher, Christian Schomer, Lynel Billups-Williams, Ryan Sims, and Cole Weaver. Braylon Isom, an all-stater in Saginaw, MI, is the only true freshman joining the bunch in 2024.
Tight end
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Tight end shouldn’t be of any concern to the RedHawks in 2024. The team employs a significant amount of experience and talent at the position from both a blocking and receiving standpoint.
Just like the starting quarterback, Jack Coldiron is back in the offense for a sixth-consecutive season. Coldiron has proven to be valuable during his extended stay in Oxford, racking up 672 career receiving yards and four touchdowns. After fruitful seasons in 2021 and 2022 where he finished fourth and third on the team in receiving yards, he was limited to one catch in 2023, missing the final 13 games of the MAC title run with a knee injury. Coldiron aims for a bounce-back season, looking for his first All-MAC bid to add to his legacy.
Nate Muersch is another long-tenured tight end in Oxford with 184 receiving yards and five touchdowns since first arriving on campus in 2020. Nearly a third of Muersch’s catches have been exchanged for six points, so he’s a viable red zone threat in an offense which runs a handful of multi-tight end sets.
Yet, the room gets even deeper with the addition of Preston Daniel from the transfer portal. Daniel attended Florida State from 2020-23, logging seven receptions and two touchdowns in 46 games with the Seminoles. Daniel, coming off a conference championship in Tallahassee, looks for an uptick in production and he’ll join the rotation featuring Coldiron and Muersch. Connor Briggs also arrives as a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, where he recorded five catches in 34 games at the FCS level.
Returning tight ends to the roster include Brian Shane and Chase Becker, while true freshmen in the tight end room are Vaughn Johnson, Hunter Teal, and Zach Meeks.
Offensive line
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Football is oftentimes won in the trenches, and Miami possesses a significant advantage there among its MAC peers. A strong contingent of the offensive line that paved the way for the 2023 MAC champions returns to campus, instantly catapulting the RedHawks to contention status once again in 2024.
Miami’s line allowed just 1.8 sacks and 4.7 tackles for loss per game in 2023, while paving the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in Amos. Four starters remain on the line, with right guard Ben Jackson being the only offseason departure the team must replace.
The offensive tackles were the highlight of the unit as left tackle Will Jados and right tackle Reid Holskey both earned Second Team All-MAC honors. Jados prepares for his third season as a primary starter while 2024 represents Holskey’s fourth season occupying the right tackle spot.
Manning the middle is Kolby Borders, who started all 14 games at center a year ago. Borders first seeped into the starting lineup in 2022, and he’s been a staple ever since. Sharing the interior with the senior center is left guard John Young. After three seasons as a reserve at Kentucky, Young instantly earned a role atop the depth chart in his first season with the RedHawks, holding it down for all 14 contests.
Finally, there’s the vacancy remaining at right guard. A prime candidate to assume this role is Gavin Rohrs, who saw action in each of Miami’s games in 2023, mainly on special teams. Rohrs brings 18 games of experience to the table and the 6’4”, 326 pound linemen hopes to complete one of the MAC’s strongest units. It’s also one of the MAC’s — and the country’s — tallest offensive lines, as Jados stands 6’8”, while Holskey, Borders, and Young are all 6’6”.
The other primary candidate for the right guard spot is Charlie Nank, who served as a valuable reserve on the interior for the past several seasons. Nank, a fifth-year junior, has logged 32 games with the team, appearing in 11 last year. Drew Terrill and Brandon Lawhorn Moore are the other Miami lineman with in-game reps on their résumé, checking into 14 and six games for the RedHawks in 2023, respectively.
Linemen without experience include Eric Smith, Andrew Lowry, Michael Popov, Marcus White, Gregory Smith Jr., and Ben Decker, while the true freshmen — unlikely to see substantial playing time in 2024 — are Aiden Howard, Danny Zarco II, Kris Manu, and Jacob Schorsch.