By Abe Isaacson | Orange Bowl Boys Student Columnist | April 17, 2026
I’ll be honest, getting into this one is going to require some work.
Not the watching part. The watching part is easy. I’ve had tomorrow circled on my calendar since they announced the date. Cobb Stadium, 10:15 a.m. kickoff, parking lots open at 8. I know the whole rundown. The problem is there’s a guy named Cam in media relations who I need to never, ever encounter. Not “avoid a conversation with.” Not “keep it brief.” I mean he cannot learn that I exist. As far as Cam is concerned, I am not a real person. I am wind. I am a shadow moving through the autograph line at 9 a.m. I am a hat and sunglasses near the north end zone who you definitely did not see and could not describe to anyone.
I’m actually very good at this. My route tomorrow: park on the street off San Amaro, come through the side near the practice fields, post up on the hill with the regular fans. If Cam walks east, I walk west. If Cam’s near the press tent, I’m at the concession stand. Simple geometry. We’ll be fine.
Anyway. The spring game. Let’s talk about it.
Look, I know what you’re thinking, it’s a glorified practice. First half literally is practice this year. Coach Cristobal said it himself: “It’s a little different than what we’ve done.” They didn’t want to sacrifice a day of fundamental work. Fair enough. But the second half scrimmage? That’s where the real juice is. And even in the practice portion, if you know what to look for, there’s plenty to take away.
Here are my five things.
1. Darian Mensah’s First Public Reps in Orange and Green
This is the one everybody’s showing up for. Let’s not pretend otherwise. Mensah finished second in the country last year with 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns at Duke. He helped them win the ACC. That’s not a typo, Duke, the ACC championship, in the same sentence. The man made that happen. And now he’s here, and the storyline around how he got here, the whole Duke settlement situation, is going to follow him for a while. That’s fine. Darian Mensah doesn’t need to win the press conference. He needs to win the pocket. I want to see timing. Does the ball come out on rhythm with guys he’s only been throwing to for a few weeks? Does he look comfortable in Shannon Dawson’s system or is he still reading the menu? Because here’s my spicy take for the day… Dawson’s offense might actually fit Mensah better than it ever fit Carson Beck. I said it. I’m not taking it back.
2. Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate Running Together
I don’t think people realize how deep this receiver room is. Like, genuinely. This might be the best collection of wideouts in the ACC and the conversation hasn’t caught up yet. Toney is back wearing No. 1 after going off in the playoff. You already know what he does… catch a five-yard hitch, make one guy miss, suddenly it’s a 40-yard gain and you’re standing up in the student section. Barkate came over from Duke with Mensah, those two already have chemistry baked in from last season. Barkate works the intermediate stuff, the crossers and the digs, and he’s just steady. Then you’ve got Vandrevius Jacobs from South Carolina, Cam Vaughn from West Virginia, and the trio of freshmen, Milan Parris, Somourian Wingo, Vance Spafford, all flashing in spring practice. Toney said fans should keep an eye on one of those freshmen. I want to see who’s getting reps with the ones and who Mensah looks for on third down. That tells you everything.
3. The Offensive Line, Four Starters Gone, One Enormous Freshman Arrived
Nobody in my group chat wants to hear this, but four starters walked out the door with over 100 combined starts. That’s not a depth chart problem, that’s a whole new front five. Cristobal always says the team is built from the inside out, so okay, prove it. McCoy, Okunlola, and Rodriguez are still here, which helps. And then there’s Jackson Cantwell, who enrolled early and is apparently already terrifying people at practice. No. 3 overall prospect in the 2026 class. I’ve been watching clips of this kid since signing day like a weirdo. Jacob Hawks is coming in May too… JUCO tackle from Hutchinson, 6’9″, 335 pounds. That’s not a football player, that’s a building with a scholarship. What I’m really watching tomorrow is how the interior talks to each other. New combinations up front take time and you can’t fake chemistry in the trenches. If the pocket holds up for Mensah? Great sign. If it doesn’t, whatever, it’s April. But I want to see the effort.
4. The Defensive Line Without Bain and Mesidor
Okay, this one stings a little. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor were monsters. They never left the field. But here’s what Bain himself said before he left… he thinks this defensive line “might be better” in 2026 without him. I don’t think he was being nice about it either. He watched these dudes in practice every day. Ahmad Moten turned down the NFL Draft to come back. You don’t do that unless you believe in what’s happening here. Damon Wilson is twitchy off the edge and can absolutely ruin a Saturday for an offensive coordinator, though he still needs to get better against the run. Hayden Lowe is 6’5″, 260, and honestly might end up being the most complete end on the roster by September. Mo Toure and Chase Smith at linebacker? Yeah. That’s a real tandem. I’m not watching scheme tomorrow. It’s a spring game, everything’s vanilla. I want to see how hard the first-team defense plays when nobody’s keeping score. That tells me more than any blitz package.
5. The Backup QB Battle
Nobody wants to talk about this, but everybody should. Luke Nickel, Dereon Coleman, and Judd Anderson are all fighting for QB2 behind Mensah. And before you scroll past this one… think about it. Miami has gone to the portal for its starting quarterback three years in a row. Three. At some point you have to develop one yourself or you’re just renting the position forever. Coleman is the one I keep coming back to. Big recruiting get, raw but talented, and spring practice is where guys like that either start to click or you don’t hear about them again until the transfer portal opens. I’ll be watching him closely during the scrimmage. Probably too closely. Like, “why is that kid on the hill taking notes” closely.
So yeah. Five things. Tomorrow morning. Cobb Stadium. I’ll be the one on the hill in the hat and the sunglasses watching Mensah’s footwork like my life depends on it. If you see a guy who looks like he might be a student journalist cutting through the trees behind the north end zone at full speed…no you didn’t. You saw nothing. You don’t know me. And if Cam asks, I was never here.
Go Canes.
