In the annual college football preview magazine game, nobody does more research and studies trends more than Phil Steele.
Steele’s annual magazine is the standard of college football preview magazines and the 2026 edition is 375 pages full of information.
One of Steele’s most renowned sections of the magazine is his national ranking of ‘top individual units’ and it is interesting to see where he thinks each team stacks up going into the season.
Where does Miami rank nationally at each position group? Let’s take a look…
– Quarterback: No. 8 in the country
– Running Back: No. 4 in the country
– Wide Receiver: No. 3 in the country
– Offensive Line: No. 39 in the country
– Defensive Line: No. 6 in the country
– Linebacker: No. 17 in the country
– Defensive Back: No. 5 in the country
– Special Teams: Not ranked inside the top 65
LINK: Buy the 2026 Phil Steele college football magazine here.
Steele will rank the top 70 of most position groups, but his unit rankings create a line of demarkation at the top 15 in which he separates that group from the rest because those are the best of the best.
Miami is top 15 in 5-of-8 of Steele’s national position groups rankings.
The Hurricanes skill positions impress Steele the most with UM featuring top ten units at quarterback, running back, and receiver. Only Oregon and Texas also feature top ten units at those three position groups.
Darian Mensah will lead the UM attack in 2026 after throwing for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns and six interceptions. Running back Mark Fletcher will steady the Miami ground game after totaling 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns in 14 games in 2025. At receiver, UM will feature two 1,000 yard pass catchers from 2025 in Malachi Toney (1,211 yards, 10 TDs) and Cooper Barkate (1,106 yards, 7 TDs).
UM’s new-look, inexperienced offensive line has Steele skeptical going into the 2026 season with that group ranking 39th in the country. Amongst the ACC teams, Steele ranks the Miami offensive line behind Virginia (8th nationally), SMU (13th nationally), Virginia Tech (20th nationally), Florida State (23rd nationally), Georgia Tech (24th nationally), Pittsburgh (34th nationally), and Louisville (35th nationally).
The Hurricanes will feature a true freshman at left tackle in former five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell. UM will also feature first-year full-time starters in Samson Okunlola at left guard, Ryan Rodriguez at center, and Max Buchanan at right guard. Matthew McCoy will make the transition from left guard to right tackle.
While UM’s 2026 offensive line will feature plenty of new faces, it would be a disappointment if Miami’s 2026 offensive line finishes the season as the eighth best within the ACC.
On the defensive side of the ball the Hurricanes feature top 10 units on the defensive line and at defensive back. Linebacker is the lowest rated bunch on that side of the ball at 17th nationally.
So again, Miami ranked inside the top 15 nationally in 5-of-8 of Steele’s unit rankings. Let’s take a look at how that compares to Steele’s top ten teams for 2026…
1. Notre Dame: 6-of-8
2. Georgia: 7-of-8
3. Ohio State: 5-of-8
4. Texas: 6-of-8
5. Indiana: 7-of-8
6. Oregon: 6-of-8
7. Miami: 5-of-8
8. Alabama: 3-of-8
9. Texas Tech: 3-of-8
10. BYU: 2-of-8
Judging by the unit rankings, Steele views Georgia and Indiana as the two most well-rounded teams in the country. According to Steele, Indiana’s running back group ranks 44th in the country. Georgia’s receiver group ranks No. 35 in the country.
According to Steele’s position group rankings, Ohio State and Oregon are a cut above the rest of the country. The Buckeyes rank third at quarterback, 11th at running back, first at receiver, and second at offensive line. Oregon’s offensive units are ranked first at quarterback, eighth at running back, second at receiver, and eighth on the offensive line.
On the defensive side, Notre Dame and Oklahoma have the most impressive position group rankings. The Irish rank fifth on the defensive line, first at linebacker, and first at defensive back. The Sooners rank third at the defensive line, fourth at linebacker, and eighth at defensive back.
Within the ACC, position groups outside of Miami that rank inside Steele’s top 15 nationally are sparse. Here’s a look…
– QB: SMU 14th
– RB: Louisville 3rd
– RB: FSU 10th
– WR: FSU 6th
– OL: Virginia 10th
– OL: SMU 13th
– DL: Pittsburgh 12th
– DL: Clemson 12th
– LB: Clemson 10th
– LB: SMU 14th
– DB: Clemson 13th
– Special Teams: Duke 11th
Miami is by far the most well-rounded team in the ACC going into 2026. Clemson’s defense has plenty of talent, but they are a group that must perform much better than what they showed in 2025. FSU has intriguing skill talent on offense, but quarterback, offensive line, and the entire defense are all question marks. SMU is generating plenty of preseasons buzz, but they will need to show they have the depth to navigate the season successfully.
How do you think Miami’s talent stacks up to the rest of the country? Comment below.
