Miami football looks to repeat as MAC champions with a strong returning cast

It was a chilly, cool and crisp contest for the Miami University RedHawks football team last December against the University of Toledo Rockets. The tensions and stakes were high in the 2023 Mid-American Conference Championship game at Ford Field.

The RedHawks were without star quarterback, Brett Gabbert, and faced a relentless Toledo defense. The pressure, attention and adversity all fell on Miami’s dual-threat quarterback Aveon Smith.

After four hours of gritty play in Detroit, Miami ended Toledo’s hopes of repeating as conference champs with a 23-14 victory. The RedHawks hoisted its 17th MAC Championship trophy, the second in the Chuck Martin era.

As the seasons in Oxford change, so does the current iteration of Miami for the 2024 campaign. The goal remains the same: win the MAC title to repeat as conference champions for the first time since the 1970s (1973-75).

The RedHawks this year will once again be led by Gabbert, who is entering his sixth season in a Miami uniform.

Gabbert appeared in eight games and missed the second half of the 2023 season due to a right leg injury. Despite missing the final six games, he was selected to the All-MAC Third Team with 1,634 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 140 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

While he is the most experienced and longest tenured quarterback in the MAC, a major concern for Gabbert is his health, as he missed 14 games in the last two seasons

At the MAC media day on July 19, Gabbert talked about his previous injuries.

“There have definitely been a few bumps in the road during my five years, but you just gotta keep going and never give up,” Gabbert said.

The RedHawks will continue battling in the trenches with a majority of the offensive line starters returning, including tackles Reid Holskey and Will Jados, who were both Second Team All-MAC selections last season.

In the running game, Miami will be without star back Rashad Amos, who finished last year with 1,075 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Instead, returning backs Kenny Tracy and Keyon Mozee offer explosivity on the ground. Miami will also look towards incoming transfer Dylan Downing, an experienced back that spent three seasons with the Purdue University Boilermakers.

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The RedHawks will also be without wide receiver Gage Larvadain, who had a strong 679 receiving yards and six touchdowns last year. He took his talents to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

Despite no Larvadain, Miami will primarily be the same group from last year, including returners Cade McDonald and Javon Tracy.

The RedHawks also return Jack Coldiron, Miami’s top tight end who missed nearly all of last season after being injured in the first game against the University of Miami Hurricanes.

The newest addition to Miami’s air attack is wide receiver Andre Johnson, a transfer from the Arizona State University Sun Devils. He will play a big role in this offense after four seasons in the desert.

On the other side of the ball, Miami returns one of the top defenses in the conference once again. It boasts a strong cast of returning players, including All-MAC Second Team defensive end Brian Ugwu and defensive linemen Kobe Hilton and Corey Suttle.

In the secondary this year, Miami will be without All-MAC Second Team selection Yahsyn McKee as he graduated last year.

Instead, the Red and White will be returning two ballhawks with Eli Blakey and Raion Strader, who both had strong seasons as starters with 86 combined tackles.

The crown jewel of the RedHawks’ defense is the tandem of All-MAC Second Team linebacker Ty Wise and the 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek. The latter is coming off his best season yet, totaling 144 tackles, 75 solo tackles, three sacks and one interception.

Wise and Salopek hope to cause chaos for opposing offenses this season, and they will look to build on their incredible 2023 seasons. At MAC media day, Salopek explained that the RedHawks are only looking forward with their sights set on the College Football Playoffs.

“Obviously we had a phenomenal season last year, but we just had to flush it down the toilet in January,” Salopek said. “It is a brand new season for us with new goals and the expanded playoffs gives us a chance to be that 12th team.”

Miami this year will look to make the College Football playoffs for the first time in school history, and with a tough out-of-conference schedule, it’s possible if things go right.

The RedHawks open up the year against a Big Ten opponent in the Northwestern University Wildcats on Aug. 31. After that, they will face their rival in the Big-12, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, at home on Sept. 14 for matchup No. 128 for the Battle for the Victory Bell rivalry.

One week later, Miami heads to South Bend, Indiana, to face the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sept. 21 in a Midwest clash.

The week after, Miami will face the University of Massachusetts Minutemen at home on Sept. 28 for a homecoming matchup to close out non-conference play.

For the remainder of the season, the RedHawks will run the MAC gauntlet, including a matchup against the Rockets on Oct. 5, as they prepare for the postseason in December.

Head coach Chuck Martin enters his 10th season, optimistic about the future of the RedHawks.

”There are a lot of returning cast for us that we’re excited to have back,” Martin said. “We’re in a really good place and excited to play some great football this fall.”

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