Chuck Martin never imagined he’d be going into Year 11 in Oxford. And yet, the future of the RedHawks program has rarely looked brighter.
Chuck Martin leads a Miami (OH) program which is the definition of stability in the MAC.
Martin is tied with Eastern Michigan’s Chris Creighton for the longest tenured coach in the conference, preparing for year 11 on the job. Both of his coordinators are also entering year 11 with the program. His starting quarterback is entering year six.
The RedHawks are consistent winners too, finishing .500 or above in conference play every season since 2016. They captured a MAC title in 2019 and another last season, and they’re always in the mix for a bowl game year in and year out.
Still, like all 134 FBS programs, Miami is affected by the chaos of the modern era of college football where transfers are more prevalent than ever and coaching changes can transpire at every moment. While the RedHawks are widely pegged as the 2024 MAC favorite due to their impressive retention, there is also plenty of newness on campus in Oxford, OH. Besides a new set of white uniforms, here’s what the RedHawks added to since the completion of their 2023 MAC championship season:
Coaching changes for the champs
Miami was fortunate to retain a bulk of its coaching staff after winning the MAC championship last December. Chuck Martin and coordinators Bill Brechin and Pat Welsh all enter their 11th season with the program.
New to the RedHawks is special teams coordinator Kyle Blocker, who served as a special teams analyst the last two seasons at Tennessee. Hired in January, this is Blocker’s first time operating in a full-fledged coordinator role after previous analyst and graduate assistant gigs at North Texas, Kansas, and Missouri.
The RedHawks also brought in three new position coaches on Martin’s staff.
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Roy Roundtree, a former Michigan receiver (2008-12), earns his first FBS job as a wide receivers coach after spending nearly a decade holding the position at small schools — spending last season at McNeese of the FCS.
Mitchell White arrives to the staff as a cornerbacks coach. Mitchell is the brother of Myles White, who spent the last two seasons as Miami’s wide receivers coach before accepting a job with the Green Bay Packers, making way for Roundtree. A former Michigan State cornerback (2009-12), Mitchell White held a position as Utah State’s defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach in 2023. Miami represents his second FBS job in seven years of coaching.
Andy Cruse joins Miami as the tight ends coach. Unlike the other two assistants, Cruse comes directly from the high school ranks, where he worked as the head coach at Loveland High School in Ohio. But he shares a deep connection with the university, suiting up as a tight end for the RedHawks in the early 2010s, claiming captaincy status as a senior in 2012 and playing a crucial role to the team’s conference championship in 2010.
Welcome to Miami, bienvenidos a Miami
Significant roster retention meant Miami did not have to dig deep in building through the transfer portal this offseason. Martin’s squad only acquired seven roster members from the portal, primarily addressing the skill positions.
The RedHawks lost a major contributor from the 2023 MAC title team in the portal this offseason. Running back Rashad Amos arrived from South Carolina last season and immediately thrived in his new MAC home, earning Third Team All-MAC honors with 1,075 rushing yards. However, Amos transferred to Ole Miss this offseason, and the RedHawks sought the portal to replace the departed running back.
Miami landed Dylan Downing, who served as a secondary and tertiary running back the past three seasons at Purdue. Downing rushed for 748 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons with the Boilermakers, ranking second on the team in rushing in 2022. Just like Amos, Downing could be in for a breakout campaign as a feature back upon arrival in Oxford.
After the success of recent portal additions at the wide receiver position including Mac Hippenhammer and Gage Larvadain, the RedHawks added two receivers from elsewhere. The more experienced of the two is Andre Johnson, a sixth-year senior who spent his first five years of college at Arizona State. Johnson has 387 receiving yards and two touchdowns to his name, earning his most production with the Sun Devils in 2021 and 2022. The RedHawks also bolster their depth with Kam Perry, who snagged his first three collegiate receptions with Indiana last season — all in a September contest vs. Maryland.
The receiving corps extends further with two transfer additions at tight end, complementing longtime RedHawk Jack Coldiron. Preston Daniel arrives from Florida State with starting potential after four seasons and 46 games with the Seminoles, equipped with a career stat-line of seven receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Connor Briggs also adds a heap of experience to the position group after 34 games with Southeastern Louisiana of the FCS. Similar to Daniel, Briggs is looking for more production in the receiving component of the position, coming to Oxford with five career receptions and one touchdown.
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The RedHawks defense is strikingly similar to the commanding unit that won the MAC championship last December. Thus, they only took on two defensive transfers to fill out the roster. Savio Frazier is an established defensive tackle that could challenge for a starting spot alongside veteran Kobe Hilton. Frazier started 23 games with Mercer at the FCS level, displaying his best football last season with 33 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.
Former Mississippi State cornerback Luke Evans is the other addition to the defensive side of the ball. Although they weren’t teammates in Starkville, Evans is the second Mississippi State defensive back transfer to move to Miami in two seasons, joining William Hardrick who saw a tremendous uptick in playing time immediately following the transfer.
Red-hot RedHawk recruiting class
Miami landed the 82nd-ranked recruiting class in the FBS per 247Sports. The RedHawks class was among the more heralded in the MAC, checking in at third in the conference behind Toledo and Western Michigan. It marks Martin’s third top three finish in MAC recruiting since 2021, ranking third in 2021 and first in 2022.
Javon Hammonds is one of the highest-rated players in Miami’s 2024 freshman class. The 6’4”, 225 pound defensive end fielded offers from nearly the entire MAC before deciding on Miami. The 3-star from Dayton originally committed to Marshall but flipped to an in-state program in February.
Another touted recruit the RedHawks landed is running back Josh Ringer, who earned the title of Mr. Football in the state of Indiana last season. The 3-star athlete rushed for 2,880 yards and 55 touchdowns as a senior, earning first team all-state honors for the second consecutive year. Tito Glass Jr. and D’Shawntae Jones are other 3-star running backs joining the RedHawks, and both backs earned all-state honors in Ohio last season.
Braylon Isom is the only receiver in the recruiting class for Miami, claiming all-state honors in Michigan after recording 82 receptions, 1,611 yards, and 26 touchdowns as a senior. The RedHawks also added one quarterback in Thomas Gotkowski from Indianapolis. Three tight ends — Vaughn Johnson, Hunter Teal, and Zach Meeks — round out the skill position recruits for Miami.
The class of 2024 expanded the defensive back room more than any other position group. Miami gained Kaleb Martin, Toney Coleman Jr., Jackson Pons, Gino Blasini, Leo Colombi, and Jermaine Agee to promote depth in the secondary.
Carter Herriman, Brach Rice, and Jayden Fuller are the linebackers joining the RedHawks, and they’ll enter Oxford with great mentors in Matt Salopek and Ty Wise — two All-MAC linebackers from the reigning conference champs.
The offensive line gains Aiden Howard, Danny Zarco II, Kris Manu, and Jacob Schorsch. The defensive line beefs up with Ben Nash, Devin Bell, William Goodvine III, Donovan Davis, and Oyeka Alexander, in addition to the aforementioned Hammonds.
The special teams unit adds Ohio first team all-stater Carter Holden, who played both kicker and punter at Dublin Jerome High School. Holden is a potential replacement for reigning Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson who transferred to Alabama this offseason. One other special teamer joining Holden is long snapper Caleb Schlater, another Ohio native who earned first team all-state honors in 2023.