RedHawk Insider: Football Camp Practice No. 5

OXFORD, Ohio— When Miami needed to win its 2025 regular-season finale to earn a spot in the MAC Championship Game, Braylon Isom stepped up big-time.

Isom produced two touchdown catches in the first quarter against Ball State on Nov. 29 to spark the RedHawks to a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 45-24 Redbird Rivalry victory at Yager Stadium.

Fast forward to the present, and returners like Isom and Lynel Billups-Williams are being counted on to take another big step forward for a new-look Miami receiving corps in 2026.

"We have a lot of new guys in our room, so I'm looking to be a leader, help all the new guys, and just get us to a good spot where we can get back to the MAC Championship," Isom said this morning.

"Isom and Lynel are the two that we're leaning on just because they know what it looks like," agreed wide receivers coach Andy Cruse. "They know how it should look, how they should execute plays [and] how to take coaching. They know the offense at a high level.

"So those guys are setting the bar, setting the example. And then [they] have to go out and make plays too."

Cruse's unit has added a massive influx of talent, both via the transfer portal as well as promising true freshmen like Justen Hodge and Scoop Smith. There's Maleek Huggins from Bethune-Cookman, Devin Hyatt from Arizona, Carl Jenkins from UCF, Leo Scheidler from Notre Dame, Quintin Simmons from Kentucky and Damarion Witten from Ohio State, just to name a few.

"I think we have a good group: A deep group that has a lot of different tools and a lot of different jobs that they can do," Cruse pointed out. "For us, it's our job to continue to develop them and see where they fit into our offense.

"So we're giving guys opportunities in different ways to go out there and show their skills, because when it comes time for Week One, we can't wait and see who can do what – that's what this time is for."

The faces may be different than a year ago, but the expectations for the group remain high.

"I think we're going to be the best in the MAC," Jenkins said confidently. "We've got a lot of players with a lot of good experience from bigger schools and bigger competitions...

"We know what it feels like to be in a big-time moment in a big-time game, so we just all bring that together as a team...we're all going to make big-time plays on the balls that come our way and we're just going to execute and get it done this year."

Miami is scheduled to practice again on Wednesday morning, August 12 in Oxford.

PLAY OF THE DAY: Jenkins exploded for a 70-yard touchdown reception in the day's first team period today, getting open down the right sideline and then shrugging off contact after the catch to make it to the end zone.

"Jenkins' play was huge," said head coach Chuck Martin. "Beautiful throw, beautiful catch."

As he came back to the offensive sideline, Jenkins teamed up with Hyatt for an elaborate choreographed high-five routine. "Me and Devin, we've got plans on making a lot of big touchdowns this year," Jenkins laughed later. "We've got a few handshakes – obviously we want to celebrate with our teammates."

"We know what CJ can do...just gave him an opportunity. Quarterback threw a great ball, [he] ran the route exactly how we teach it, and made a great play for a touchdown."

"We weren't perfect today, but we did some things that we're capable of doing," Cruse elaborated as he recapped the wideouts' overall morning in our post-practice interview.

"We have to be playmakers. We have to create explosive plays."

HALF-AND-HALF: Practice started a few minutes earlier this morning to try and get as much outdoor work in as possible before severe weather arrived in Oxford, and then everyone moved inside around 9 a.m. for the remainder of practice shortly before the storms began outside.

INSIDE SLANT: One offensive drill today involved all of the backs and receivers working on ball security and running through contact. Two staffers stood a few feet apart with giant pads and took a simultaneous swipe at each RedHawk as they ran between them. The final product looked something like a cross between a car wash with massive wipers and a couple of Major League Baseball players taking practice swings in an on-deck circle.

The focus and purpose of the pounding? "Everybody holds the ball the same exact way," Cruse explained. "[It] should not move.

"We try to put them in different situations that we'll see in a game where they have to have great ball security. That's the number one most-important thing for us offensively.

"If we have great ball security and we don't turn it over, we have a chance to win the game. Every week!"

EYEBALL EMOJI: Eli Limouris, a Louisville transfer, came up with a pick-six late in practice this morning for one of the defensive highlights of the day. A few minutes later, Toney Coleman Jr. made perhaps an even more impressive play in the opposite corner of the field, sticking with the play to reel in the football after not one, but two initial deflections (one by Coleman and one by the receiver he was covering)...although there was no shortage of debate whether or not the junior managed to stay in bounds while making the acrobatic snag.

ABCs: Damarion Witten, junior wide receiver, jersey no. 8
Get to know a player on the 2026 Miami Football team in their own words.

Attributes and Adjectives: What are three words that describe you as a player or a person?
"Hardworking, honest, and I would say helpful. I love to help the young guys."

Background Bio: What brought you to Miami? How did you get here?
"My path to Miami didn't start like how everybody else did. I was a three-star recruit coming out of high school – a tight end. Committed to Ohio State, and I was there for two years...I learned a lot of things from Ohio State...the main thing [being] the mental [side] and just working hard every day...

"I feel like if I didn't go there, I wouldn't be the football player I am today. But after two years at Ohio State, I just thought that I had to find the best opportunity for me. When I entered the portal and I started talking to schools, I feel like Coach Martin and the Miami staff really stood out to me. They really wanted me here, and I felt like I was needed here and not [just] wanted.

"That was a big thing for me, and ever since then, I've been loving it here. I love Coach Martin; I love Coach Cruse. They've been helping me a lot."

Compare/Contrast: Who do you try and model your game after?

"I'd say George Pickens, because I like his attitude towards the game. He steps out there with anybody; doesn't matter who it is. Another one is Calvin Johnson – my favorite player ever. Megatron."
And what sets you apart from other people at your position?
"My size and my strength – I can really use that to my advantage. And my hands: I really have great hands. Being a big-body receiver, I don't have the best footwork, but I can tell you: When it comes down to it, I can get in and out of my breaks."

Drive and Desire: Why do you play the game? What drives you to excel?
"What drives me as a player? My mother. Every day, my mother and my grandmother."

External Evaluation: Scouting report from a Miami coach or teammate.
"You throw it up, [and] he's coming down with it 10 out of 10 times. He has elite speed, elite size, elite hands." -Braylon Isom

Fun Facts: Share one or two interesting things about you that the average fan (or maybe even people on your team) might not know.
One fun fact about me is they call me 'Toe.' [In my] seventh-grade year, I broke my toe. First day of practice, and it just stuck with me ever since."

Golf Group: If you could assemble your dream foursome for a day at the golf course (anyone in the world past or present), who would you choose and why?
"I'd say LeBron, Michael Irvin, Tiger Woods for sure, and Tom Brady."

QB BATTLE: Martin was happy with how his quarterbacks performed this morning, calling it a marked improvement from Sunday's practice offensively. "Today was a really good day for both of them...they really gave our offense a chance the whole day," he said in reference to Thomas Gotkowski and David McComb.

"We did a lot more good things than we did over the weekend, when they were trying to do too much," Martin continued. "They're trying to win the job, and it's tough when you know you're in a competition to not try to do too much.

"But good players don't do too much; good players do what they're supposed to do. They've both got a lot of growth, [and] they've both got a huge upside."

For more inside coverage of Miami Athletics, bookmark RedHawk Insider. Miss a fall camp report? Catch up with our daily MiamiRedHawks.com notebooks: Aug. 8 | Aug. 6 | Aug. 5

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RedHawk Insider: Football Camp Practice No. 5

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Players Mentioned

Lynel Billups-Williams

Toney Coleman Jr.

Thomas Gotkowski

Justen Hodge

Maleek Huggins

Devin Hyatt

Braylon Isom

Carl Jenkins

Eli Limouris

David McComb

Leo Scheidler

Quintin Simmons

Scoop Smith

Damarion Witten

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