Hurricanes look to local star Jojo Trader as CJ Daniels ruled out vs. Syracuse

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After a strong performance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl last year, wide receiver Jojo Trader was widely expected to be a key contributor in the Hurricanes’ offense.

But through Miami’s first seven games, Trader had not seen much of the field. After dealing with an injury early in the year, Trader had played just 32 offensive snaps leading up to the Hurricanes’ game against SMU last weekend.

But with starting wide receiver CJ Daniels out vs. SMU, Trader stepped in and put up good numbers. Now the Hurricanes will look to him to play a bigger role going forward.

“There’s a lot of stuff to be excited about and then some stuff to correct,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

Trader, who starred at Chaminade-Madonna, started hot against the Mustangs. He had three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter, snagging a pass over the head of a defender and tumbling into the end zone.

But Trader’s day was far from perfect. He could not reel in a pass from Carson Beck, and the tipped pass went to SMU defensive back Ahmaad Moses. One play later, the Mustangs scored a touchdown.

Trader finished the game with 81 yards on five catches. Pro Football Focus gave Trader a 60.7 receiving grade in the game.

Trader — and other receivers like Josh Moore and Keelan Marion — will likely continue to get more snaps, as Daniels is expected to miss several games due to his undisclosed injury. Daniels is second on the team with 351 receiving yards and 33 catches, and he leads Miami with six touchdown catches.

“I believe we have a lot of depth in that room,” Beck said. “And I feel like that’s shown throughout the season, even though there’s some younger guys that haven’t maybe had the production like maybe CJ has had throughout the year. We have a lot of depth and a lot of talent in that room, and I think that came alive and was shown very well on Saturday during the game. So obviously, we have full trust and faith in every single one of those guys that goes out there on the field.”

Hurricanes make semifinal cut for awards

Two Hurricanes stars were named semifinalists for awards this week.

UM defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. was picked as a semifinalist for the  Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation’s top lineman on either side of the ball. Additionally, wide receiver Malachi Toney was named a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award.

Bain has been one of the nation’s top defensive players this season. He has 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception. Although those conventional statistics may seem unremarkable, he has excelled in advanced metrics. Pro Football Focus gives Bain a 94.2 defensive grade, which leads all defenders. He has 44 quarterback pressures, which is fourth nationally, and 22 run stops, which is tied for 19th in the nation.

Toney, an American Heritage alum, has burst onto the scene this year. He leads Miami with 632 receiving yards on 52 catches, and he has three receiving touchdowns. Toney has also excelled on punt returns.

Toney’s 85.9 receiving grade is 10th nationally (and first in the ACC) among receivers with 10 or more targets.

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