2026 Miami University Depth Chart
The QB room in Oxford has fully turned over for 2026. Thomas Gotkowski enters the season as the clear-cut QB1 after starting Miami’s final three regular-season games in 2025 and guiding the RedHawks to the MAC Championship Game following Dequan Finn’s mid-season departure to pursue NFL opportunities. Gotkowski went 2-1 in his full starts — throwing for 411 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs across those two contests — though his 6-of-22 showing in the Arizona Bowl raises durability and consistency questions. Transfer David McComb, who entered the portal from Kansas after being considered a potential starter to succeed Jalon Daniels, adds legitimate competition as a R-Fr. with four years of eligibility. He spent 2025 on the Miami scout team, but his upside and fresh legs should push Gotkowski throughout the year. True freshman Andrew Bellisari rounds out the room as the emergency option.
The skill position group was gutted but intelligently restocked. The RB1 job belongs to Rodney Nelson, an FCS monster from Monmouth who ranked third in the FCS with 1,802 rushing yards and led the conference with 28 touchdowns in 2025 — he’s the dynasty darling of this offense and should immediately step into lead-back duties as Kenny Tracy and Jordan Brunson graduated. D’Shawntae Jones (7 TDs in 2025, primarily in a goal-line/short-yardage role) returns as a senior with goal-line equity, and Wisconsin transfer Cade Yacamelli (7.0 YPC career average, pass-catching experience) rounds out the backfield. At receiver, Deion Colzie — a 5th-year Notre Dame transfer with a 6-foot-4 frame — slots in as the clear WR1 after an injury-shortened 2025 debut. He now has an unobstructed path to alpha-target usage with Kam Perry (Colorado) and Cole Weaver (Syracuse) both gone, taking a combined ~1,600 yards out of the room. Braylon Isom emerged as a red-zone weapon late in 2025 (3 TDs in final regular-season games), while Arizona transfer Devin Hyatt (brother of Giants WR Jalin Hyatt) brings upside if he can finally stay healthy. Ohio State transfer Damarion Witten (6-foot-4, 215 lbs) adds a big-bodied option on the outside.
From a fantasy dynasty lens, this offense will rely heavily on Rodney Nelson’s volume in Chuck Martin’s run-first system — he should be an immediate MAC-relevant fantasy RB. Gotkowski’s dual-threat floor (115 rushing yards in limited action in 2025) adds week-to-week streaming value. Colzie’s combination of size, experience, and opportunity makes him the most intriguing dynasty stash at WR on this roster. Tight end usage will remain limited; Mitch Bolden (Army transfer, R-Jr.) is the only name with any legitimate claim to the TE1 role in what historically functions as a pass-blocking position in Miami’s scheme. Kellan McLaughlin inherits the starting kicker job after Dom Dzioban exhausted his eligibility following a Lou Groza Award semifinalist season in 2025.