On Monday afternoon, news broke on twitter that OL Hayden Mahoney had entered his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Shortly thereafter, the University of Miami announced that Mahoney was leaving the Canes Football Program. Here’s the release from Miami Athletics:

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami announced Monday that offensive lineman Hayden Mahoney has decided to leave the football program.

“Hayden and I talked and we decided that it was in his best interests to graduate this spring and pursue opportunities at another school,” head coach Manny Diaz said. “We wish him all the best in his future plans.”

Mahoney, a redshirt junior from Malvern, Pa., played in all 13 games last season, starting 10. He is scheduled to graduate after UM’s spring semester.

Mahoney was a starter on Miami’s OL, but that’s not saying much. That unit was one of the worst in the country, and of players who had heavy rotation snaps, Mahoney graded out 6th according to Manny Navarro of The Athletic, citing Pro Football Focus grades.

One of the few remaining Al Golden recruits on the Canes, Mahoney came to Coral Gables from Pennsylvania. He was a slightly below average player here, and now he’s going to complete his college career elsewhere.

Miami, looking to rebuild the line anyways, has several players who will try to fill Mahoney’s snaps, and improve on his performance. Hopefully one of them — Cleveland Reed, maybe? — is able to step up and aid the Canes in rebuilding and improving the porous OL.

We thank Hayden Mahoney for his contributions to the Canes Football program, and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Go Canes