Miami Hurricanes Wide Receiver Xavier Restrepo Returning After Strong 2023 Campaign

The announcement was made by former Miami Hurricanes wide receiver and current NFL agent Shawn O’Dare. Restrepo had a chance to go late in the draft, and like any productive college football player he had the chance to enter the transfer portal.

Restrepo was not recruited by Miami’s current head coach Mario Cristobal. A coaching change is often cited as the reason for a transfer, but Restrepo decided to return to Coral Gables after a second year under Cristobal. Before the game, opposing head coach Greg Schiano gave insight in an Associated Press article as to why someone might stick with Cristobal.

“We’ve kind of grown together, right?” Schiano said. “We’ve been through some tough times, some good times. I knew when I got him, he was the best coach on my coaching staff at whatever he was, 25 years old, 26 years old. I trust him blind. There’s not a lot of people I trust in this world. That to me is the biggest thing. … In life you meet people and you can probably count on one hand the people that you truly trust, truly admire. Mario Cristobal is one of those guys.”

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Xavier Restrepo is coming off of his most productive year

Before the 2023 season, Restrepo never eclipsed the 25-reception mark as a Miami Hurricane. In his first three seasons combined, Restrepo had 625 yards. In this season alone, Restrepo amassed 1,092 yards receiving.

Restrepo pulled in his 85th reception in the Dec. 28 loss in the Pinstripe Bowl to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and that reception made him the all-time leader in receptions at Miami.

Restrepo tied his second-highest reception mark of the season with 11 in the bowl game, and he did it with quarterback Jacurri Brown throwing to him. Brown attempted his first pass of the season in this game.

Restrepo was also one yard away from reaching the century mark for the sixth time this season. He never reached 200 yards, but he was just seven yards short in a late-season game against the Louisville Cardinals.

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Xavier Restrepo has a chance to go down as one of the best Miami receivers of all time

As it stands, Restrepo is tied ninth all time in receptions at Miami with Travis Benjamin, and he is 15th all-time in receiving yards. If Restrepo repeats his numbers from this season in 2024, he will be first all-time in both of those statistics.

Santana Moss is currently the record holder for most receiving yards in Miami history with 2,547. Mike Harley is currently the leader in all-time receptions with 182. Restrepo even has room to regress next season if he wants to be first in both of those statistics.

Restrepo has 1,717 yards on 131 receptions, which would mean 830 yards on 51 receptions in 2024 would put him at the top. One important note about the receiving yards leaders at Miami is that they will not have played as many years as Restrepo, and their bowl stats are not included.

The top three receiving yards leaders are Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne and Michael Irvin. While Restrepo technically played in 2020, he only had one reception. Moss and Wayne played from 1997-2000, but Irvin only played from 1985-1987.

Despite the caveats, going down in the history books ahead of legendary names like Moss, Wayne and Irvin is something that cannot be understated.

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