Oct 5, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) is congratulated by tight end Elijah Arroyo (8) after scoring a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the fourth quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Miami Football Coach Talks About Replacing Elijah Arroyo

Originally posted on Miami Hurricanes on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated Mar 31, 2025 4:58 PM ET

The University of Miami Hurricanes football team has continued with their spring practice schedule, and we received a ton of great insight from both coaches and players. Recently, tight ends coach Cody Woodiel spoke about the new-look tight end room after the departures of Elijah Arroyo and Cam McCormick. He spoke about the three tight ends who are expected to step in and step up as the tight ends for the Hurricanes.

Woodiel on offseason transfer Alex Bauman:

“Obviously, with the veteran leadership that we’re losing with Elijah Arroyo and Cam McCormick, [and] Alex obviously having over almost 2,000 snaps of college football, he’s coming and stabilizing the room a little bit with a bunch of young guys coming in. He’s brought a very good veteran professional leadership to the room and obviously, he’s a very productive player, too. So, we’re looking forward to him continuing to build and develop and he’s just now scratching the surface with us. Excited to have him.”

Woodiel on standout sophomore Elijah Lofton:

“Truthfully, I’ve told a lot of people this: he is the most unique player I’ve ever coached up to this point in my career. And outside of his athletic ability, truthfully, the leadership that he’s already established as a true sophomore and the respect he’s earned throughout the program just because of his diligent hard work, that speaks for itself. That’s really, to me as a coach, what I’m most proud about, how he handles his business and how he approaches every day on the field. Because, athletically, he’s blessed, right? … He’s a Swiss Army knife. You can use him, put him in multiple different ways, creates a lot of different matchups, so super excited for him to keep developing and pushing himself. I think it’s going to be a fun year for him.”

Woodiel on on tight end Jack Nickel:

“Jack’s a hammer, man. He gets in there and gets after it. … Jack so far has been so far, such an awesome add in the room. He’s another veteran guy that comes in and brings some leadership qualities that you’re looking for because he’s played a lot of snaps and been around the college game for a while. Jack gets in there, and he’s physical and mixes it up and he’s a guy that these younger guys can watch, too. He understands leverage and how to get his feet in the ground and he’s doing an unbelievable job for us. Really, really, really nice job.”