After pouring out his Blood, Sweat & Tears for Miami, Restrepo rewrote the history books for the Hurricanes Wide Receiver Position as he preps for the next chapter as he could be an early round NFL Draft pick

“If you cut him open, orange and green comes out.” This quote from former Miami head coach, Manny Diaz, describing Xavier Restrepo in 2019 before the wide receiver even played a snap for the Hurricanes aged perfectly. Restrepo poured his blood, sweat, and tears out for the Canes and became not only a reliable fixture in the Canes’ offense, but exceeded everyone’s expectations when he set the standard as the most decorated wide receiver in Miami history.

The 5’9” Deerfield Beach product entered Miami with relatively low expectations as a highly underrated prospect – a low three star as the No. 623 recruit nationally, not even putting him in the top 100 wide receivers in the nation according to 247 Composite Rankings. Even with that, Restrepo put his head down and quickly proved his prowess as he received early comparisons as a hardworking slot guy and return specialist similar to recent Cane graduates Braxton Berrios, KJ Osborn, and Mike Harley. Restrepo continued to catapult up the ranks over his five years and exhibited a rare skillset that placed him into the upper echelon of college wideouts across the nation as he carved out his own name in Miami lore as one of the best to represent the U.

As he rewrote the history books, Restrepo now heads to the NFL where he should forge an integral role on Sundays. But before that, let’s reflect on the greatness we witnessed during his Canes tenure…

X to the U

At Deerfield Beach High School, just a half hour away from Hard Rock Stadium, Restrepo was not only willing to take a hit over the middle, but was also the one laying the hit stick as a physical safety at Deerfield Beach. He amassed an impressive 48 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 200+ tackles, 500+ passing yards, 3,000+ receiving yards, 2,500+ rushing yards, and contributed as a special teams player (five blocked field goals along with the return game prowess).

Prior to college, the X-Man stood at a diminutive 5’9”, 178lbs, but possessed strong athletic traits by clocking a 4.58 40-yard dash and 32.5 inch vertical. He also turned a lot of heads due to his short area quickness and unmatched route running, especially in the short-to-intermediate passing attack. Restrepo especially thrived in 7-on-7 tournaments where he often separated from defenders, cut on a dime, and made acrobatic catches. He was named the wide receiver MVP at The Opening Miami.

Upon committing to Miami, Restrepo held 23 reported offers from the likes of athletic, as well as academic powerhouses, such as Kentucky, Purdue, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Missouri, Harvard, Vanderbilt, and Texas, among others. However, he could not stay away from south Florida.

“Miami is paradise,” he said. “It truly is paradise. It feels like home and I wouldn’t want to be going anywhere else … I’m trying to make The U great again.”

Restrepo’s Route to Greatness

Before he tallied 200 receptions, 2,844 receiving yards, and 21 TDs over his career, Restrepo still had to figure where he actually fit on the roster.

In fact, when Miami earned the commitment from X, it wasn’t even clear what position he would play. And even though he made it clear once his career was done that he more than excelled at the receiver position, Restrepo initially made it known he would be willing to take on whatever role necessary to help the Canes.

“Athlete,” Restrepo previously said when asked about his future position. “Just wherever they need me.”

“I played safety, nickel, and linebacker, but at receiver with the excitement of the crowd that that gets on you, how much you’re depending on to win the game, all of the pressure I just love it,” Restrepo said. “I love the heat of the moment. Either you catch the ball or you lose the game, I just love all of that pressure.”

During his first three seasons, Restrepo did not light up the stat sheet by any means on offense relative to his final two seasons – Restrepo had a combined 46 receptions for 625 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns over his first 26 games. That said, he was constantly commended by the coaches and teammates as he played the role as a natural and gritty, undersized, slot receiver and return specialist.

Namely, in Restrepo’s true freshman season he earned starting punt returner duties just a month into the season. This willingness to do the dirty work on special teams and across the middle paid dividends as his career progressed. The sweat equity through extra hours at the JUGS machines and weight room (set the wide receiver position squat record at 505lbs and packed on 20 pounds of muscle during his career) culminated in the finished product.

As a “safety blanket” slot receiver, who ended up evolving to a more dynamic route option, Restrepo was reliable as ever in his final two seasons, and 25 games, as he garnered 154 receptions for 2,219 receiving yards, and 17 TDs – the first ever Hurricane wideout to post back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. Even more impressively, he did so with three different primary quarterbacks, D’Eriq King, Tyler Van Dyke, and Cam Ward. In 2024, along with the career records he set, Restrepo earned consensus NCAA All-America first-recognition, was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, honoring the nation’s top pass catcher (and frankly was snubbed from finalist consideration), and was selected to All-ACC First Team for the second straight year.

Onto the NFL and Miami Hall of Fame

The natural receiver who lives for football ended up becoming more than just a slot-heavy receiver. Even though he is just 5’9” and lacks top notch speed according to scouts, Restrepo carries a far more potent repertoire than a pure slot option. Based on the on-field traits, Restrepo sits squarely in the early round conversation after a great week at the Senior Bowl and could catapult up to the early second round or late first round if he blows people away at the NFL Combine later this month.

Restrepo is no longer a draft sleeper as more and more draft scouts and experts are recognizing his on-the-field play as talented enough to not pass up in spite of his potential physical concerns. Notably, ESPN’s Field Yates compared his quickness, toughness, strength, competitiveness, and clutch gene to Amon-Ra St. Brown – a wide receiver who dropped to the fifth round due to poor pre-draft testing but made many teams who should have focused on his on-field play regret it.

While the St. Brown comparison may seem lofty, Canes’ fans know what the do-everything player with a make-it attitude is capable of. Some other comparison include a smaller Ladd McConkey who impressed in his rookie year this past season, Khalil Shakir, Danny Amendola, or even Troy Brown, a former New England Patriot who was listed at 5’10” but played wide receiver, cornerback, and return specialist at the professional level – a testament to the 5’10” Marshall grad’s team-first willingness.

As a utility man, Restrepo has the background in all three facets of the game at the high school level and would indubitably be willing to play anywhere he is needed. In fact, Restrepo’s best trait may be his ability to effectively block for his size, a trait that many teams would gladly welcome. And his short but stout frame sometimes allows Restrepo to resemble a running back as a ball carrier once he catches it. Regardless, X is not afraid to work through traffic and get open to the point where he has also been able to display prowess on deep balls and contested catches.

Restrepo, Forever a Cane

Restrepo will certainly be missed for the on-field success as well as locker room intangibles. That said, Restrepo was able to impart his wisdom and work ethic upon a very talented receiving room for 2025 and beyond. Ray Ray Joseph, Joshisa Tarder, and Ny Carr all are returning next year and are lucky to have shared the sideline with Restrepo where leading by example could lead to the next great receiver(s) as Miami needs reliable playmakers moving forward.

“I’m just telling those guys it’s nothing to rush,” Restrepo told the younger receivers. “The best and worst advice you can give someone is that they have time. I tell them every day that your time will come but still be very very hungry and don’t be complacent where you are at.”

As he moves onto the next chapter, Restrepo’s passion and ability to set the tone for the Canes’ will certainly be missed. Thank U Xavier Restrepo for taking command and setting the standard at Miami. Thank U for taking that initiative and putting up some of the most exciting performances the Canes faithful has seen this season to the point where you set records at a position for a program that has a rich history (including Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Santana Moss, and Reggie Wayne). Thank U for doing the right things day in and day out. And Thank U 7, for representing the Orange and Green as a super reliable Miami Hurricane.