COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Mark Fletcher Jr. is part of the core that got the Miami Hurricanes to their first College Football Playoff.
He does not have the NFL draft hype of Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa. He has not dazzled in the same way star freshman Malachi Toney has. He does not have the SEC pedigree and the large reported NIL deal quarterback Carson Beck has.
But in the Hurricanes’ biggest game in decades, it was the former American Heritage High star that shone the brightest. He was a primary reason Miami left College Station, Texas, with the program’s first-ever playoff victory.
“Man, he was such a difference in the game (with) what he means to the team,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “It was a rough year for him — you know that — with the passing of his father. He never flinched, stayed with his teammates, played the game that Saturday — that’s about a year ago. And he’s just the heart and soul of our football team. Everything he does is dedicated to his teammates getting better, to the team winning.
“And to see him just — he took over. He took over the ground game in a game where we’re having a real tough time moving the football. They have a really good defense. That wind was all over the place. That blew some things out both in the passing game and on field goals. But Mark Fletcher certainly wasn’t affected by it.”
The junior running back said he thinks of his late father, Mark Sr. (who everybody called Big Mark), before games, and it used to bring him to tears. Now his father’s memory brings him joy.
“That’s not how he would want me to play this beautiful game of football,” Fletcher said. “So I had a talk with my brother. I would tell him this, and man, I just said, ‘Man, yeah, I miss my dad, but he would want me to go out there and have fun, play loose and just have fun.’
“And that’s what I did.”
Fletcher gashed the Aggies for 172 yards — a career-best. His biggest run of the game came when he broke off a career-long 56-yard run that helped set up Toney’s game-winning touchdown.
“I just told the O-line, the wide receivers, the tight ends: Just put a hat on somebody, and I’ll be gone,” Fletcher said. “I’ll handle the rest. That’s the reason it opened up like that.”
Fletcher had been plowing his way through the Aggies defense all game, so Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson told his running back that the offense was going to run through him on the Hurricanes’ final drive. Fletcher ended the game with 10.1 yards per carry.
“I don’t think anybody’s surprised about him having a career game in there on that day,” Dawson said. “He’s been that guy ever since I’ve been here, and it’s awesome to have a guy like him that you can lean on at the end.”
Fletcher’s impact goes beyond his starring role in Saturday’s game. Known for his positive attitude, Fletcher has become a crucial leader for Miami over the past three years. Beck credited Fletcher with helping him acclimate to Miami after he transferred from Georgia.
“He was one of the first guys that really came up to me, introduced himself, and not only that, but one of the first guys that I really clicked with and really meshed with,” Beck said.
“So, again, he’s one of my best friends on the team. We constantly have conversations almost every single day — all the way from January, February — about our goals, about what we want to do with this season and this team. And to be able to see him have that much success today, it’s very expected. Obviously, seeing the way that he works each and every day, day in and day out, to be able to go out there and execute the way that he did is expected.”
Fletcher’s importance as a team leader got a national spotlight on Saturday. Toney fumbled late in the fourth quarter, giving the Aggies a chance to take the lead. The play immediately reminded both Toney and Fletcher of a crucial mistake Toney made in a high school state championship when Toney fumbled a catch late in the fourth quarter, costing their high school, American Heritage, a chance to tie the game against a Bain-led Miami Central.
Fletcher immediately went to console a distraught Toney.
“He was like, ‘Mark, man, this is my second time doing this. I don’t want to let you down.’ I said, ‘Bro, you will never let me down,'” Fletcher told the ACC Network.
“I said, ‘Man, God’s putting you through some adversity right now. That’s it. It’s just a little adversity. You see all that time we got on that clock? Man, let’s go win this thing,’ ” Fletcher told the media in a postgame press conference.
Toney went on to score the winning touchdown minutes later.
Mark Fletcher Jr. was the first to console Malachi Toney following his fumble.
On Miami’s next drive, Fletcher Jr. would rush for 75 yards, and Toney would score the game-winning touchdown to advance Miami to the CFP quarterfinals.👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/CX3pxM9qFN
— GOWIE (@DaKidGowie) December 20, 2025
Fletcher said he got that inspiration to be a leader from his father.
“I just know that every day that I wake up and I wake up breathing, it’s just another opportunity to make somebody’s life better,” Fletcher said.
“God just blessed me to be in this position. I just want to impact anybody, kids, anybody — grown people, too — who is going through something that … your story is not over yet. Your story’s not over yet. You keep on waking up, keep on breathing. You just continue to keep fighting and keep moving.”
