South Florida Local News

A high-speed train derailed and smashed into another high-speed train in southern Spain on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and injuring at least 73 others in the country’s deadliest train accident since at least 2013, authorities said.

The regional emergency services agency said 24 of the injured people were in serious condition. Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusia government, said the death toll was expected to rise.

The trains collided at around 7:45 p.m. in Adamuz, near the city of Córdoba, along the main high-speed rail line connecting southern Spain with Madrid, the country’s landlocked capital.

The rear cars of the first train left the tracks and spilled onto the opposite track where another train was passing, causing the front two cars of the second train to also derail, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said.

The cause of the initial derailment was not immediately clear. Puente said the first train was just a few years old and that the section of track where the accident occurred had recently been renovated.

“The accident is extremely strange,” he said. “It happened on a straightaway. All the experts we have consulted are extremely baffled.”

The first train, operated by the private company Iryo, was traveling to Madrid from Málaga, on the country’s southern coast. The second train, operated by Spain’s national rail company, Renfe, had departed from Madrid and was bound for the southern city of Huelva, west of Seville.

Iryo said about 300 passengers were on board the first train at the time of the accident. Renfe has not said how many passengers the second train was carrying.

Spain ranks second worldwide in high-speed rail network length, behind China, according to the International Union of Railways.

Here’s what else to know:

— Rail suspensions: Rail traffic between Madrid and several major cities in southern Andalusia — including Córdoba, Seville, Málaga and Huelva — will be suspended Monday, Spain’s state-owned rail infrastructure agency said in a statement.

— The victims: The Andalusia government set up an advanced medical post at the crash site to treat victims, and the Córdoba city government issued an urgent appeal for doctors to help treat the injured.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

General Daily Insight for January 19, 2026

Fresh air moves through our connections tonight. Early on, Mercury trines Uranus, which helps us test smaller changes or unique solutions. The headlining act for the day is the Sun swanning into Aquarius at 8:44 PM EST, turning our attention toward building teamwork and preparing for the future. We’re a social species, and we know it! Plus, once caring Venus conjoins transformative Pluto, we’ll be better equipped to discuss those ideal futures. We can begin building our dreams as a team.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Leap first, look later! Sometimes that attitude can get you in trouble, but with the Sun stepping into your 11th House of Hope, optimism can carry you far. Support from Mercury and Uranus could inspire you to pitch a unique solution to a complicated problem. When you plan ahead and stay willing to adapt along the way, you can do amazing things. While you’re moving quickly, though, try not to bowl over anyone who can’t keep up! Keep moving forward in your fast lane.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Recognition grows when you keep promises. Your 10th House of Honor opens its doors to receive the impactful Sun, kicking off a phase where you’ll potentially have to take a leadership position or manage a family duty. Someone in charge may demand details, but as long as you stay calm, you should be able to set more realistic expectations and deliver polished results without strain. Don’t hesitate to take breaks as needed to maintain your energy and keep making consistent progress.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Analyzing the big picture will be essential. With the enthusiastic Sun loping into your 9th House of Mental Expansion, curiosity is about to become your best guide. You might sign up for a class, yet the deeper win could come from more casual explorations of thoughtful ideas. Make a point of looking at things from fresh angles. Share a story with a trusted peer, allowing your minds to wander together in a way that strengthens your bond. Let questions lead you down satisfying paths.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

One conversation could change everything. Witty Mercury and unconventional Uranus initially empower your efforts to speak with those you care about on lighter topics. Then, the Sun entering your intense 8th house gifts you the strength to bring up something deeper — whether it’s an issue you have with this person or something you want their input on. Do your best to read the room before bringing up controversial subjects, especially if you’re talking in public. You can tell the truth without being unkind.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Leo, share your spotlight with care. Your 7th House of Connections opens as the life-giving Sun begins a fresh cycle there, asking you to balance bold expression with generous listening. A heartfelt conversation invites you to state needs clearly and honor theirs with matching warmth. You shine brightest when you make room for someone else to shine, because shared recognition strengthens bonds and smooths small power struggles right now. Choose generosity, stay curious, and let kindness lead, since partnerships truly flourish with steady warmth.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Quiet focus can unlock amazingly efficient rhythms. Your 6th House of Health gets a cosmic refresh as the Sun settles in, steering you toward habits that make many other tasks less tough to handle. You may reorganize some clutter, adjust your wake-up routine, or tailor your daily look to be more functional. Others may attempt to impose upon your time, but you’re allowed to refuse their demands. There’s no need to feel guilty about setting up your life in the way that works for you.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Intense feelings won’t capsize your boat today — though they may rock it. With Venus, Pluto, and the Sun all active in your charming 5th house, expressing yourself will be key to handling powerful emotions. Create something heartfelt! You could also work on an ongoing passion project. Your end goal should reflect your real taste, no matter what others think of it. That said, it might be fun to invite nonjudgmental pals to work alongside you on their own undertakings. Invite playful closeness without pressure.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Home feels safer as plans align. The sparkling Sun turns on the lights in your 4th House of Nesting, inviting you to fortify your base with practical moves. If you’ve got the time, look for a room that could use a little rearranging. Too busy for much? Try something small, like putting on a clean pillowcase or setting out your breakfast prep before bed. Even minor efforts can increase comfort and reduce friction in the home. Stabilize your private world before tackling public goals.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Morning news carries curious sparks forward. The majestic Sun parades into your 3rd House of Messages, inspiring friendly outreach that connects you with people who can brighten your day. A compliment from a stranger can drastically lift your mood — and, in turn, you can bring joy to others by complimenting them. People should appreciate others noticing things they’ve actively chosen, so praising someone’s vibrant accessories will probably have more meaning than praising their eye color. Radiate the kind of energy you want to receive!

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Capricorn, step forward with fresh confidence. The Sun is trotting into your 2nd House of Manifestation — this is your phase to prepare for next month, when the Sun will enter your sign. Make plans to tackle your goals, keeping a careful eye on anything that needs preparation in advance. For example, if a major purchase is nearing, start saving extra ASAP. You’re the agent of change in your life, and the Sun is just here to deliver the energy to incite those changes.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

New light warms your personal sky. The Sun is marching into your sign, beginning Aquarius Season with the unique verve your sign is known for. This boosts your introductions, allowing you to step into rooms with fresh purpose. Set bold intentions, then follow through with vigor. When others see your sincerity, you attract supportive allies. You can ask for what you need without apology, then return the favor to others in need. Your example uplifts everyone right now, so take the wheel!

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Something is tugging at your conscience today. Tender closure beckons as the Sun leaves your sign, instead empowering your intimate 12th house. This invites compassion for stories that tug at your heart. A private ritual, such as journaling, should help you release pressure. You can breathe easier as forgiveness grows and clarity returns in waves. Because your empathy runs strong, you may want to avoid people who drain you. Rest without guilt so your dreams are better able to restore your energy. Give yourself space.

MIAMI — As the Miami Heat took flight Sunday for Monday night’s start of their five-game western swing against the Golden State Warriors, the most intriguing aspect might have been what was under lock and key.

Because no sooner did the Heat shock the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 122-120 Saturday night at Kaseya Center, than guard Norman Powell noted a super-secret stat that he said provided the motivation to bounce back from Thursday night’s discouraging home loss to the Boston Celtics from 19 up.

“We have a goal in mind,” Powell said, “Coach gave us a stat from last year, and we want to reach that. Definitely felt a little let down after the Boston game. But the way we came together in between the games and talked about it, watched film, I thought we came out and set the right tone and played to our identity.”

And that stat from Erik Spoelstra was?

“That’s between us,” Powell said. “That’s internal, something that we want to reach for.”

A logical place would be the possession game. The Heat closed Saturday night’s victory over the defending-champion Thunder with 111 shots from the field to 77 for the Thunder, a statistic built on committing only four turnovers while forcing 15 and a 33-9 edge on second-chance points, with 21 offensive rebounds to the Thunder’s five.

“We were able to sustain our identity offensively, defensively, throughout the course of the game,” Powell said, perhaps offering his own hint.

It is an approach that works only when the buy-in is complete.

“We’ve got to be a team that’s collectively making plays to help win us the game,” Powell said. “Some nights it’s not going to be yours and some nights it is. But as long as we’re pulling in the right direction, pouring encouragement and confidence into everybody that’s coming in the game and everybody is making winning plays and sacrifice plays, that’s what it’s about.

“And I think we found a blueprint, and we know the blueprint, and it’s on us to sustain it.”

So far, little has been sustained on the road, with the Heat in the midst of a season-worst three-game road losing streak, at 7-13 away from Kaseya Center.

With Saturday night’s victory, the Heat have now defeated the leaders in both the East (Detroit Pistons) and West (Thunder) this season, while also losing to the worst in the East (Indiana Pacers) and second-worst in the West (Sacramento Kings, a team the Heat face on Tuesday night on the second night of the trip).

“The thing about this team,” Powell said, “is we can beat anybody and we can lose anybody. It’s all about our mentality and our approach and being collective.”

The victory over the Thunder concluded a three-game homestand that opened with a victory over the resurgent Phoenix Suns, featured that competitive game against the Celtics, and then Saturday’s stunner.

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With the Heat at 22-20, Spoelstra is not overstating where his team stands. But he is optimistic.

“All three of these games,” Spoelstra said of the homestand, “you see a Miami Heat competitive collective will out there. And that for sure, we’ll build on. It’s a great opportunity in front of us. We have a whole second half of the season to go. This should set up to be a lot of fun.”

Center and team captain Bam Adebayo said no matter the stats being preached by Spoelstra, it’s just as much about a matter of will.

“He’s a maniac,” he playfully said of Spoelstra’s drive. “He’s not going to stop. He’s going to keep saying it until, like, everybody buys in. And you want a coach like that. He cares about the small details. He cares about the way our offense looks. He cares about how we give effort on defense.

“And when you buy in, you get gratifying wins like this. This is not because we played a certain game. It’s really because we bought into what he was preaching.”

Herro stays back

Guard Tyler Herro, who missed Saturday’s game with a rib contusion, did not travel with the team Sunday.

Asked about Herro having already missed 31 games this season, Spoelstra said Saturday, “There’s going to be daily stuff that happens with everybody. We can’t necessarily look at because you missed the first part of the year that you’re not going to have your normal things that happen in an NBA season. This shouldn’t be long-term. We’ll just continue to treat him and see how he responds.”

Davion Mitchell (shoulder) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. appear tracking toward a Monday return, with both upgraded to probable for Monday.

It’s hard to say what’s stranger: The University of Miami actually plays in Monday night’s national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium or it has forfeited any rights of being a good and surprising story to the Indiana Cinderellas.

All national odes are to Indiana coach Curt Cignetti for his good work. All praise is for a Hoosier team with no five-star recruits and only two, four-star recruits among its starters. Indiana, true to its sad-sack history, was a 100-to-1 betting longshot at season’s start to reach this championship game.

“No one gave us a chance but us,” Cignetti said.

Excuse me, can we stop right there?

Cinderella is a neat and dandy storyline for Indiana, as everyone keeps repeating. But Cinderella also is an overbearing, 7 1/2-point favorite to win this game.

That’s the second-largest spread in the 12-year history of the College Football Playoff championship. It’s more than a touchdown. It’s the kind of spread that says Vegas expects Indiana to win in a borderline rout, and so should you if you want to cash in.

Can the glass slipper really fit Goliath?

Because the only thing crazier than the cheapest ticket to the game being $3,708.90 on Ticketmaster as of Sunday afternoon is this notion that the Hurricanes don’t have every right to feel just as warm and fuzzy about their season, too.

Did anyone expect Miami to reach this night?

Anyone at all?

Miami is doing this with: quarterback Carson Beck, who Georgia dumped after a debilitating elbow injury last season; a freshman sensation in Malachi Toney, who was 17 at season’s start; and with a star edge rusher in Rueben Bain Jr., who keeps being told his arms by are too short.

“This again?” he said Saturday when his arms were mentioned.

Related Articles

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• The Miami Hurricanes’ secret special teams weapon? Cafecito
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• Chaminade alum, Indiana star D’Angelo Ponds returns home for ‘full circle’ title game
• Hurricanes focused on Monday’s national title game, not nostalgia or outside noise

Texas A&M said it before Miami’s playoff win. Ohio State repeated it before Miami’s playoff win. And now here it is a topic of media conversation before Monday so …

“I was told I was too light my whole career,” said Jason Taylor, Bain’s defensive line coach and Miami Dolphins Hall of Famer. “How’d that work out?”

There are heartwarming tomes written about the rise of Cignetti and his staff from Podunk U. to college football’s biggest stage. But how about Miami coach Mario Cristobal’s first head coaching job being at Florida International University — where he was fired?

“Best thing that could’ve happened to me,” Cristobal said.

Miami’s defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, has a background that’s a tour of small-college football: Fitchburg State (Mass.), Kings (Pa.), Springfield (Ga.), Northeastern, Western New England, Old Dominion Pace, Maine …

“You learn every step of the way,” he said.

At Maine and later at James Madison, Hetherman coached under Cignetti and became best friends with Bryant Haines, the current Indiana defensive coordinator. Haines was best man in Hetherman’s wedding.

“I learned a lot of football from him — he’s incredibly smart,” Hetherman said.

Miami has the history of five national championships so long ago. But Indiana has been a wagon this season in going undefeated. Miami lost two games to unranked teams. Indiana won the Big Ten, beating defending national champion Ohio State in the conference championship game.

Miami didn’t even make the ACC championship game thanks to its second loss of the season, against SMU.

“I think you really find out everything you’re about and what your people are all about in those moments,” Cristobal said. “As you look across the country, several teams, after a loss or two, pack their bags and that’s it, it was over.

“Let’s call it what it is; everyone was throwing dirt on our grave already and buried us, and that’s good. It’s good for the soul. It’s good for you from a mentality standpoint so you understand and recognize more than ever that all that matters are the people inside the building.”

Sure, Miami sounds like a good, football story more than a classic underdog story. It will never out warm and fuzzy Indiana anyway in this game. But it was a 35-to-1 long shot at season’s start to be in this title game.

Cinderella goes to the ball Monday night as an 7.5-point favorite. It’s fit for the glass slip no matter what happens. And that’s fine with Miami.

“We’re not a fairy tale kind of team,” as one Miami official said.

Give Indiana the glass slipper. Miami wants the crown.

By Tony Capaccio, Margi Murphy and Jeff Stone, Bloomberg News

The U.S. is taking steps to vastly increase the number of law enforcement agents and potentially send military personnel to Minneapolis, where immigration agents have tangled with residents protesting their tactics.

The Pentagon has ordered 1,500 U.S. troops based in Alaska to prepare to deploy to Minnesota as a precautionary measure in case the administration decides to send them, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The unit of the 11th Airborne Division is a cold-weather unit nicknamed “The Arctic Angels.”

At the same time, the FBI is sending messages to its agents nationwide seeking volunteers to temporarily transfer to Minneapolis. It wasn’t immediately clear what the FBI would ask agents who volunteered to travel to Minneapolis to do. FBI agents have traditionally focused on national security-related tasks such as counter-terrorism, organized crime and high-profile violent offenses, not street patrols or immigration-related enforcement.

These actions come as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mobilized the state’s National Guard to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies. Minneapolis has become a focal point of anti-ICE protests since an officer shot and killed Renee Good on Jan. 7 while she was in her car.

“They are not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety, including protection of life, preservation of property and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully,” the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in a post on X regarding the mobilization.

Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have denounced the crackdown by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, accusing the Trump administration of sowing chaos and violence through the operations and demanding that the federal personnel leave.

The Washington Post first reported the Pentagon’s preparations for possible troop deployment.

FBI involvement

FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Friday visited the city, according to a post shared on Patel’s X account. Patel said in the post that the FBI was “cracking down on violent rioters and investigating the funding networks supporting the criminal actors with multiple arrests already.”

Roughly one-quarter of agents within the bureau were assigned to work on immigration-related duties, according to data that Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, shared with media outlets in October.

President Donald Trump last week threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy military troops on U.S. soil, though he backed away from that move a day later. The 1807 act permits the president to assume control of a state’s National Guard — as he did in California and elsewhere last year — or deploy active-duty troops to quell a rebellion.

The last time the power was invoked was when President George H.W. Bush deployed troops to quell the looting and burning of Los Angeles during violent protests against police brutality in 1992 following the verdict in the Rodney King case.

“We have to send more officers and agents just to protect our officers to carry out their mission,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “The majority of those are there to protect the men and women who are already there. Now we need 10-15 officers per arrest to protect each other” against protesters.

Social media is filled with residents’ recordings of ICE agents using extraordinary force against people yelling at them, including arresting them, spraying chemical agents, or pushing them to the ground.

Blanche, speaking on Fox News Sunday, denied that agents were acting with undue harshness. “These blatant accusations that they’re violating the First Amendment or somehow committing crimes are not only completely false, but they’re doing real damage to our law enforcement officers around the country.”

U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez last week ordered ICE agents not to retaliate against peaceful protesters and banned the use of pepper spray or other “crowd dispersal tools,” as well as ordering federal agents not to stop protesters in vehicles, like Good, who were not directly interfering with their immigration work.

Minneapolis Mayor Frey insisted that any increase in law enforcement in the city was unnecessary, and called the possible use of the Insurrection Act, a “shocking step.”

Noting that crime is down across the city, Frey said the unrest is caused by the presence of “thousands of ICE agents and border control and apparently military, even, potentially on our streets.”

_____

(With assistance from María Paula Mijares Torres.)

_____

©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

National championship: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Indiana

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens

TV: ESPN

Coaches: Mario Cristobal 35-18 at UM, (97-78 overall); Curt Cignetti 26-2 at Indiana (145-37 overall)

Line: Indiana is favored by 7.5 points

Weather: 62 degrees, 0 percent chance of precipitation

Quick slant: Neither of these teams were likely national champions at the start of the season, and they took different paths to get to this game. UM overcame two midseason losses and had to beat two top SEC teams and the reigning national champions to reach the title game. Indiana, which entered the season as the losingest Division I program in the nation, has gone undefeated en route to Monday’s title game.

About No. 10 Miami (13-2): The Hurricanes snuck past Ole Miss in the semifinals, scoring a last-minute touchdown and surviving a desperate drive from the Rebels. UM has won five national championships, but has not played in a title game since the 2002 season.

About No. 1 Indiana (15-0): The Hoosiers have not seen much success in the program’s 139-year history. Indiana won its third Big 10 championship by beating Ohio State, and the Hoosiers routed Alabama and Oregon in the playoffs before facing UM.

Three things to watch

1. The Hurricanes will have to slow down Hoosiers Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Miami native has thrown more touchdown passes (eight) than incompletions (five) in the playoffs. Miami will have to find a way to contain him even though it is short on cornerbacks: Xavier Lucas will miss the first half of the game after being called for targeting penalty against Ole Miss, Damari Brown has missed every playoff game due to a foot injury and is questionable for Monday, and OJ Frederique Jr. has been banged up, playing just five snaps against Ole Miss.

2. Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck will have to avoid turnovers against the Hoosiers. Indiana has 18 interceptions this season, including D’Angelo Ponds‘ game-opening pick-six against Oregon. Indiana is the No. 1 team in the nation in turnover margin (21 more takeaways than giveaways), so UM will need to be careful with the ball.

3. Miami will have to play mistake-free football against Indiana. The Hoosiers capitalize on other teams’ mistakes, and UM has been prone to errors this season. The Hurricanes are 85th nationally with 57.1 penalty yards per game. After having only four penalties for 30 yards in its first two playoff games, Miami had 10 penalties for 74 yards against Ole Miss in the semifinals.

MIAMI — Miami Hurricanes special teams analyst Ferras Isa is the guardian of the unit’s secret weapon.

One of his tasks is to prepare small shots of Cuban-style espresso for the staff and for the special teams players, who do a quick shot of cafecito before each game.

“Ferras makes the best coffee on the staff,” said UM coach and Miami native Mario Cristobal. “It’s part of his obligations and duties as an assistant coach. And he does, he makes the best one. In terms of the other ones, I don’t want to get into a competitive warfare in Miami as to who makes the best coffee, but it’s certainly an offseason project that I look forward to delving into.”

The Hurricanes’ special teams players have been caught on camera, drinking Isa’s coffee as they get ready for each game.

“He likes to call himself the Cafecito Coordinator,” UM special teams coach Danny Kalter told The Athletic.

Miami things

The Canes took shots of cafecito before the semis

MIAMI BEACH — The play continued, but Carson Beck knew he was done.

A Texas defender strip-sacked Beck, who was the Georgia starting quarterback in the SEC title game, and Beck landed in a heap on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium field.

“Obviously, I felt my arm. I felt everything,” Beck said. “It was one of the lowest moments of my life.”

Beck returned for one final play — to hand the ball off on the game-winning touchdown replacement Gunner Stockton had to come off the field — but his Bulldogs career was over, too.

Fast forward a year, and Beck is now the starting quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes as they get ready to play Indiana on Monday in the program’s first national title game since 2003. Beck got Miami to this point, running in the game-winning touchdown against Ole Miss in the playoff semifinal.

“Running into the end zone at Ole Miss, that was one of the highest moments of my life, one of the better memories that I’ll always hold onto and cherish,” Beck said. “Obviously, it’s been a crazy year of ups and downs, but to be able to get back to this point, it’s really awesome.”

Beck’s season-long tenure at Miami has come with its own ups and downs. He started off on a high, helping lead the Hurricanes to an upset victory over Notre Dame in the season-opener. But the lows came soon after. Beck threw four interceptions in a loss to Louisville.

“This is when I knew that, really, we were going to be fine because I went up to the office the next day, and he was extremely positive,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. “I was probably more down than he was. But he was very positive, very move-on type approach.”

Beck did throw two more interceptions in a second loss to SMU (though one bounced off a receiver’s hands), but as the Hurricanes surged into the playoffs in the season’s final month, Beck was a major reason why. In UM’s last seven wins — including the program’s first three playoff victories — Beck has completed 74.4 percent of his passes for 1,634 yards. Most importantly, he had 15 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.

“His superpower is understanding football,” Dawson said. “He dissects the game very quickly in the run and pass game. In the run game, he does things that are next level, as far as getting people moved around and targeted up. Our run-game system has grown over time, and it takes a guy to understand where the fits are, especially with receivers and how their safeties are fitting or who the extra fitter is. So he’s really elite at that. And in the pass game, he takes care of the football.”

UM coach Mario Cristobal, who recruited Beck to Miami, has called Beck “misunderstood.” He said Beck is locked in on winning and helping people around him.

“His experience, both good and bad, has allowed him to come in and establish himself very quickly as a leader and one that has helped groom leadership within the team itself,” Cristobal said. “It starts with the fact that he’s an unselfish person. Tons of gratitude to him. He wants to win and he wants to see people around him do really, really well. He has absolutely zero interest in personal accolades and all that attention. He wants to do right by people.”

Beck’s Miami and college career will end in either celebration or dejection on Monday night. Beck won a pair of national titles as a backup at Georgia, but now he will try to win one as the starting quarterback.

“Obviously, it feels awesome,” Beck said. “To finally be the guy and the quarterback, a part of a team that has done this and gone through a season and eventually earned the opportunity to play in a national championship, obviously it’s a dream of mine.”

MIAMI BEACH — When D’Angelo Ponds left South Florida, he was a fringe prospect listed as the No. 1,966 recruit in the 2023 class. He was headed to James Madison University, a Sun Belt team one year removed from playing in the FCS division.

Ponds, a Chaminade-Madonna alum, is back in South Florida now, looking to beat his hometown team, the Miami Hurricanes, and win a championship with Indiana at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night.

“It’s definitely a full circle moment for me,” Ponds said. “Just going to a stadium that I drove past every day — I live probably like five minutes away from the stadium — it’s just definitely a full-circle moment. Just watching the teams play in that stadium as well, and being my hometown, it’s definitely a blessing.”

Ponds was not expected to become a star player. Ponds, who was a South Florida Sun Sentinel All-County second-team pick as a senior, is 5 foot 9, which is considered short for a cornerback. But then-James Madison coach Curt Cignetti did not care about that.

“He was a guy who didn’t look at the size. He looked at the film,” Ponds said. “He was a guy who actually watched the film and (saw) how it affects the game instead of looking at size and letting that dictate me as a player. He was a guy who is going to play the best player on the field no matter how old you are or anything like that.”

Ponds rewarded Cignetti’s faith immediately.

“You saw it in camp right away,” Cignetti said. “First week of camp, he’s out there, he was holding a little bit, but he cleaned that up and became a starter. When he became my starter my last year at JMU, I think it was down at Troy … they had won the Sun Belt the year before, and we beat them at Troy. He started and he made plays right off the bat, first series that impacted the game, and he’s been a great player ever since.”

Ponds ended his first season with 51 tackles, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus gave him an 89.6 defensive grade, which was eighth in the nation. He was named a Sun Belt All-Conference second-team selection and an FWAA Freshman All-American.

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“He’s been a great player,” said UM wide receiver Jojo Trader, who was teammates with Ponds in high school. “He’s been doubted his whole life because he’s small and stuff like that. But he’s got grit and he’s just hungry.”

When Cignetti left for Indiana after the 2023 season, Ponds deliberated on his future. After going through spring football at James Madison, Ponds opted to follow Cignetti to Indiana.

“He might be the best player I’ve ever coached that was with me throughout his entire career, in terms of consistency, production,” Cignetti said.

Ponds’ play has not slipped since he arrived in the Big 10. In 2024, he was a second-team All-American. He had another strong season in 2025, making 56 tackles with two interceptions — one of which was a game-opening pick-six against Oregon in the playoff semifinals.

“It’s been a blessing, honestly, … taking advantage of all my opportunities that I’ve gotten, not letting any doubters or naysayers affect me at all, and just to keep going and see how far I came,” Ponds said. “It’s just a blessing just to honestly prove everybody wrong and let the smaller guys know that they can do it, too, as well. I feel like a lot of those guys, they look up to me, and I feel like I’m just letting them know that they can do it.

Although the hometown Hurricanes overlooked him in his recruitment, Ponds said there are no hard feelings. He just wants to win on Monday.

“It’s just another game to me, honestly,” Ponds said. “It’s a national championship, an important one, but we’re just here to win a game.”

MIAMI — On one side of Monday’s national title game is the ultimate Cinderella story: Indiana was the losingest program in Division I history until this season. The Hoosiers are now one win away from an undefeated season en route to the program’s first championship.

On the other side, a Cinderella story in its own right: a Miami team that has not won a championship in nearly a quarter of a century. UM needed to sneak into the playoffs with two losses and beat two top SEC teams as well as last year’s national champions to get to Monday’s title bout, which is being played in their home stadium.

So what would it mean for these teams to hoist the championship trophy?

“It would mean we’re the national champion,” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said at the coaches’ press conference on Sunday morning.

Cristobal nodded. “It would mean we’re the national champions,” he said.

Neither coach is interested in narratives or outside noise, even if everybody else is. Both coaches are locked in on preparing their respective teams to kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.

“I don’t think the external stuff has ever been a motivator for our team,” Cristobal said. “I think it’s always been internal. I think our guys always want to prove themselves right. And I think the confidence and the trust in each other was something that just continued to build momentum throughout the course of the season. It was a matter of just finally just looking at each other, looking in the mirror and making a commitment to work out the details to allow us to win in the margins.”

Cristobal has been asked frequently about Miami teams in the past and whether the Hurricanes are finally “back.” He never dwells on the question. He will compliment those teams, but he says this year’s UM team is different from the championship teams of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He does not want to go “back.”

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“It’s nostalgia theater in this country,” Cristobal said on The Kevin Clark Show in September. “Everyone wants to go back, back, back. Well, we don’t want to go back. We want to go forward and take the principles of that brand of football and we want to take it forward.”

Cristobal reiterated Sunday that the Hurricanes are not getting caught up in sentimentality as they prepare for Monday’s game.

“Everyone is uniquely special and different and has brought something different to the lives of all the people around them,” Cristobal said. “But I don’t see us getting caught up in any nostalgic moments or whatnot. I just really sense that our team was really focused, that they were really intent on carrying out the rest of the day’s processes, knowing the tremendous opportunity that we have.”

Indiana has never played on this type of stage before, and the Hoosiers are the heavy favorites. But Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is demanding his team be locked in for the game on Monday, too. He said he saw an ESPN report that his team’s players were hugging each other and exchanging kind words after practice on Friday, and while that is nice, the time for that has passed.

“I think leading up to this game there’s been a lot of pro-Indiana hype, a lot of rat poison out there,” Cignetti said. “I happened to see Holly Rowe’s thing on social media this morning about our guys hugging each other at the end of practice. It is a close team, and I witnessed quite a bit of sentimentalism throughout the week from some of our seniors who we’ve been with quite a long time.

“I think it’s time to sharpen the saw now, throw those warm fuzzies out the door, that sentimentalism. It’s time to go play a game against a great opponent. We’ve got to have a sharp edge going into this game, and you don’t go to war with warm milk and cookies.”