In the 2023 recruiting class the Miami Hurricanes brought in a historic OL class with two bookend tackles in Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. They added other standouts such as Tommy Kinsler, AntonioTripp and Frankie Tinalau, to give the Canes the foundation of the future at OL. For the 2024 cycle, Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal are doubling down to add to the foundation by bringing in another class full of blue-chip caliber players. The Canes have cast a wide net when it comes to OL recruiting, offering dozens of linemen over the past couple of months. Today we will take a look at seven targets to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Brandon Baker
I have previously written about Baker being one of the top overall targets of the Canes.. Baker is the number one player in the state of California and the number one OT in the nation according to 247Sports. Baker visited Miami for Junior Day and the Canes have positioned themselves in a good spot to land his services. Miami will have plenty of competition for Baker as USC and Oregon are pushing hard. Baker is expected to attend Oregon on back to weekends on April 22nd and April 29th for their spring game.
Eddy-Pierre Louis
The Tampa standout plays multiple sports ( track, football and basketball) and currently has 42 offers. Louis has played both defensive tackle and guard for Tampa Catholic. The Canes are recruiting him as a guard and are hoping he can add NFL- like size to the OL. Louis stands at 6’3 and weighs 335lbs, and would continue the push to add size and strength to the OL. Louis visited the Canes this past Friday, and from all accounts, really enjoyed his visit:
Joseph Ionata
Another “Bay Area” prospect that came to visit Miami this past weekend was Joseph Ionata from Calvary Christian High School. The Clearwater product is 6’4, 290lbs, and plays both center offensive tackle. Ionata is athletic,very physical and plays with an old school mean streak. He didn’t give up a single sack last year and would project as a center in college. To say that the Canes covet Ionata is an understatement.
Jimothy Lewis
Lewis stands at 6’5 290lbs and is an interior lineman for IMG Academy. Lewis has twenty-five offers, but recently narrowed down his choices to ten programs. The Canes were fortunate to make the cut. Lewis is still determining which programs will receive official visits from him, but the fact that the Canes signed four IMG standouts in the previous cycle, should only help their chances.
Jordan Seaton
Another top interior lineman that the Canes covet is Washington D.C’s Jordan Seaton. Seaton is athletic, and a bully who punishes the DL and LBs who come his way. The Canes recently made Seaton’s top- 14 list and are hoping to get him on campus at some point in the season.
Juan Minaya
Minaya hails from Paramus NJ, and is projected as an OT at the college level. Minaya has prototypical NFL size at 6’6, 315lbs and was recently at Junior Day in Miami. Minaya left impressed with the program, and the emphasis the Canes are putting on the line of scrimmage. Shortly after the visit, Minaya set an official visit to Miami for June. This is one to keep a close eye on as Miami is in a very good spot here.
Mike “Tank” Williams
A 6’7, 320lb offensive tackle from Baltimore, there aren’t many humans walking around the size of Mike “Tank” Williams. Williams grew up a Cane fan and has a good rapport with both Alex Mirabal and Mario Cristobal. In recent pictures he towered over 5 -star Hurricane signee Samson Okunlola, and made Mario Cristobal look small in a picture taken when he visited the weekend of January 29th. This is another one to keep a close eye on as Miami has a firm lead in his recruitment. If we can say anything about OL recruiting on the Cristobal era, is that they are bringing in NFL -sized prototypical players. It seems that long gone are the days of hybrid TE/OL playing OL in Miami.
