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Spring Football Position Previews: Offensive Line

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Source: Samson Okunlola Twitter

The 2022 Miami Hurricanes season was a huge disappointment in just about every aspect, but the offensive side of the ball was by far the biggest let down. Many of the problems on the Canes’ offense stemmed from an abysmal offensive line showing. The Miami offensive line was often dominated in the trenches as they struggled to open up holes in the run game and keep  the quarterbacks upright. The Canes ranked 100th out of 131 teams in sacks allowed and it felt like the Miami QBs were pressured on every drop back. The offensive line didn’t look much better in the run game as the Canes’ running backs were constantly having to allude defenders before even getting back to the line of scrimmage and rarely had any holes to run through. While the Miami offensive line struggled mightily in 2022, it might be the Canes’ strongest position group going into 2023 thanks to a slew of top transfers and arguably the best offensive line signing class in the country.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal and Offensive Line Coach Alex Mirabal have always prided themselves on having big, physical, dominant offensive lines and after the 2022 offensive line did not measure up, they quickly went to work retooling the line. It started in the portal where Miami brought in multiple top transfers with experience playing at a high level. The biggest portal addition was Alabama’s Javion Cohen. Cohen started 25 of 27 games for the Crimson Tide over the last two years and didn’t allow a sack in over 1,600 snaps. The 6’4-305lb lineman was voted as second team All SEC and will make an immediate impact for the Canes in 2023.

Along with Cohen, Miami brought in another experienced starter in UCF center Matt Lee. Lee was a multiple year starter at UCF and was graded as the third best center in the country in 2022 by Pro Football Focus.  Lee will immediately take over as a starter for the Canes and should provide a huge boost anchoring the middle of the Miami offensive line in 2023.

In addition to bringing in multiple big-time transfers who will immediately help, the Canes went to work on the high school recruiting trail where they brought in one of top offensive line classes to ever sign with Miami. The Miami Hurricanes’ 2023 recruiting class includes five offensive lineman, headlined by five-star tackles Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. Both Mauigoa and Okunlola were dominant at the high school level in both pads and camp settings, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one, if not both of them, step up and fill a starting role as true freshman. Mauigoa at 6’5.5-330lb and Okunlola at 6’5-305lb are coming to Coral Gables physically ready to play at the college level and have the talent to be high draft picks three years down the line. It will be exciting for Miami fans to watch the way Cristobal and Mirabal develop these two players over the next few seasons.

While the two five-stars were the main attraction in the Canes’ 2023 class, three other very talented offensive lineman round out the group. Antonio Tripp, a 6’3-300lb interior lineman from IMG is the lone of the three who arrived this spring with Mauigoa and Okunlola. Joining the Canes in summer will be Tommy Kinsler and Frankie Tinilau. Both are massive bodies with many tools to develop. Tinilau at 6’5-315lb and Kinsler at 6’6-330lb will add size and depth to the offensive line room when they arrive in June.

All of these new additions will be joining a room that has some talented players returning. The biggest returning piece for the Canes’ offensive line will be getting a healthy Zion Nelson back at tackle. After a great 2021 season that saw many NFL draft experts giving him a third round grade, Nelson missed most of the 2022 season with a lingering injury and just never really felt right. If Nelson can return back to his 2021 form, the Canes offensive line will be as deep and as talented as it has been in quite some time. Miami also has some young returning players that have showed promise and are looking to take that next step. The UM coaching staff is high on returning linemen  Matthew Mccoy and Anez Cooper who will look to make a leap going into their sophomore seasons.

It’s not often that a position group can go from the most maligned to the strength of a team in the span of just a few months, but that is exactly what the Canes’ offensive line is looking poised to do. A combination of talented and experienced transfers, elite recruits, and returning guys getting healthy and older has Miami’s offensive trenches ready to see massive improvements. A new offensive system coupled with a vastly improved offensive line will be a sight for sore eyes for Miami fans in 2023.

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