The seventh-ranked Miami Hurricanes will debut a new-look offensive line Friday at Stanford, with veteran center Ryan Rodriguez helping lead a group tasked with maintaining the University of Miami’s established standard.
Miami averaged 405.0 yards of total offense and 151.8 rushing yards per game last season, while opponents recorded 20 sacks. That production helped the Hurricanes win a school-record 13 games and reach the College Football Playoff Championship Game for the first time in program history.
The new unit will have to build its own identity after several significant departures. Francis Mauigoa, Markel Bell and Anez Cooper were selected in the NFL Draft, while James Brockermeyer is in camp with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
Miami replaces key contributors
The departures came after an offensive season that included a strong performance from former Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Beck completed 72.4 percent of his passes and threw for 3,813 yards and 30 touchdowns last season.
Mark Fletcher Jr. totaled 1,192 rushing yards, averaged 5.5 yards per carry and set a College Football Playoff record with 517 postseason rushing yards. Malachi Toney added 1,211 receiving yards and 113 rushing yards as Miami advanced to the championship game.
Rodriguez emphasized that the offensive line measures its work by the success of the playmakers it supports.
“It just makes you want to work 10 times harder so you can see Malachi [Toney] make that crazy catch or see Mark [Fletcher Jr.] break a long run and then go celebrate with them,” said Rodriguez. “I just love seeing their success. Their success is our success. Them doing great is great for us, so that’s the goal, help them get success.”
Veterans and newcomers develop versatility
Offensive line coach Alex Mirabal said Miami began rebuilding the unit from scratch in January. The Hurricanes trained younger and veteran linemen at multiple positions during preseason camp as they evaluated the group and developed its understanding of the full offensive line.
“I mean, this is a new group. This is not the group that took us to the national championship game. So, we’ve got everything to prove again, and we started from scratch back in January,” Mirabal said.
Matt McCoy is among the returning linemen with significant experience. The redshirt senior started 15 games at left guard last season, while Rodriguez and Samson Okunlola also bring familiarity with the standard Miami is trying to carry forward.
“I mean, seeing those guys the past couple years do it, it’s just like I know exactly how it works. I know exactly how it feels,” McCoy said. “I’ve got to push that on the other guys on the o-line. Me, Sam and Ryan, we’ve all seen it, so I’ll have help with that. … We’ve got guys that know what to do and we can just push the culture and the rest of the o-line.”
Miami’s younger offensive linemen include Max Buchanan, Seuseu “SJ” Alofaituli, Canon Pickett, JJ Sparks, Rhys Woodrow, Joel Ervin, Ben Congdon and Jackson Cantwell. Cantwell arrived as a former five-star prospect and the nation’s top-rated offensive tackle and overall No. 1 prospect earlier in the year.
Rodriguez said cross-training can help the linemen understand how their responsibilities connect. “One of the best ways to learn all the positions on the offensive line is just [to] play them all,” Rodriguez said.
Mirabal said the goal is to identify the best five linemen while also preparing reliable replacements at every spot. “To me, it’s about us at the University of Miami finding the best five offensive linemen, they get to play and if something happens to one of them, who’s the next best guy, not who’s the [next] left tackle,” Mirabal said.
Miami’s defensive front adds to preparation
The offensive line also faced Miami’s defensive front and linebackers during preseason preparation. Those matchups included work against Ahmad Moten Sr., Armondo Blount, Justin Scott, Marquise Lightfoot and Damon Wilson II.
Wilson joined Miami after playing at Missouri last season and was an All-SEC second-team selection. The defensive competition gave the offensive linemen repeated tests before the group takes its first game snaps at Stanford.
Rodriguez said the new unit is embracing the responsibility of following previous Miami offensive lines. “We’re holding ourselves to a high standard, [like] all the great o-lines before us. We just want to continue that trajectory … and we’re going to work hard,” Rodriguez said.
Mirabal said he wants to see toughness, resiliency, pursuit and finish from the group on every repetition. “Toughness, resiliency, chase, and finish. That’s what I want to see on a daily basis, on a rep-by-rep basis from those guys,” Mirabal said. “And they’ll do it. They’ll do it.”
FSB Take
Miami enters Friday’s opener with a proven offensive standard but a largely rebuilt line. Rodriguez and McCoy provide returning experience, while cross-training and competition against the Hurricanes’ defensive front have shaped the unit’s preparation. The opener at Stanford will provide the first game test of whether the new group can turn that versatility into the protection and blocking needed to support Miami’s offense.
Source: Original report