The CaneSport On3: Offensive line lost a couple of starters but is looking to be just as dominant

CaneSport is going position by position on this Miami team analyzing where things stand and what kind of potential each spot has, including strengths and weaknesses. Today we break down the offensive line:

QB ANALYSIS … RB ANALYSIS … WR ANALYSIS … TE ANALYSIS

MIAMI HURRICANES OL ANALYSIS OVERVIEW

It wasn’t simply the running backs room that saw Miami jump from averaging 3.7 yards per carry in 2022 to 5.1 this past year. Go ahead and credit the offensive line, too. And the O-line was also the reason the Canes cut way down on sacks allowed despite the same main guy (Tyler Van Dyke) behind center – from 36 allowed in 2022 to 16 in 2023. A big difference from 2022-23 was a reshaped line that saw Jalen Rivers move from guard to left tackle with returning starter Anez Cooper remaining at guard. The team added starting center Matt Lee and starting left guard Javion Cohen from the transfer portal, and signed 5-star starting right tackle Francis Mauigoa. It worked out as one of the most dominant lines in recent memory for Miami.

Now two of those starters are gone, with Lee and Cohen turning pro early.

So where does that leave the team?

With an interesting situation at guard. Because the team’s already added a replacement starting center in the portal with Indiana multi-year veteran starter Zach Carpenter. So that gives the team four pretty much set starters: Rivers, Cooper, Mauigoa and Carpenter. The fifth starter? It could be guard Matthew McCoy, who has a lot of potential but has never started. Or the team could turn to 5-star 2023 signee Samson Okunlola, who played reps early last season off the bench before a season-ending injury. Because Okunlola is probably best suited at tackle, if he does emerge in the spring and fall then it would likely mean Rivers returning to his previous guard position. Another option could be JUCO standout Markel Bell emerging at tackle, which would also mean a move inside for Rivers. So that will be a situation to pay close attention to in the spring and beyond.

What the line doesn’t have a lot of is proven depth. Bell could have a transition to deal with in level of play from junior college to the ACC. McCoy and Okunlola have very limited reps off the bench, and after them you have Luis Cristobal, Jr. (started bowl game but a likely backup), Zion Nelson still trying to figure a way to come back off a debilitating knee injury, career backups Logan Sagapolu and Jon Denis, inexperienced center Ryan Rodriguez and then a host of freshmen and true freshmen. Another side note to watch for here will be players that depart the roster since right now there are 18 linemen on our eligibility tracker and it would not be a surprise if at least a couple of them are gone in the fall with the team over the 85 limit.

Now let’s turn to the Pro Football Focus grades of the linemen that are on the 2024 roster and played 100 or more reps last season:

*Rivers graded out at 74.1 percent overall (73.5 pass block grade, 70.2 run block grade)

*Mauigoa graded out at 68.1 percent (64.8 pass block grade, 70.7 run block grade)

*Cooper graded out at 65.9 percent (78.4 pass block grade, 63.1 run block grade)

*Carpenter played 804 reps at Indiana and graded out at 65.1 percent overall (71.2 pass block grade, 62.1 run block grade)

*McCoy played 141 reps and graded out at 57.7 percent (65.2 pass block grade, 58.5 run block grade)

*Rodriguez played 123 reps and graded out at 77.2 percent overall (65.5 pass block grade, 75.3 run block grade)

WHY THE MIAMI OL ROOM WILL SUCCEED IN 2024

With three starters returning and a more than capable center replacement in Carpenter (he was named 2023 All-Big Ten honorable mention) this should again be a line that fares very well. You have to expect a big jump up in year 2 from Mauigoa, who had a strong 2023 season considering he was just a true freshman. And Cooper made good strides from year 1 to 2 and should be even more dominant in his third year as a Cane. Then there is Rivers, who has been consistent whenever he’s played and is a versatile guard/tackle. So that’s four guys you can really feel good about. Then it’s just a case of having another lineman step up at guard or tackle (with Rivers moving back to guard if needed). That could be Okunlola, who passes the NFL eye test, McCoy or Bell, who is a monster-sized tackle at 6-9 and 325 pounds.

WHY THE MIAMI OL ROOM MIGHT STRUGGLE IN 2024

Anytime you need to replace a couple of your top offensive linemen who leave early for the NFL Draft you just don’t know how the unit will be affected as a whole. Is Carpenter going to play at the same level as Lee, who was elite (79.0 overall PFF grade, 89.1 pass block grade)? That remains to be seen, but perhaps is a bit unlikely. Is whoever takes over for Cohen (59.4 overall grade, 75.8 pass block grade) going to be as effective as the two-year Alabama starter/one-year Miami starter? Again, hard to say but that could be tough to achieve. Plus the offensive line stayed remarkably healthy in 2023, with no starter missing a game due to injury until opt outs in the bowl game. In 2022 this was was a line beset by injuries, including to Rivers. So it’s just hard to say right now that this year’s line can be as dominant as it was when things really came together and clicked well in 2023.

2024 PREDICTION

We think Carpenter will do just fine at center making the transition from Indiana, and we should see consisent play as always from Rivers along with better performances from Mauigoa in year 2 and Cooper in his third year starting. Year 2 also could be a big one for the 5-star 2023 signee Okunlola, since he has an NFL first round type frame. And there is optimism that guys like McCoy and Bell will be high performers this coming season. So there is reason for optimism that this line can be even better than last season’s … if everything comes together and the starters stay healthy since there isn’t a lot of proven depth.

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