Previewing the Miami Hurricanes’ offensive line entering the 2023 season | Summer camp series

The Miami Hurricanes struggled in Year 1 under Mario Cristobal, going 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game. But newcomers and returning players could give Miami fans reasons for hope as the 2023 season gets closer.

Each week, we’ll take a look at Miami’s position groups and see where they stand as the college football season is rapidly approaching.

Last week, we previewed Miami’s tight ends. This week, we look at the Hurricanes’ offensive line, which looks dramatically different than last year’s group.

Who left

Last year, Miami’s starters on the offensive line for the 2022 season opener against Bethune-Cookman were John Campbell Jr., Jalen Rivers, Jakai Clark, Justice Oluwaseun, D.J. Scaife Jr.

Of those five, only Rivers is still on the roster. Campbell and Clark transferred, while Scaife, Oluwaseun and Ousman Traore exhausted their eligibility.

Campbell was a key member of last year’s offensive line. After missing the entire 2021 season with an ACL tear, Campbell was a fixture at left tackle while Zion Nelson sat out most of the season while recovering from knee surgery. Campbell transferred to Tennessee after the season.

Campbell started 12 games before leaving Miami’s season finale with an injury. He played 763 offensive snaps and earned a 59.5 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. He performed well at pass-blocking, getting a 73.5 grade. He allowed five sacks, four quarterback hits and 10 hurries. Campbell had a 52.6 run-blocking grade.

Clark also sought greener pastures elsewhere, joining several teammates and transferring to SMU to play for former UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

Clark was a solid presence at center for UM last season, starting 11 games (missing one with an injury) and playing 655 snaps. He had a 57.6 offensive grade with a 58.2 run-blocking grade and a 57.9 pass-blocking grade. He allowed one sack, four quarterback hits and nine hurries.

Scaife was a mainstay on the right side of the Hurricanes’ line, playing 12 games and racking up the most snaps of anyone on the team (820). Playing primarily right tackle, Scaife had a solid 68 offensive grade. He notched an 80.5 pass-blocking grade, surrendering two sacks, two hits and 11 hurries. He also had a 62.1 run-blocking grade.

Scaife went undrafted but signed with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins waived him, and he is currently with the Green Bay Packers.

Oluwaseun started five games at right guard before suffering a season-ending injury. In his five games, he had a 69.8 offensive grade, a unit-best 74.8 run-blocking grade and a 56 pass-blocking grade. The veteran lineman has not signed with an NFL team.

Traore played in four games, getting limited time in his final college season.

Who returned

Only Rivers returns from offensive line coach Alex Mirabal’s first starting unit last year.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman is entering his fourth season at Miami. He missed most of the 2021 season with an injury and missed three games in 2022, but he started nine games last season. In his 631 snaps, he had a 60.6 offensive grade, a 53.6 run-blocking grade and a 73.3 pass-blocking grade.

Rivers spent all his time at left guard last season, but he offers versatility. He practiced at tackle during the spring and could line up there this fall.

Sophomore Anez Cooper is the second major returnee this season. Cooper was an unheralded three-star prospect when he signed with the Hurricanes, but he became a key contributor as a true freshman. After Oluwaseun suffered his season-ending injury, Cooper took over at right guard and impressed coaches and teammates.

Cooper, who is listed at 6-6 and 350 pounds, had a 59.9 offensive grade, a 64.4 run-blocking grade and a 60.5 pass-blocking grade.

“Last year, me being a freshman, I didn’t really know what to do,” Cooper said in March. “I’m trying to listen to all them older guys telling me what to do. Now I feel like I can go out and know all the plays, know what to do.”

Miami is also hoping former All-ACC honorable mention tackle Zion Nelson could return to the lineup. After establishing himself as one of the top tackles in the conference in 2021, Nelson missed nearly the entire season while recovering from offseason knee surgery. He played in just two games, receiving just 61 snaps.

Three more Hurricanes return after playing significant snaps last season: fourth-year center Jonathan Denis, fourth-year guard Logan Sagapolu and Laurance Seymore.

Denis, who transferred from Oregon, primarily filled in for Clark. He started two games at center and played in five. He played 201 snaps and earned a 57.1 offensive grade, a 66.3 run-blocking grade and a 62.6 pass-blocking grade before suffering his own season-ending injury.

Sagapolu, who also moved from Oregon to Miami, played in five games and started one. He played both guard positions and notched a 51.3 offensive grade with a 51.8 run-blocking grade and a 36.6 pass-blocking grade.

Seymore, a third-year guard, played in six games, starting four. He played 184 snaps at left guard and 70 at right guard. Pro Football Focus gave Seymore a 56.6 offensive grade with a 60.7 run-blocking grade and a 37.7 pass-blocking grade.

The Hurricanes also returned a few linemen who played minimal or no offensive snaps last year: third-year Michael McLaughlin, third-year Ryan Rodriguez and fourth-year Chris Washington.

Who arrived

With only two returning starters from last season, the Hurricanes needed to overhaul the offensive line. They did. Miami added two key transfers and four freshmen — including two five-star prospects.

Javion Cohen, a guard who transferred from Alabama, and center Matt Lee, who transferred from UCF, join the Hurricanes, and both bring extensive experience and success. Cohen started 22 games with the Crimson Tide over the last two seasons and started 11 of 12 games in 2022.

The former Crimson Tide starter, who is listed at 6-4 and 305 pounds, had a 72.6 offensive grade, which would have placed him first among all starting Hurricanes linemen last year. He had a 68.9 run-blocking grade and an 80.8 pass-blocking grade. Cohen allowed just five quarterback hurries and one quarterback hit — with no sacks — last season.

“He’s a different kind of animal,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said in March. “He’s experienced. He’s a leader. He knows every single call.”

Lee, who is listed at 6-4 and 295 pounds, also left an offense where he was successful. The former UCF center was one of the best at his position last year, earning the third-highest offensive grade (83.6) among centers from Pro Football Focus in 2022. He had an 80.6 run-blocking grade and a 90.3 pass-blocking grade in 1,059 snaps.

“Matt Lee is going to be a great leader,” Cooper said. “He’s very vocal. He knows how to communicate. He’ll come to the line and call everything for everybody to do.”

The two heralded freshmen, Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola, enrolled at UM for the spring semester and went through spring practices with the team. Both earned heaps of praise from teammates and coaches.

“I think they’re awesome because they’re five-star workers,” Mirabal said in the spring. “Forget about all the recruiting hype and all that BS, forget about the Twitter world and all that. They (have) five-star work ethic, both those kids. Both those kids, they want to do well, they want to work.”

Mauigoa was the first to join the class, committing to Miami on July 4, 2022. A star at powerhouse Bradenton IMG Academy, Mauigoa was rated a five-star prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2023 class. Listed at 6-6 and 310 pounds, Mauigoa spent much of spring practices lining up as the first-team right tackle.

“All that five-star stuff, I think it really doesn’t matter at this level right now,” Mauigoa said in April. “All that five-star, that ended up way back when I was in high school. Coming in here, 0-star. You’re the same as everyone. So all that hype, it doesn’t really mean anything if you don’t put out the work.”

Okunlola arrived with just as much hype after committing in December. The five-star prospect was rated the No. 4 offensive tackle in his class. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle worked at second-string left tackle in the spring.

The two five-star linemen quickly developed a strong relationship.

“We’re like best friends, in a sense — best friends-slash-rivals,” Okunlola said in April. “We’re competing against each other, working against each other, competing to get better. It’s not a competition, like we’re in a two-man race.”

Miami added three other offensive linemen in the 2023 class: three-star prospects Tommy Kinsler, Frankie Tinilau and Antonio Tripp Jr.

Kinsler, a 6-foot-6, 330-pound lineman, signed with Miami out of Ocala Trinity Catholic. Kinsler, who picked Miami over Florida, was rated the No. 49 interior lineman in the class.

Tinilau joined the Hurricanes’ class early and played for Miami La Salle as a senior. He was rated the No. 81 tackle in the class.

Tripp, who is listed at 6-3 and 300 pounds, was also an early UM commit last year, and he was rated the No. 60 interior lineman in the class.

“The O-line in general is going to be very improved this year, and it starts with guys like (Cohen), Matt, Jalen,” Van Dyke said. “So I’m excited to see what he and a bunch of other guys can do.”