Keelan Marion, Francis Mauigoa Named Preseason All-America

Trinton Breeze
3 min read

A pair of Miami Hurricanes were selected to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America First Team, the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) announced Tuesday.

Offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa and kick returner Keelan Marion were both among the top honorees by the WCFF.

One of the nation’s top offensive linemen, Mauigoa has started all 26 games at right tackle since arriving at the University of Miami in 2023. A season ago, Mauigoa was a key member of an offensive line that helped pave the way for the No. 1 offense in the nation by both points and yards.

The efforts of Mauigoa, selected to the All-ACC Second Team, were key in Miami earning Joe Moore Award Honor Roll honors a year ago. According to Pro Football Focus, Mauigoa was the only FBS tackle with two or fewer knockdowns allowed on 500-plus pass-blocking snaps in 2024.

Entering his first season at Miami after an All-America campaign at BYU in 2024, Marion was a force for the Cougars in his two years with the program. One of the nation’s top returners last fall, Marion earned first-team All-America honors from Walter Camp and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), among others. He averaged 26.2 yards per return and had two kickoff return touchdowns.

Over his four years on offense, Marion has posted 76 catches, 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns. He spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Connecticut (2021-2022) before transferring to BYU prior to 2023.

The most recent Miami Hurricane to earn Walter Camp All-America honors was quarterback Cam Ward, who was selected to the WCFF First Team in 2024.

Considered the “Father of American Football,” Walter Camp introduced the play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side in 1880. Nine years later, Mr. Camp, then the Yale University head coach, selected the first-ever college football All-America team. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.

The Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve, and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s website, www.ncfaa.org
 

Comments (14)

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Good write up. @Trinton Breeze I like the addition of the award summary.

Someone here told me Francis was in summary just ok last year per his standard. "Left too much meat on the bone" to be considered our best offensive lineman. I contend he just lacked the pancake highlight reels but was a consistent anchor every bit of the beast we saw before

/God please let our returner be a fing game breaker
/and for the love of God and Canes wear 36. (Completely aware that's not happening before you chumps start).
 
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Return game was abysmal last year. Not that our O really needed the help but talk about momentum and game-changing moments a return can be. Will need more of that this year for sure
 
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BYU was also counting on Marion to be their go to 3rd down WR. I am expecting a very good return guy, but hoping for more. He can atleast take the top off on O.
 
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