Hey CISers, before we get into the bulk of the article, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Grant Misemer, a senior at Saint Andrews High School up in Boca Raton and next year I’ll be attending Penn State. Although I’m going to Penn State, I’m still a diehard Hurricane for life (already bought my tickets for the FSU game) and I plan on being very active on the site. Last year, I wrote for State of the U with Stefan, but my life got really jumbled up all at once so I decided to step down and leave. I want to thank Cam Underwood back at State of the U and now Stefan here for believing in me and giving me a chance to get back into writing. ANYWAYS, enough with the sob story, let’s get to the offensive line.
Last year, the offensive line was wishy-washy to say the least. Against Duke early in the season, although we put up a 30-6 victory, the problems were obvious. Walton and Homer were forced to create a lot of runs for themselves, and when they couldn’t, Richt had to resort to the passing game. There were several times in that game in specific and illuminated in the ACC Championship game against Clemson where Richt and company were forced to be predictable and throw on early downs, putting them in a hole and third downs, shown by our 27.74% third down conversion percentage (127th/130th in the FBS). This year, if Miami wants to take it to the next step, Miami will have to develop a more consistent run game.
In comparison to the rest of the team’s key injuries in skill positions such as Mark Walton at running back, Ammon Richards at wide receiver, and Christopher Herndon at tight end, the offensive line stayed healthy. In the middle of the season, Donaldson got a case of the injury bug, but Mahoney played fine and it wasn’t a huge loss in my opinion. This year, we’ll be losing KC McDermott and Trevor Darling – LT and LG, respectively. With only two offensive lineman leaving – and two very replaceable linemen – head ball coach Mark Richt will be dealing with a newer, bigger, stronger, and deeper squad of offensive linemen.
ADDITIONS:
Delone Scaife (OG, Fr.) – Scaife, a four-star local early enrollee (#218 on ESPN300) from Miami Southridge, has a chance to take the starting LG spot, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Scaife played both tackle and guard in high school, giving him an advantage and versatility over the other two linemen in the class. Scaife has been knocked for his arm length being below par, the main reason for his transition to playing guard full-time. Scaife has a lot of potential, and with both a tackle and a guard spot up for grabs, even if Scaife doesn’t start, he can very well be used as a renaissance man across the line.
John Campbell (OT, Fr.) – Campbell, a three-star early enrollee offensive tackle from Dr. Phillips High Shool (Orlando, FL), is a great depth piece for the Canes. I’m not as excited with Campbell as I am with Scaife, mainly because of Campbell’s lack of size. At 6’5 285, Campbell is undersized, but once placed in a college weight room, he can easily become an animal in later years to come.
Cleveland Reed (OG, Fr.) – Reed, a four-star (#143 on ESPN300) commit from Fort Meade High School has it all, I just wished he enrolled early. I really believe Reed is one of the best offensive line prospects in the nation, I just hate that he joins us in the summer. Reed still has a chance to be a true freshman starter, but by coming in the summer instead of the spring really hurts his chances.
RETURNING STARTERS:
Tyler Gauthier (C, Sr.) – Tyler Gauthier was one of the lone bright spots in the offensive line. As an ACC Honorable Mention, Gauthier started every game of the season, providing consistent blocking in both the run and pass game. Not much to say rather than I’m happy to have him back for his senior year.
Navaughn Donaldson (RG, So.) – Coming out of high school, Donaldson was highly recruited and ranked. Some people wondered if Donaldson can hang with the big boys, but the Freshman All-American and ACC Honorable Mention shut the haters up. This year, Donaldson will hopefully play an injury-free year and prove his dominance again.
Tyree St. Louis (RT, Sr.) – Although starting thirteen games, I don’t have a lot of nice things to say about St. Louis. Although an unpopular opinion, I’m not a fan of St. Louis and I don’t believe the IMG alum was worth the hype. All I can hope from St. Louis in his final season is improvement. As the only tackle with true playing experience on the roster, Richt might look to move St. Louis to LT, where the stakes would be even higher.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Corey Gaynor (C/OG, So.) – Corey Gaynor was very overlooked last year and in my opinion is primed to take care of the open guard position. Gaynor played in nearly every game and started one. I am very excited for Gaynor’s year two, as I think he’ll be an upgrade from Trevor Darling.
Kai-Leon Herbert (OT, So.) – Kai-Leon Herbert, who I’ll always remember for his zombie apocalypse commitment video to Michigan (sike), played in limited action last year, but is primed to take one of the tackle positions. Over the offseason, he has filled his frame, which I criticized last year. I have no complaints with Herbert and I think he’ll make for a solid tackle.
Hayden Mahoney (OG, Rs Jr.) – As I mentioned before, Mahoney filled in for Donaldson while he was hurt and played fine. Although the logical decision is to take the player with experience and the player that the coaches sided with last year, I predict Gaynor edges out Mahoney. I still think if Mahoney doesn’t start he’ll see some action.
Last year, the offensive line was wishy-washy to say the least. Against Duke early in the season, although we put up a 30-6 victory, the problems were obvious. Walton and Homer were forced to create a lot of runs for themselves, and when they couldn’t, Richt had to resort to the passing game. There were several times in that game in specific and illuminated in the ACC Championship game against Clemson where Richt and company were forced to be predictable and throw on early downs, putting them in a hole and third downs, shown by our 27.74% third down conversion percentage (127th/130th in the FBS). This year, if Miami wants to take it to the next step, Miami will have to develop a more consistent run game.
In comparison to the rest of the team’s key injuries in skill positions such as Mark Walton at running back, Ammon Richards at wide receiver, and Christopher Herndon at tight end, the offensive line stayed healthy. In the middle of the season, Donaldson got a case of the injury bug, but Mahoney played fine and it wasn’t a huge loss in my opinion. This year, we’ll be losing KC McDermott and Trevor Darling – LT and LG, respectively. With only two offensive lineman leaving – and two very replaceable linemen – head ball coach Mark Richt will be dealing with a newer, bigger, stronger, and deeper squad of offensive linemen.
ADDITIONS:
Delone Scaife (OG, Fr.) – Scaife, a four-star local early enrollee (#218 on ESPN300) from Miami Southridge, has a chance to take the starting LG spot, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Scaife played both tackle and guard in high school, giving him an advantage and versatility over the other two linemen in the class. Scaife has been knocked for his arm length being below par, the main reason for his transition to playing guard full-time. Scaife has a lot of potential, and with both a tackle and a guard spot up for grabs, even if Scaife doesn’t start, he can very well be used as a renaissance man across the line.
John Campbell (OT, Fr.) – Campbell, a three-star early enrollee offensive tackle from Dr. Phillips High Shool (Orlando, FL), is a great depth piece for the Canes. I’m not as excited with Campbell as I am with Scaife, mainly because of Campbell’s lack of size. At 6’5 285, Campbell is undersized, but once placed in a college weight room, he can easily become an animal in later years to come.
Cleveland Reed (OG, Fr.) – Reed, a four-star (#143 on ESPN300) commit from Fort Meade High School has it all, I just wished he enrolled early. I really believe Reed is one of the best offensive line prospects in the nation, I just hate that he joins us in the summer. Reed still has a chance to be a true freshman starter, but by coming in the summer instead of the spring really hurts his chances.
RETURNING STARTERS:
Tyler Gauthier (C, Sr.) – Tyler Gauthier was one of the lone bright spots in the offensive line. As an ACC Honorable Mention, Gauthier started every game of the season, providing consistent blocking in both the run and pass game. Not much to say rather than I’m happy to have him back for his senior year.
Navaughn Donaldson (RG, So.) – Coming out of high school, Donaldson was highly recruited and ranked. Some people wondered if Donaldson can hang with the big boys, but the Freshman All-American and ACC Honorable Mention shut the haters up. This year, Donaldson will hopefully play an injury-free year and prove his dominance again.
Tyree St. Louis (RT, Sr.) – Although starting thirteen games, I don’t have a lot of nice things to say about St. Louis. Although an unpopular opinion, I’m not a fan of St. Louis and I don’t believe the IMG alum was worth the hype. All I can hope from St. Louis in his final season is improvement. As the only tackle with true playing experience on the roster, Richt might look to move St. Louis to LT, where the stakes would be even higher.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Corey Gaynor (C/OG, So.) – Corey Gaynor was very overlooked last year and in my opinion is primed to take care of the open guard position. Gaynor played in nearly every game and started one. I am very excited for Gaynor’s year two, as I think he’ll be an upgrade from Trevor Darling.
Kai-Leon Herbert (OT, So.) – Kai-Leon Herbert, who I’ll always remember for his zombie apocalypse commitment video to Michigan (sike), played in limited action last year, but is primed to take one of the tackle positions. Over the offseason, he has filled his frame, which I criticized last year. I have no complaints with Herbert and I think he’ll make for a solid tackle.
Hayden Mahoney (OG, Rs Jr.) – As I mentioned before, Mahoney filled in for Donaldson while he was hurt and played fine. Although the logical decision is to take the player with experience and the player that the coaches sided with last year, I predict Gaynor edges out Mahoney. I still think if Mahoney doesn’t start he’ll see some action.
