Summer Additions: Ousman Traore (JUCO transfer), Adam ElGammal (2019 signee), Jakai Clark (2019 signee)
Summer Departures: None
The bad news is that the 2018 offensive line never looked anything more than average, if that. The good news is Butch Barry and Dan Enos have come to save the day. Fingers crossed.
Enos will run a lot of 12 personnel that will feature Michael Irvin II, Brevin Jordan, and Will Mallory aiding in both pass protection and the run game. Enos’ commitment to a multiple offense and a personnel driven scheme is a significant change from his stubborn predecessor. This versatility combined with the addition of Barry should vault Miami’s offense into respectability.
Stacey Searles and Mark Richt had many faults as the overseers of the offensive line, but they did not leave the cupboard bare. Searles and Richt recruited three core linemen - DJ Scaife, Corey Gaynor, and Navaughn Donaldson. Gaynor and Donaldson will play inside while Scaife could start at either tackle position pending the development of Zion Nelson, Kai-Leon Herbert, and John Campbell.
The offensive line has long been looking for consistency, but Hurricane legend Brett Romberg says not to worry about Gaynor: “He’s really the coach when the coach is not there...He’s the badass and the tough guy. I’m in on Corey Gaynor.”
Navaughn Donaldon found a home at guard, was named to the Outland Trophy preseason watchlist, and could end up on the backend of the All-ACC lists when it’s all said and done. The talent has always been there; his true position and S&C fitness were the question marks. Now, barring major injuries, he will not have to switch positions 4 times throughout the year and build off his work with David Feeley.
Scaife is arguably Miami’s most talented lineman and Pro Football Focus rates Scaife as the second-best returning ACC tackle. Scaife will lean on his athleticism and strong hands in the transition from RT to LT. Also at tackle, the physically gifted freshman Zion Nelson has impressed just about everyone. He can move well, but it’s tough to project a true freshman, who was less than 250 pounds 6 months ago, as the starting LT against a top 25 defense. Then again, it is also hard to project an underweight true freshman outperforming most of the other scholarship linemen in the weight room.
All signs point to Zion Nelson surpassing Herbert, Campbell, and Zalon’tae Hillery on the depth chart at some point. It’s a matter of when not if. David Feeley recognizing Nelson as the top weight room performer of the offensive line adds to the heaps of praise he has received from this staff. It’s one thing to do it in practice, but quite another to do it on gameday against a chief rival like the Florida Gators. Nelson also has the advantage of a new staff who recruited him compared to a 3rd year player like Herbert.
Mark Richt had delusional notions about the offense, but he was right when he stated Miami could not take the next step forward until all three of Campbell, Scaife, and Cleveland Reed were ready. Scaife is ready, but Campbell and Reed have lagged behind so far. Both will get plenty of reps with the first team but still need to prove they belong there. Campbell could play inside or outside, but will primarily get work at RT while Reed inches closer and closer to securing the left guard spot.
Herbert and Hillery are both in “contract years” and Herbert came on stronger than Hillery this past spring. Herbert is a former 4-star while Hillery was always considered a project. Looking back, I believe the staff ignored a horrendous Paradise Camp performance by Hillery because they were in love with his potential at tackle. It is not a good sign that these third year linemen have seemingly been passed up by Campbell, Reed, and Nelson.
Do not expect much from transfers Ousman Traore and Tommy Kennedy early on, but keep a lookout for Traore to emerge later in the year. Traore has great size for the guard position. He will need time, but could be a guy who comes on strong in the last half the season. Poor Kennedy went from the next Lane Johnson to an afterthought before any games were played. The Kennedy stock soured because he was given ample opportunities at multiple positions and was not close to securing first team reps by the end of spring camp. Miami switching Navaughn Donaldson to center before putting Kennedy on first team speaks volumes.
Zach Dykstra and George Brown Jr. will have to prove they are more than just names on a roster sheet. True freshmen Adam ElGammal and Jakai Clark came in during the summer and are redshirt candidates. Clark will have Gaynor, Donaldson, and Kennedy in front of him at center, while ElGammal needs to gain weight and continue to learn the fundamentals (played one year of high school football). If worst comes to worst, ElGammal could see time because of the offensive tackle scarcity at Greentree.
Bottom Line
The Miami Hurricanes have 14 scholarship linemen going into fall camp and only three with starting experience. The loss of experience and Butch Barry’s arrival creates a fresh start for this group. Miami will look for 7-8 linemen they feel comfortable with.
Miami has struggled to put out cohesive units in the offensive trenches since 2013. Barry already has three foundational pieces he can count on for the next two years. An elimination of the Searles shuffle and addition of versatile, personnel first offense creates a special opportunity for this young offensive line to grow together over the next 24 to 36 games.
The Florida game will be rough and ugly for this unit. However, outside of UF and UVA, there are no front 7’s that worry me. This is where S&C coach David Feeley’s work comes into play. The line must be way more physical against inferior teams. The line needs more push to improve in areas such as 3rd conversion rate (39%) and first downs (17/g). The 3rd down rate is below average, while 17 first downs per game has Miami tied with FSU for 119th in the country. Enos will help in both of these areas.
Despite its youth, this line still has enough talent to hold up in the trenches for a ten-win season. Gaynor will set the tone with his physicality, while Donaldson and Scaife are two of the most talented linemen in the ACC. Miami needs 2 more guys to step up this fall, and camp will start weeding out the contenders from the pretenders.
UF lineup prediction: Scaife – Donaldson – Gaynor – Reed – Herbert
