O-Line issues

[Hurry-Cane]

This is a little bit of Mario and Mirabel smelling their own farts a little on OL coaching and trying to give some holdover kids chances for start. I think they’ll come to their senses and figure out the best 5 moving forward.

 

[gacaneaddict]

The most reasonable explanation is $$$.

His new team valued him more than Miami did.

Yeah well my point is why would Mario and Mirabal not pay to keep him unless his NIL was doubled or more?

You paid him NiL 2 years to not play then his time to play you let him walk after you developed him, AND you lost 4 starters?

In reality we lost 4 starters and 2 backups off OL.

 

[gogeta4]

SOOOOOOOOOOO WHY NO PORTAL IN WHEN GUYS PORTAL OUT?!

What championship oline has multiple true freshman starting in past? I always hear its good to be near 100 combined starts?

Post in thread 'USCe OT Josiah Thompson visiting'

Jan 10, 2026

Like their Center is in the portal too, and is coming off a ****** year but was good when he played at Western Kentucky. And he's 6'3" 310lbs and pretty sure a good athlete...
Like how much stock are we really putting into it was a south carolina problem? Cause I'd say we have a big need at center if anything and there are about no centers in the portal.

The Michigan Guard is in portal and he has center experience as he was their starting center in the bowl game

yea the center worries me especially since the michigan went back to michigan i thought he would be a target since he is...

• gogeta4

• 

in january i wanted to bring in interior guys with a bunch of starts

 

[supacane]

I think we should move McCoy and Samson back to the guards spots and sure up the interior. Then let the FR battle for the tackle spots with the other guys. People talk about the tackle spots but getting ragged on the interior is crazy work and more dangerous

 

[Calinative]

Post in thread 'USCe OT Josiah Thompson visiting'

Jan 10, 2026

Like their Center is in the portal too, and is coming off a ****** year but was good when he played at Western Kentucky. And he's 6'3" 310lbs and pretty sure a good athlete...
Like how much stock are we really putting into it was a south carolina problem? Cause I'd say we have a big need at center if anything and there are about no centers in the portal.

The Michigan Guard is in portal and he has center experience as he was their starting center in the bowl game

yea the center worries me especially since the michigan went back to michigan i thought he would be a target since he is...

• gogeta4

• 

in january i wanted to bring in interior guys with a bunch of starts

We didn't need interior guys specifically though unless you're specifically saying center.

Samson and McCoy were going to start. If you bring in an OT McCoy just stays at OG. Or Staff could have (should have) just bit the bullet and Stuck Cantwell at OT and forced him to learn. They bailed on that and it ****ed his development up in terms of being an immediate contributor.

It wasn't a need of Guard specifically. Only specific need we had was Center. But they awarded Rodriguez the job before portal even opened, and then for some inexplicable reason haven't forced SJ to exclusively compete with him at center... Even Buchanan should have been getting a lot of work there tbh.

I bet immediately if SJ stops getting reps our OT+OGs will look good by the end of the year, and only real question will be Rodriguez.

 

[skyman]

Post in thread 'USCe OT Josiah Thompson visiting'

Jan 10, 2026

Like their Center is in the portal too, and is coming off a ****** year but was good when he played at Western Kentucky. And he's 6'3" 310lbs and pretty sure a good athlete...
Like how much stock are we really putting into it was a south carolina problem? Cause I'd say we have a big need at center if anything and there are about no centers in the portal.

The Michigan Guard is in portal and he has center experience as he was their starting center in the bowl game

yea the center worries me especially since the michigan went back to michigan i thought he would be a target since he is...

• gogeta4

• 

in january i wanted to bring in interior guys with a bunch of starts

Oh believe me, I know you was in portal thread scratching your head just like many of us.. about a couple positions and what we were doing.. It sucks fr.. Luke Ferelli looked good last night also.. legit

 

[supacane]

Anyone that thought OL would not be an issue before season started was delusional. Too many new starters. Takes most OL 2 seasons plus to be ready for full time duty. It is what it is and hope for marked improvement by ND

I thought it would be communication issues. This seems like talent problem in some cases.

 

[skyman]

I think we should move McCoy and Samson back to the guards spots and sure up the interior. Then let the FR battle for the tackle spots with the other guys. People talk about the tackle spots but getting ragged on the interior is crazy work and more dangerous

They are not moving blindside left tackle to guard lol.. There is a reason its one of the value positions..

 

[skyman]

I think we should move McCoy and Samson back to the guards spots and sure up the interior. Then let the FR battle for the tackle spots with the other guys. People talk about the tackle spots but getting ragged on the interior is crazy work and more dangerous

Idk man, I got alot of push back about setting edge being trademarked by bain/mesi lol

 

[Gables Cane]

I truly don’t think the issue is as bad as it seems. There’s a quick fix sitting right there, like most here have already said, move McCoy to RG and put Cantwell or Hawkins at RT. Miami instantly gets bigger and more physical on the right side, basically recreating last season’s Bell McCoy combination on the left side.

I also think Max can develop into a solid player. We saw Brockermeyer struggle at times last season a lot like Ryan Rodriguez is now, but by the playoffs he was rock solid and played his best game against Ohio State and eventual first round pick Kayden McDonald.

Why not move McCoy back to left guard, a spot where he started the last 2 years. It also creates a dominant left side that we can run behind and protects Mensah’s blind slide.

I recognize that you are then left with Buchanon and Cantwell on the right side but at least Mensah can “see” the pressure from that side.

I kinda like the idea of a strong left side where we can run behind on 3rd or 4th down and short.

 

[gogeta4]

The most reasonable explanation is $$$.

His new team valued him more than Miami did.

it was flat out money....do u see who his agent is? lol

his bro went for a BAG TOO TX AM THIS YEAR AS WELL.

He likely came to mario with a guarantee nil amount regardless of starting nn Mario balked at it and figured we could back fill with a developmental portal guy on the cheaper....noticed we tried to get thompson kid from usc east (then quickly detoured to merriweather) thas t likely was because of nil money amounts as well.

Thy just misplayed the portal severly during the spring, clearly pays sj good nil, and was loyal to rodriguez....

Reason know this is because they only strongluy went after TACKLES in the portal...Cline was b asically a walk on take dude didnt even start fully at East Tennesee State or wherever he came from. Meriweather appears to be a Major developmenal project

 

[nycane]

Post in thread 'USCe OT Josiah Thompson visiting'

Jan 10, 2026

Like their Center is in the portal too, and is coming off a ****** year but was good when he played at Western Kentucky. And he's 6'3" 310lbs and pretty sure a good athlete...
Like how much stock are we really putting into it was a south carolina problem? Cause I'd say we have a big need at center if anything and there are about no centers in the portal.

The Michigan Guard is in portal and he has center experience as he was their starting center in the bowl game

yea the center worries me especially since the michigan went back to michigan i thought he would be a target since he is...

• gogeta4

• 

in january i wanted to bring in interior guys with a bunch of starts

I never liked the idea of a guy starting at center who couldn't sniff the field in 4 years and is a Manny hold over.

 

[Calinative]

I never liked the idea of a guy starting at center who couldn't sniff the field in 4 years and is a Manny hold over.

.... Staff was starting him at LG in 2024 though, so I don't think you can actually say that.

 

[supacane]

They are not moving blindside left tackle to guard lol.. There is a reason its one of the value positions..

Idk man, I got alot of push back about setting edge being trademarked by bain/mesi lol

Well i wasnt pushing back on anything. I seen them work on players who started off shakey like Markel Bell and also Samson who took a while. So i gave them the benefit of the doubt. Wasnt gonna argue with anyone's concern about anything they see as an issue.

 

[gogeta4]

Oh believe me, I know you was in portal thread scratching your head just like many of us.. about a couple positions and what we were doing.. It sucks fr.. Luke Ferelli looked good last night also.. legit

yep Ferelli the minute i saw his movement skills at his size i knew he would be a good one...

If you portaled a center 3 straight years witha guy here...its safe to say...YOU KNOW U NED BETTER AT THAT POSITION.

why NOT AGAIN THIS YEAR?. BUT THEY FINALLY LIKE THE **** W ITH IT WE'LL GO WITH TJHAT...BUT IT WAS ALWAYS MY OPINION IF U ARE SO HEAVILY OBLIGATED IN THE RUBN GAME TO DUO BLOCKS N RUNNING UP THE A GAP...THAT STARTING 3 GUYS IN THE 5'11-6'3 (TOP-(300) TOPS RANGE WOULD BE NO GO AFTER COMING OFF 6'5=6'6 325+ BEHEMOTHS INSIDE. ..UNLESS YOU PLAN ON CHANGING UP THE RUN GAME TO SOME MORE ZONE BLOCKING SCHEMES (IVE SEEN THEM TRY THIS MORE)

I respect wakes dl more than most on thi sboard but its concerning seeing rr getting bench pressed out so much, sj just having his limitations an not knowing who to block and knowing some of the acc teams we are going back to back is going to b e a BAPTISM in the fire.m SPOOKY HOURS

 

[AUcane]

The most reasonable explanation is $$$.

His new team valued him more than Miami did.

it was flat out money....do u see who his agent is? lol

his bro went for a BAG TOO TX AM THIS YEAR AS WELL.

He likely came to mario with a guarantee nil amount regardless of starting nn Mario balked at it and figured we could back fill with a developmental portal guy on the cheaper....noticed we tried to get thompson kid from usc east (then quickly detoured to merriweather) thas t likely was because of nil money amounts as well.

Thy just misplayed the portal severly during the spring, clearly pays sj good nil, and was loyal to rodriguez....

Reason know this is because they only strongluy went after TACKLES in the portal...Cline was b asically a walk on take dude didnt even start fully at East Tennesee State or wherever he came from. Meriweather appears to be a Major developmenal project

Yeah, between losing a key depth piece (and possible starter) - Kinsler - and a sure fire top 10 pick (Seaton), we really mismanaged the portal.

 

[Ironmanfootball]

Mario made a critical error not getting a real center like he had the previous 3 years and a critical error not finding a true OG to start with experience.

And those centers were a 7th rounder who is out of the NFL, a camp body UDFA and a p squad UDFA. It wasn’t going to break the bank to upgrade over RR.

 

[The U is back to work]

And those centers were a 7th rounder who is out of the NFL, a camp body UDFA and a p squad UDFA. It wasn’t going to break the bank to upgrade over RR.

Yeah. Big error. We don’t owe Ryan Rodriguez ****. I get it he’s been here but you have to perform and earn it just not get handed it and then tell the fan base Rhys Woodrow may emerge lol

 

[Ironmanfootball]

Plazz and Nino transferred. Minaya is buried on the bench.

Wilkerson got some offseason hype but hasn’t seen any meaningful reps.

I need to go back and look at the classes, but we had a bunch of whiffs in like 2 or 3 straight OL classes.

When Bruno (Kinsler) transferred out it killed us. Saw him starting at RT for Ole Miss.

At the point you have to tell us who you mean the nickname has failed.

 

[edge]

There are definitely a few options here. I do find it comical to read the posts about how Mirabal or Mario are stuck in their ways and won’t make a change. They will make some changes and we should trust them until it completely fails. They have earned that. And there are no datapoint's to support a theory of once their OL is established they refuse to make changes.