Spoke to sources about everything around the team and recruiting. Some quick notes:

- The mood around the team is angry. No excuse-making or rationalization, even though they have a lot of respect for Wake Forest. Everybody knows the second half sucked and they need to get a lot better.

- The best way to describe the OL situation is "fluid." They need to find the best 5, and what we've seen so far isn't it. Based on what Mario said on WQAM, and what I've heard independently, the focus seems to be more on the guards than center or tackle. I would expect to see some different combinations this weekend. I've talked a lot about Ben Congdon and Jackson Cantwell, because they split the first-team RG reps all camp. But one young name to watch is Rhys Woodrow. He already has a ton of responsibility in punt protection and has C/G versatility. Canon Pickett is another guy who can get in the mix with the other three.

The concern with most freshmen (especially the big guys) is they may dominate on two reps and whiff badly on a third. And the that whiff could change the season. With that said, we aren't getting consistency from the older players, and they're only second-year guys themselves. Bottom line- this is a work in progress and I expect to see tinkering until it's playoff caliber.

- They're being extremely tight-lipped about injuries, although I don't sense a ton of concern aside from Marty Brown and Josh Moore. Those two are heartbreakers. Two names Miami wants to see step up in their place: Jordan Lyle and Somourian Wingo.

- Ezekiel Marcelin's injury was ill-timed because we need more at LB. I don't think those two starting spots are set in stone all year.

- In terms of recruiting, Miami is very purposeful in terms of watching senior film and grading their own prospects. Some guys who have really impressed: QB Israel Abrams, RB Ty Keys, WRs Nick Lennear and Eli Woodard, ATH A'mir Sears, DE Jaiden Bryant, DL Josh Johnson, LB Noah Glover and CB Sherrod Gourdine.

- There is no secret that the staff still wants to make another big splash in 2027. Three names stand above the rest: OT Mark Matthews, DE DJ Jacobs and TE Jaxon Dollar. Miami finished second for all three and will continue to push aggressively until the final whistle.

 

How?

We weren’t doing anything compared to Indiana leading up to NC game. Seemed slow on communication and it shows in the major gaps this roster has!!!!
LB and OL in particular

 

We weren’t doing anything compared to Indiana leading up to NC game. Seemed slow on communication and it shows in the major gaps this roster has!!!!
LB and OL in particular

Got it. Didn’t understand what tine period you were referring to. Thx

 

I guess you could say that. He sure the **** hasn't been a strength as the only multi year starter on the line and we've played nothing but interior comp at this point. Let's see how you feel when he goes against people with a pulse...

idk why the obvious can't just be done
LT - Okunlola
LG - Buchanan rotating Congdon
C - Rodriguez
RG - McCoy
RT - Cantwell

From the start of spring to now, they should have just left Cantwell at LT and had Samson and McCoy compete for RT and the loser (Imo would 100% be McCoy) Stays at their LG from last season. That was the most obviously/easy decision of them all imo. Then Cantwell could have 1 position to focus on his development with, and lock in.... Now staff has Cantwell potentially playing 3 diff positions in like 4 months. Bad process...

I couldn’t agree more. Cantwell at LT was impressing literally everyone I talked to that had either an ear or eye close to practice.

I understand they wanted Samson and McCoy to show he could play tackle so they could make tackle money in the league and boost their standing with some recruits they want to flip, such as Mark Matthews.

That being said, sometimes you have to do what’s best for the team and do what gives you the absolute best chance to win.

Another lineup could be:

LT. Pancake
RG. Rodriguez
C. Woodrow
RG. McCoy
RT. Cantwell

2 freshmen on the OL makes me a bit nervous, but if Woodrow snaps the ball better (RR has been shaky at times), I’d take it. And Cantwell is making a lot of money to play tackle. So play him at tackle and he will take his lumps just like Mauignoa did and he will be a much different RT by the time we reach the conference championship game. And RR was a better guard than he was a center, in my opinion, so him and McCoy inside could be the way. I don’t know. We’re all just throwing **** at the wall and seeing what sticks at the end of the day. I will continue to believe the OL savants named Mario and Mirabal will put the correct puzzle pieces together, or at least make it fit the best way possible. Only time will tell. We have until November 7th to get this right, because I’m not even going to pretend to believe that game doesn’t matter to us. It **** well does matter, and I want to beat the living **** out of those pricks. So let’s get to work.

 

Got it. Didn’t understand what tine period you were referring to. Thx

Imo
We should have
Added 2-3 IOL; and or Seaton plus 1 IOL
2 LB - one of the Cal guys and or Ferreli
2 TE - Lofton is not prototypical
We got none of that while shopping late in portal when it was picked over

I would think Mario will have it mapped
Out And Evals are being done constantly so we can offer and move fast as needed as he anticipates another deep playoff run!!!

 

Then after the SMU game we had a players only meeting and everything changed.

Maybe they need another one before it gets to the point of actually blowing games.

No. No players only meeting. Can’t risk having any more injuries right now.

 

Can someone convince me Buchanan played decent? The first drive he was turrible. Like really bad. Can someone convince me he can be capable in 6 weeks?

 

Line looks a lot different when you dont have an All Pro on the OL, when dogs leave you have no one to hide you

 

Everyone wants to bump McCoy inside. While disregarding the fact that he was not good when playing inside. The rationale seems flawed, but go ahead and cook.

This is a very true statement. He struggled inside

 

Then after the SMU game we had a players only meeting and everything changed.

Maybe they need another one before it gets to the point of actually blowing games.

No. No players only meeting. Can’t risk having any more injuries right now.

Well played.

 

They didn’t have an issue bumping Rivers inside in 24. To me that’s the move. Mccoy to RG, Cantwell/Congdon/Ervin/Hawk whoever to RT. And can Buchanan snap the ball? As I said earlier. Give me 330+ at the guard and tackle positions. And 300+ at center. Start working Ervin/Congdon/Pickett whoever else into that LG spot.

What doesn’t make sense to me is our OL is now undersized. Yet we’re still running tight splits as if we have 330 up front that can just move piles. I would think wide splits would be the way to go. Use space and speed to open things up.

We also didn't have a 40 million dollar roster in 24. You have to realize expectations need to be met in order to keep those things going. The timing was right for cici and the rest to get the burn they did

 

So
Knowing they are a long way from being good, why the heck didn’t we portal in a couple of IOL??? Why let Kinsler get away?
Seems egregious considering how close we
Are to a natty
What’s another 2M when you are already in it for 40 or so???

Kinsler wanted assurances he would start

 

Kinsler wanted assurances he would start

that right there, should always be a non-starter..

 

I just want to ask why the **** does Mario and Alex think it’s ok to trot two 5’8 250 lb chodes out there every ******* series? Looking at a
15th year senior and a 4/5 star who by the way should be ******* fired for ranking him that high.

Yea I’m ******* pis*ed because I didn’t think the OL would have this much of a dropoff. And when the fans have seen it for 3 games and nothing has been done about it then yea it’s a little concerning.

 

I’m not happy about the second half of Wake and the overall play of the OL and LBs. But, if one thing has proven true is Mario will make changes. If that means benching older guys, I trust him to do it. We do need an injury free game vs CMU. That and about 63 points………

 

I have no idea why y'all are so upset lol

this

 

If that’s grueling, that’s embarrassing and we better just accept staying in the ACC lol

It doesn’t get easier than that in October anywhere. Including most ACC teams

Big 12 has even easier stretches but yes anywhere else that is a joke or a “difficult stretch”

 

I feel like I’m living in the twilight zone with what I’m reading about the oline thinking. “The concern with most freshmen (especially the big guys) is they may dominate on two reps and whiff badly on a third. And the that whiff could change the season”…SJ is whiffing CONSTANTLY. Mensah got dinged on a play SJ got blown up, Fletcher and the other backs are facing hits from unblocked linebackers, etc. and that’s the rationale?!? Bull****.

It’s some bull**** going on!

 

I think a lot of light and heat has been rightly aimed at the Offensive Line as a whole— I’m just glad to hear acknowledgement that they see what we see— and they’re not sugarcoating or deflecting in this regard.

Moreover, the fact they realize and acknowledge the interior (guards) there’s gonna be a shake up gave me some level of comfort that all isn’t lost- especially since our o line was leaking so badly it’s taken toll on our rush game and Mesah’s performance (see 2nd half of wake game)

I’ve said it until I’m blue in the face— get those frosh in there take their lumps- it really can’t be worse than what we’ve seen and I suspect much higher upside eventually this season when things click. We can’t bubble wrap our QB nor our running backs- and I blame the turnstile SJ for a lot of nicks and dings ans k terrifying our flow on offense.

He needs to ride the line, sorry.

How could they not?! We see it as fans! The noise is getting louder and louder! They should have recruited better players period! We are in what, year 5?! You supposed to be the best oline coaches in the game and we are in this position?!!
That’s crazy to me

 

**** ****** shame! These guys looking like a JV Squad! Po Lil Timmies! Only 1 guy looks like a D-1 Lineman! How in the **** do we come out here with this bull**** and think we have a **** chance! And the worst part is they lack the ability upstairs to work together and communicate on getting a body on rushers! Somebody gotta take accountability for this ****!

 

I’m in the twilight zone with their OL rationals that almost completely transport us to the DB rationals of 2024.

Hopefully, offseason whiffs and poor planning don’t wreck a season like they did in 2024.

At this rate, in that same pattern, we’d then go into the portal and sign 286 OL for next season.

This comparison is all I have been thinking about since week1. Im trying not to panic but it’s so similar