Starting RG Max Buchanan is going to be out a while. He announced it himself earlier today, surgery on the left knee he hurt at Clemson.
From everything I've been told this is a long-term injury, but I don't believe it's a season-ending one. We will see Max Buchanan in a Canes uniform again before this year is done. That's the good news. The bad news is we have to figure out right guard without him, and for a lot longer than anybody wanted.
First, special shoutout to the man himself. Buchanan knew something was really wrong and he went back into a road game at Clemson anyway. Former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards, who will tell you football has a 100 percent injury rate, joined me on today's show and started there.
"I respect the toughness," Ahmmon said. "He put on them knee braces and got right back in there."
He is still going to be undersized at right guard when the fronts get bigger.
Jamal Meriweather has already been in this spot. Go back to Central Michigan. Buchanan took the first two series with the ones and Meriweather took the third. He also filled in at right tackle when Matthew McCoy went out. He didn't do particularly well in limited snaps, but he's been in college a while, he's got size and he can move.
Jackson Cantwell is the name everybody wants to argue about. He's mostly been a left tackle and a guard since he got here, but there's a version of this where he plays right tackle and McCoy slides inside to guard, where he was really good last year.
The last one is the interesting one. If SJ's snapping holds up the way it did against Central Michigan, he goes to center, his natural position, and Ryan Rodriguez moves to guard, where he started against Florida. I'm not sure you mess with what's working at center. Rodriguez just played his best game at center and we have a veteran quarterback who is comfortable with him.
You can't hope a guy is ready because he's a five-star who's getting paid a lot. But, he has flashed.
Who's to say the flashes can't become consistent?
Look at Ben Congdon. We told you in camp he was going to compete to start. Then Stanford comes and he doesn't take a snap with the ones. Against Wake Forest he didn't play at all. Then he's rotating and doing well against Central Michigan, and starts at Clemson, on the road.
Richards sees the talent, he just isn't sure it's a guard's talent. Congdon has a wrestling background, and that natural bend is already there for him even at his size. Cantwell's background is the shot put and the discus.
"Maybe he's just truly a tackle," Ahmmon said, and he happens to be sitting behind two really good ones in Okunlola and McCoy.
"He's kind of settling in," Ahmmon said. "You probably just plug in someone at right guard and call it a day."
The timing helps. "It could not have come at a better time," Ahmmon said of the bye. Mario Cristobal and Mirabal get what amounts to a free week to plug in different combinations, then a full install week for Florida State.
Look at what's in front of us: North Carolina's front is okay, Florida State's defensive line was good last week and terrible the first few weeks. Nobody in this league is lining up Aaron Donald across from our right guard, we should be able to handle these lines the way we handled Clemson's.
Richards expects a rotation at right guard until somebody runs away with it, and he thinks the string of home games late in the year helps the young guys settle in. That's how Congdon did it. He rotated with SJ, then he took the job. I'd bet this one gets decided the same way.
The whole conversation with Ahmmon is below, including his full breakdown of every possible lineup. Watch it, then subscribe to CanesInsight on YouTube. We're live every day.
From everything I've been told this is a long-term injury, but I don't believe it's a season-ending one. We will see Max Buchanan in a Canes uniform again before this year is done. That's the good news. The bad news is we have to figure out right guard without him, and for a lot longer than anybody wanted.
First, special shoutout to the man himself. Buchanan knew something was really wrong and he went back into a road game at Clemson anyway. Former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards, who will tell you football has a 100 percent injury rate, joined me on today's show and started there.
"I respect the toughness," Ahmmon said. "He put on them knee braces and got right back in there."
The four options
SJ Alofaituli is the first man up based on how we rotated at Clemson. He finished that game, and it was the best I've seen him play. A lot of the criticism of him earlier this year was accurate. A lot of it also forgot he's a second-year player.He is still going to be undersized at right guard when the fronts get bigger.
Jamal Meriweather has already been in this spot. Go back to Central Michigan. Buchanan took the first two series with the ones and Meriweather took the third. He also filled in at right tackle when Matthew McCoy went out. He didn't do particularly well in limited snaps, but he's been in college a while, he's got size and he can move.
Jackson Cantwell is the name everybody wants to argue about. He's mostly been a left tackle and a guard since he got here, but there's a version of this where he plays right tackle and McCoy slides inside to guard, where he was really good last year.
The last one is the interesting one. If SJ's snapping holds up the way it did against Central Michigan, he goes to center, his natural position, and Ryan Rodriguez moves to guard, where he started against Florida. I'm not sure you mess with what's working at center. Rodriguez just played his best game at center and we have a veteran quarterback who is comfortable with him.
The Cantwell question
I've seen the comments. I've also heard it from people who actually know, not just people watching from afar.You can't hope a guy is ready because he's a five-star who's getting paid a lot. But, he has flashed.
Who's to say the flashes can't become consistent?
Look at Ben Congdon. We told you in camp he was going to compete to start. Then Stanford comes and he doesn't take a snap with the ones. Against Wake Forest he didn't play at all. Then he's rotating and doing well against Central Michigan, and starts at Clemson, on the road.
Richards sees the talent, he just isn't sure it's a guard's talent. Congdon has a wrestling background, and that natural bend is already there for him even at his size. Cantwell's background is the shot put and the discus.
"Maybe he's just truly a tackle," Ahmmon said, and he happens to be sitting behind two really good ones in Okunlola and McCoy.
Where Ahmmon lands
His guess is Meriweather starting at right guard with Cantwell rotating in. He thinks Meriweather's mobility and strength fit better inside than they did at tackle. And he doesn't want Rodriguez going anywhere."He's kind of settling in," Ahmmon said. "You probably just plug in someone at right guard and call it a day."
Why I'm not panicking
I trust Alex Mirabal because he's earned it, he is the best offensive line coach in the country. Ahmmon made the point that we all had questions about both guard spots a few weeks ago, and the staff got those calls right.The timing helps. "It could not have come at a better time," Ahmmon said of the bye. Mario Cristobal and Mirabal get what amounts to a free week to plug in different combinations, then a full install week for Florida State.
Look at what's in front of us: North Carolina's front is okay, Florida State's defensive line was good last week and terrible the first few weeks. Nobody in this league is lining up Aaron Donald across from our right guard, we should be able to handle these lines the way we handled Clemson's.
Richards expects a rotation at right guard until somebody runs away with it, and he thinks the string of home games late in the year helps the young guys settle in. That's how Congdon did it. He rotated with SJ, then he took the job. I'd bet this one gets decided the same way.
The whole conversation with Ahmmon is below, including his full breakdown of every possible lineup. Watch it, then subscribe to CanesInsight on YouTube. We're live every day.
