Fall Camp Battles: Who Wins Miami’s Left Guard Position?

Miami’s offensive line should be one of the nation’s finest units but the Hurricanes need to figure out one more spot to finish out the depth chart.

It’s a battle at the left guard position. There’s no doubting the premise when offensive line coach Alex Mirabal specifically discusses three players taking reps there, which he did last week during his press conference. He also made it clear that there are several players capable of playing on game days.

“We have eight or nine guys right now, that we feel can go compete on a Saturday.”

Here's an example. Francis Mauigoa is playing this fall camp after off-season surgery and did not participate in UM’s spring practice. According to Mirabal, he's taken reps at left guard despite being the returning starter at right tackle. Mirabal tends to cross-train his offensive linemen and that trend continues.

You can read more details from what Mirabal has to say HERE .

The player many following Miami expect to win the left guard position job is redshirt freshman Samson Okunlola . He’s as athletic as one will find and also takes reps at the right tackle position according to Mirabal.

If Okunlola is beaten out at left guard or the competition continues into the season, two redshirt sophomores – Matthew McCoy and Ryan Rodriguez – will be the likely candidates. Keep in mind that information is limited beyond that as Okunlola did not elaborate on his status during Monday’s press conference even when asked specifically about it .

“Every day I’m just looking to get better. Just focus on, just focus on getting better honestly. My focus is not on starting or anything like that. My focus is on getting better today, getting better tomorrow, and getting better the next day.”

Mario Cristobal is limiting media access of late. Could there be more change? Of course. It’s 17 days before Miami plays at Florida and it would not be surprising if Cristobal keeps a tight lid on information from this point forward. As for the other four positions, here are the projected starters.

The left tackle should be fifth-year senior Jalen Rivers , a returning starter. At center, it's sixth-year senior Zach Carpenter after transferring from Indiana. The right guard will likely be junior returning starter Anez Cooper . At right tackle, it's almost certainly Mauigoa.

For now, the offensive line appears to be set sans the left guard position. There may not be clarity on which player wins the job until the Hurricanes take the field inside The Swamp against the Gators.