Discover the Miami Hurricanes' New Offensive Line Identity

MIAMI, Fla. – The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes’ newly constructed offensive line is still a work in progress two games into the 2026 college football regular season; discovering an identity takes time.

Head coach Mario Cristobal stood with the same starters from Stanford to Florida A&M on Thursday night: left tackle Samson Okunlola, left guard Seuseu “SJ” Alofaituli, center Ryan Rodriguez, right guard Max Buchanan, and right tackle Matthew McCoy. 

In two games, the group hasn’t allowed a sack. The run game against Stanford wasn’t as efficient as it was against Florida A&M. When asked about the run blocking following the Hurricanes’ 77-7 win, Cristobal elaborated on the improvements.

"I thought we fit our double teams better," he said. "We sustained our one-on-ones, both in our gap schemes, tight zone and wide zone. I thought the boxes were cleaner. It's a significantly different scheme than what we faced the previous week where your numbers and angles, you can achieve good leverage in certain formations and motions. Also, playing another game together and maybe sticking with a couple of combinations a little bit longer, over time, those guys are going to keep getting better."

The team finished with 430 total rushing yards on 44 attempts, including five touchdowns. Although the offense had big plays through the air, it had the same impact on the ground. Mark Fletcher Jr. got the run game started with a 46-yard touchdown in the Hurricanes’ first drive.

Afterwards, freshman Javian Mallory carried [no pun intended] the momentum. He led the team with 142 rushing yards on 10 attempts and scored two touchdowns. When asked about the offensive line’s run blocking, Mallory simply credited “the best [offensive] coach in the country,” Alex Mirabal.

"Communication was a big thing we had to work on from last week," the 19-year-old said.

The Hurricanes have made replacing four starters appear simple, but the body of work started behind the scenes at Greentree Practice Fields and Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility. Every offensive lineman had the opportunity to carve out playing time, including freshman and former five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell, who’s primarily lined up at right guard.

However, there was still some familiarity around the Coral Gables campus, as McCoy was among the few returning veterans. After starting last season at left guard, he’s shown no struggles moving to right tackle. McCoy played 34 snaps against Florida A&M and finished with a 72.8 Pro Football Focus grade. When asked about the identity of the new offensive line, he mentioned that there are still ways to go.

"We're only two games in," McCoy said. "We're still carving that identity out, which is really important. It starts in the trenches. We've been working on pushing our identity; being the most physical people out there and getting the last push every time. We're working every game and practice to find that identity and make it known."

The Hurricanes have beaten Stanford and Florida A&M by a 54.4-point margin. Although the production could prove to be sustainable, it has yet to be significantly tested. Cristobal is known for keeping the team from being complacent with early success. A 2-0 start is promising, but there are still plenty of games in the regular-season schedule before a bigger journey can commence.

Another ACC showdown is scheduled for “The U,” this time in North Carolina, to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, televised on ESPN and kicking off at 7:30 p.m. E.T.

Anthony Aguirre covers the Miami Hurricanes and Miami Heat for Roundtable Sports. Contact info for tips/info: [email protected] & 305-987-3290 | Follow on Instagram/X: @AnthonyA_Sports