Miami’s offensive line may be in for another shakeup after starting right guard Max Buchanan left the Hurricanes’ win over Clemson with an apparent leg injury, then later resurfaced in a social media post from a hospital bed.
Buchanan, a sophomore from Sanford, played through the injury and returned in the second half of the blowout, but his Wednesday morning post on X suggested the situation could be more serious. He shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed and gown and wrote, “Y’all hold out … (I will) be back.” The post was later deleted.
Miami has not issued an update on his status.
Buchanan has opened all five games this season at right guard and left the Clemson game in the second quarter before coming back to finish with 39 snaps. The sophomore has been a steady enough piece in the lineup, with Pro Football Focus assigning him a 72.4 run-blocking grade and a 43.8 pass-blocking grade.
Coach Mario Cristobal singled out Buchanan’s toughness on Monday, along with that of fellow lineman Matt McCoy, who also exited the Clemson game before returning.
“Matt McCoy showed a display of toughness that I have never seen,” Cristobal said. “To go (through) what he went through and to come back in there. Him and Max Buchanan - off the charts.”
If Buchanan is forced to miss time, Miami has several ways to patch things together. Sophomore SJ Alofaituli is one possibility.
He started the first four games at left guard, then logged 27 snaps at right guard against Clemson. Alofaituli has played 204 offensive snaps this season, mostly at left guard, and owns a 67.9 run-blocking grade with a 53.2 pass-blocking grade.
Transfer lineman Jamal Meriweather is another option. He played six offensive snaps against Clemson and has appeared in 71 snaps this season, posting a 59.3 run-blocking grade and a 55 pass-blocking grade.
The Hurricanes could also choose to reshuffle the line more broadly. That would mean moving McCoy inside to guard, where he started for Miami last season, and opening the right tackle spot for Jackson Cantwell, a former five-star prospect. Cantwell has played 78 snaps this season and carries a 63.2 run-blocking grade with a 59 pass-blocking grade.
Cantwell has spent most of the year at guard, but his best PFF grades of the season came when he played 16 snaps at tackle against Central Michigan.
In Other News...
Clemsons Bye Week Exposed A Problem That Could Define The Stretch Run
Through the first five weeks, Clemson has settled into an uneven but still workable place at 3-2 overall and 2-1 in ACC play, with wins over Georgia Southern, North Carolina and Cal and losses to LSU and Miami. The bye week gave the staff a chance to step back and sort through the first half of the season position by position, from quarterbacks and receivers to the defensive front, but the review did not take long to find the area creating the most concern.
The offensive line has emerged as the clearest weakness, and it is the one unit that could shape how the rest of the season unfolds. Coach Matt Luke has already acknowledged the staff tried to bring in transfer offensive linemen, only for those efforts to fall short, leaving Clemson to navigate the stretch run with the group it has and a problem it still has to solve. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson's Offensive Line Issues Are Fueling A Bigger Roster Debate
Clemsons offensive line problems have become one of the defining issues of the season, and the numbers explain why. The Tigers have been far too inconsistent up front, giving up too many sacks and landing near the bottom nationally in sacks and tackles for loss allowed. Dabo Swinney and line coach Matt Luke have both pointed to inexperience as a major factor, and the staff has spent plenty of time trying to sort through a group that has not yet found much rhythm.
The bigger wrinkle is what those struggles say about the rest of the roster and how quickly Clemson can patch things together. The staff did explore the transfer market for help up front, but the answer there was no, leaving the Tigers to keep building with the young players already in the program. For now, the confidence remains that development will come with time, even if the current version of the line still has to prove it can hold up week after week. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Just Created An Early Recruiting Chance It Cant Waste
Clemson basketball has moved quickly on one of the more promising names in the early recruiting cycle, extending an offer to West Charlotte point guard Kaharri Coleman after an unofficial visit. Brad Brownell and his staff have made it clear they want to stay aggressive with the 2028 class, and Colemans rising profile fits the kind of early identification Clemson has been trying to build around.
Coleman already holds multiple Division I offers and has recently added Clemson to his list, which gives the Tigers a foothold with a prospect drawing plenty of attention. With several other players also in the mix for Clemsons 2028 recruiting board, the next step is turning that early interest into something lasting before the competition tightens around one of North Carolinas top young guards. [Read more 🡒]