Mario Cristobal has some line shuffling to do if Miami is going to get its best five up front on the field.
The Hurricanes are still early in the season, and losing four starters from last year meant some uneven stretches were always part of the deal. But after Week 3 against Wake Forest, the guard spots have become hard to ignore, and Cristobal and Alex Mirabal have work ahead of them in the coming weeks.
Miami’s starting five - Samson Okunlola at left tackle, SJ Alofaituli at left guard, Ryan Rodriguez at center, Max Buchanan at right guard and Matthew McCoy at right tackle - logged 70 of the 72 offensive snaps against Wake Forest. That group stayed on the field the whole night, but stability didn’t equal consistency.
The guard play, especially Alofaituli’s, has been the most obvious problem on an offense that went quiet in the second half against Wake Forest. Alofaituli, who is a center by trade, has struggled badly in the spot. Cristobal acknowledged the issues during his Monday press conference, though he stopped short of signaling a change.
"Guards had some positive moments and some growing pain moments. [Wake Forest has] a very experienced front.
Some of the different blitz patterns and third down packages are pretty extensive. And on some plays, we did some really good things at guard, and other plays, like I mentioned, had some growing pains," he said.
That leaves Jackson Cantwell as the obvious name to watch.
The top-rated offensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class played 34 snaps against Stanford, 26 against Florida A&M and just two against Wake Forest. That workload makes sense only if the current setup is working, and right now it isn’t. Alofaituli has been getting knocked back and left exposed in pass protection, while Cantwell’s upside looks higher even if the freshman is going to make mistakes.
He’s 18, so the growing pains would come with the territory. But more live reps could help him settle in, and Miami could use the boost in the run game as well. The Hurricanes still aren’t consistently lining up and winning at the point of attack, which is supposed to be a Cristobal calling card.
Moving Cantwell into the first-team mix would also allow Alofaituli to shift back to second-team center full-time, a spot where Miami has no depth behind Rodriguez.
Cristobal, at least publicly, framed the situation as one that still has room for players to earn their way forward.
"You're giving guys the opportunity, and guys that have earned those opportunities. As long as guys are busting their butts, you have got to find ways to continue to find not only encouragement but positive wins in their routines and [daily work]," he said.
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