Head Coach Mario Cristobal and Offensive Line Coach Alex Mirabal both go into year two at Miami, and naturally, both focused on the construction of the O-Line to help build Miami back to prominence. Cristobal was a former offensive lineman at Miami and Mirabal has several years of experience coaching the position group.

Last year, that rebuild reached a severe bump in the road. The Hurricanes ranked 59th in pass block and 107th in pass blocking last season. Mirabal famously said last year in January - “I will cut off my arms and legs before anybody considers the offensive line here to be a weakness.”

Many Hurricanes fans were looking for the closest amputater after a 5-7 season, but it's a new year and a new sense of optimism with eight new players along the line. What impresses Mirabal the most about this year's group, is leadership.

"I think one of the things that people overlook is the leadership," Mirabal said. "The leadership of Matt Lee, the experience of a Javion Cohen, the leadership of a Jalen Rivers. If you ask me what the biggest difference is in our room, I can see why you would say it's size, because they are, but it's the leadership."

The leadership starts in the middle, with Lee at center. The UCF transfer brings a workman-like focus to the line, and Mirabal has noticed.

"It all comes from number 55 in Matt Lee. He's an unbelievable communicator. He's a guy who's urgent and a guy who loves football. I think there are guys that are interested in football and guys that love football, he's one of those guys that loves football. He's the biggest difference in that room, in my opinion. He's a leader."

Miami will try to emulate the performance that Cristobal and Mirabal put together at their previous location. The Oregon Ducks rushed for 203.2 yards per game in 2021 – ranked No. 24 in the nation – and had 200-plus rush yards on seven occasions, including two 300-yard games.

The experience brought in by both Lee and Cohen should make a significant difference in 2023.

"You got Cohen who's got 20 games of SEC experience that's invaluable," Mirabal said. "[Lee] started 36 games over there. Really, Central Florida found him. He was a tight end in high school at Hagerty, and he was a tight end in his first year at Central Florida; then they moved him to center. So he started 36 games, so when he jumped into the transfer portal, you watch his film, that's a no-brainer, he'd make us better, you know."

So far in camp, the Hurricanes look better as a unit. The group was able to spring running back Ajay Allen for a huge run, and freshman back Mark Fletcher gave all the credit to his line for the first score of the day.

"Anybody could have scored, that big hole," Fletcher said. "It was a walk-in, so all the credit to the O-Line."

Miami brought in five freshmen offensive linemen, and one, Francis Mauigoa, has a great chance to start right tackle. Mirabal credits sophomore Guard Anez Cooper for helping to develop the freshmen.

"Those freshmen are able to play faster," Mirabal said. "You got a veteran next to you like Anez Cooper. He's a young veteran, but he can tell Francis, look, this is what we're doing here. Francis can say, okay, got it and roll. So yeah, it's a big deal."

Mirabal talks of Cooper being the perfect bridge to the newcomers and raves about how he has made the most significant leap in progression from year one to year two.

"Coop has made a tremendous jump from last year to this year. From everything. From a personal standpoint, how he's communicating and leading. He's changed his body. Yeah, we brought in all these guys from the transfer portal, but he's been a rock there, and it helps because I coached him all last year. He's the one that's helping them, saying this is what coach means by that; because of that, he's been a great bridge for those new guys that have come in. Whether it be from the transfer portal or freshmen, he's been a tremendous bridge for those guys."

Injuries decimated the offensive line last season, and to counter that this season, all offensive linemen will cross-train at every position. Mirabal is a big believer in cross-training and a non-believer in the depth chart.

"We're all stuck on what's the depth chart, what's the depth chart? That doesn't matter. Every day at the end of the day, I got 19 guys in the room now, I got one through 19, and I'll rank them from top to bottom, every day. Why? Because our job is to...if something happens to one of those first five guys, our job is to make sure that number six is the next guy in. Well, number six hasn't taken any reps at left guard. Well, guess what? He's going to now. That's our job. Get the next best player in there, not the guy who's on that depth chart that everybody wants."

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