After spending most fo the 2019 season on the scout team, offensive lineman Ousman Traore hopes to be a part of the rotation for the Miami football team in 2020.
Offensive lineman Ousman Traore signed with the Miami football program in 2019 as a three-star transfer from Hutchinson Community College. Traore spent most of the 2019 season on the Hurricanes practice squad. Traore made his Miami debut against Bethune-Cookman and also played against Central Michigan.
Traore showed a lot of improvement this spring after getting adjusting to being in a Power Five program during his first season with Miami in 2019. Multiple reports stated that Traore spent part of the abbreviate spring with the first-team offensive line at left guard. A lot has changed with the Miami offensive line since the spring.
Graduate transfer Jarrid Williams commited to the Miami football team from Houston, freshman Issiah Walker announced his transfer to Miami after one semester at Florida and senior Navaughn Donaldson proclaimed his decision to redshirt this fall after suffering a serious knee injury in the final regular-season game in 2019.
With Garin Justice hired as the new offensive line coach for Miami entering the 2020 season, everyone starts with a fresh slate. Traore should push to at least be part of the rotation on the offensive line at guard in 2020. One of the guard spots for Miami is likely to be held by D.J. Scaife or John Campbell.
Junior Scaife and redshirt sophomore Campbell are both projected to start on the Hurricanes offensive line with one at guard and the other at tackle. Williams will start at one tackle spot with Scaife or Campbell at the other. The main competition for Traore is likely to be returning starter Jakai Clark.
Clark started the final 12 games of the 2019 season for Miami at right guard as a true freshman. Zion Nelson started at 13 games for Miami at right tackle as a true freshman in 2019. The Miami offensive should be vastly improved because of talent upgrades and far more experience in 2020.
Other players who are expected to compete to be in the rotation on the Miami offensive line are redshirt juniors Zalon’tae Hillery and Kai-Leon Herbert, redshirt sophomore Cleveland Reed and freshmen Jalen Rivers and Walker.