Miami football commit Francis Mauigoa top OL at UA Future 50

Miami football commit Francis Mauigoa was named the top offensive lineman and second best player at the Under Armour Future 50 over the weekend by On3.Com. Mauigoa was also praised by 247 Sports and Rivals for his performance at the Future 50. Mauigoa is the highest-rated player committed to Miami in the 2023 class.

Mauigoa was the third OL to commit to Miami after three-star prospects Frankie Tinilau and Antonio Tripp earlier this year. Miami is expected to receive a commitment from four-star OL Olaus Alinen on Friday. Five-star offensive Samson Okunlola who has not set a commitment date is also trending to the Miami football program

Mauigoa is the foundation of what can be a historic offensive line group signed by the Miami football program in the Class of 2023. Mario Cristobal stated in his December introductory press conference that he and his staff would emphasize the line of scrimmage in recruiting. Seven months later he has lived up to that promise.

Miami signed six linemen in the class of 2022. The Hurricanes added an additional eight linemen on both sides of the line of scrimmage as transfers during the 2022 offseason. Mauigoa has the potential to be the starting LT for Miami in 2023 replacing Zion Nelson who is expected to enter the NFL Draft.

"2. OT Francis Mauigoa – Miami“Francis Mauigoa vaults up to the No. 2 spot…after turning in a strong round of 1-on-1’s in the afternoon session. Mauigoa locked horns with the top two edge rushers on hand: Oklahoma commit Adepoju Adebawore and LSU pledge Dashawn Womack.The rep with Adebawore could be ruled as a stalemate, but Mauigoa showed the ability to recover after getting beat off the line. He followed that up with a very strong rep against Womack, quickly getting into his pass set and stoning the LSU commit at the point of attack.Mauigoa was far and away the top offensive line prospect at Future 50. He was the top athlete and most nimble mover in a group of big 300-plus pounders – by a considerable margin.Mauigoa’s combination of movement skills and play strength at 6-foot-5, 325 pounds makes him one of the top offensive linemen and overall prospects in the 2023 cycle.”"

In addition to the above analysis from Charles Power of On3, his colleague Sam Spiegelman called Mauigoa a prototype OL. Ryan Wright of Rivals expanded on the comments from Power and Spiegelman. One of the consensus observations on Mauigoa is the assertiveness that he plays with versus opponents.

"(Rivals) Top Performer: Francis Mauigoa, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG AcademyOne thing you have to love about Mauigoa, he is not afraid to compete. From the 2021 season with IMG into the offseason, Mauigoa has continued to impress regardless of the camp. As Mauigoa continues to transform his body, he is also evolving with his skills getting college ready. In the Big Man finals, Mauigoa shutdown"

Despite his 6’5, 327-pound stature Mauigoa has repeatedly been praised for his athleticism. Cooper Petagna of 247 Sports wrote an extensive analysis of Mauigoa. The consensus analysis on Mauigoa is that he will be ready to contribute as a true freshman for the Miami football program during the 2023 season.

"“Francis Mauigoa OT (Miami commit) – Although we’ve become accustomed to an impressive standard of performances from Mauigoa in live settings, the Miami commit looks every bit of day one ready at the collegiate level as he prepares for his senior season at IMG Academy.With a beautiful frame at 6-foot-5 and 330-pounds plus, Mauigoa not only possesses the size to compete early at the next level but he has continued to make significant strides in pass protection since his transfer to IMG Academy last season.The Top247 standout will only continue to improve his all around game as he sees more live reps but certainly doesn’t seem that far off as he’s more than held his own against some of the best competition in Bradenton.”"

Mauigoa and Okunlola could become the bookend Miami tackles of the future. Miami will likely have to replace Nelson and projected right tackle D.J. Scaife is in his final year of eligibility in 2022. With Cristobal as a former OL coach, Miami should improve significantly there as long as he is the head coach.