3 Miami football players named true freshmen All-Americans

Edge rusher Rueben Bain, punter Dylan Joyce and right tackle Francis Mauigoa represented the Miami football program on “The 247Sports True Freshman All-American Team: College football’s best first-year players in 2023.” Bain was named the ACC Rookie Defensive Player of the Year last month,

Bain had a breakout freshman season with 37 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup. After season-ending injuries to starting edge rushers Nyjalik Kelly and Akheem Mesidor, Bain started the final 10 games of the season. Entering the offseason, Bain will be a contender as a 2024 All-American.

Mauigoa lived up to his hype as a five-star signee in the 2023 class. Mauigoa has started all 12 games at right tackle on a vastly improved offensive line. Per David Lake of Inside the U, Mauigoa was the 19th highest-graded Miami player in 2023 by Pro Football Focus. Mauigoa improved throughout the season.

Joyce had the huge task of replacing immensely popular All-American Lou Hedley. The ACC named Joyce honorable mention All-Conference. Joyce averaged 43.5 yards per punt and had 37.5 percent inside the 20. Chris Hummer wrote summaries for each of the 2023 247 Sports True Freshmen All-Americans.

"Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami247Sports Rank: No. 2 OT (No. 6 overall)A plug-and-play starter for the Hurricanes, Mauigoa held up about as well as you could ever expect a true freshman offensive tackle in the Power Five. PFF graded Mauigoa at a 68.2 overall, which led all true freshman offensive linemen. Mauigoa never gave up multiple sacks in a game and also was a plus run blocker all season.He’s probably on the three-and-out track in Coral Gables.Rueben Bain, DL, Miami247Sports Rank: No. 10 EDGE (No. 71 overall)If you were making a short list for True Freshman of the Year, Bain would have to be on it. He dominated in Year 1. Bain posted 37 tackles, 9 1/2 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles. Bain led all true freshmen with 42 total pressures and…had eight tackles, two sacks and eight pressures against Clemson.Dylan Joyce, P, Miami247Sports Rank: N/AJoyce had a great first season coming over from Australia. He finished 30th nationally in net punting and only had 25% of his punts returned. He also did not have a touchback this season, helping to down 17 of his 40 punts within the 20-yard-line."

Miami and Virginia were the only teams in the country to have freshmen All-Americans. Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea and linebacker Kam Robinson were also named to the 247 Sports True Freshmen All-American team. The Miami football team defeated Virginia 29-26 in overtime on October 28.

The ACC had 10 True Freshmen All-Americans. Despite Florida State getting snubbed from the College Football Playoff with a 13-0 record, the ACC has a good foundation for the future. Bain and Mauigoa project as two of the best players in the ACC before likely leaving for the NFL after the 2025 season.

The Miami football team has another outstanding class in 2024. The 2024 true freshmen should also have impactful seasons for the Hurricanes. Players to watch are defensive tackle Justin Scott, edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot and wide receiver Joshisa Trader. Mario Cristobal has made a huge impact on Miami signing top players.