Ben Congdon's quiet emergence in training camp is a big deal for Miami's offensive line

At 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, it's hard for Ben Congdon not to stand out.

But the Miami Hurricanes freshman offensive lineman came into the same class as five-star recruit Jackson Cantwell, who has been getting all the press clippings and placed on every "top freshman" list since he arrived on campus.

But Congdon has quietly gone about his work, using the spring to get back in shape after the Ohio resident started enjoying those good Miami restaurants a little too much, and now the former four-star offensive tackle is in line to play some significant snaps in his first year.

Ben Congdon paired with Jackson Cantwell gives Hurricanes 2 freshmen worth starting

It's easy to understand why Cantwell is getting the fanfare because he was the top-ranked player at his position in the country and those guys always draw the attention. But Congdon was far from a throw-in as a recruit. He is a four-star prospect and top-200 overall player by the 247Sports Composite and the 19th-ranked offensive tackle in the Class of 2026. 

Congdon committed to Miami in March 2025 and had offers from top programs across the board, like Alabama, Penn State, Maryland, UCLA, Florida and many others. And he's a big athlete, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he could find a path on an offensive line that has to work with some new players. 

Senior offensive lineman Matthew McCoy told CanesInSight that both Congdon and Cantwell were doing all the things that freshmen need to do to get opportunities. 

“Ben and Jackson are doing a phenomenal job, and they’re coming up to me [with questions]. It’s not even like I’m getting them going – they’re asking me. They’re growing men about their business. They’re not freshmen at all," McCoy said.

Congdon has been getting a lot of work at left guard, challenging Cantwell to start there, but there are many alignments where both freshmen will be on the field together. I'm sure one of the first things that you're thinking about is how a 6-foot-8 lineman will fare at guard. Well, Congdon has a special skill that gives him the ability to play all across the line — he wrestled a lot in high school.

"Wrestling all these short kids that are like 5-foot-8, you need to get low. Wrestling has been tremendous to football," Congdon said.

Congdon starting out at guard is a big part of the Alex Mirabal plan. It's what he does with his top young linemen and with the success of Francis Mauigoa and this year's likely starting left tackle Samson Okunlola, the process is tried and true and it has been shown to build confidence in young players as they grow.

And it won't be long before Congdon and Cantwell are the strongest bricks on Miami's offensive line wall.

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