Miami starting right guard Max Buchanan is headed for surgery on Wednesday, an absence that figures to stretch well past the bye week. The sophomore posted from a hospital bed, writing, "Y'all hold out down. It'll be back."
Y’all hold out down. It’ll be back pic.twitter.com/RX8wY052PZ
— Max Buchanan (@MaxBuchana2025) October 7, 2026
Buchanan actually left the Clemson game with the injury, but he then returned to finish the game. The feeling around his situation was positive because of the return to play. Head coach Mario Cristobal had said Monday that he would not have fresh injury updates until later in the week. That is most likely when we'll get full confirmation that this is season-ending for Buchanan.
Buchanan's injury and his performance against Clemson
Buchanan went down with 11:22 left in the first half at Memorial Stadium, and trainers were checking out his left knee. He needed help to leave the field, made it back to the sideline, and later returned, though Cristobal said afterward that he and right tackle Matt McCoy were not at full strength.
Cristobal praised both linemen for going back in. He said McCoy "displayed a toughness that I have never seen" while playing through a shoulder injury, and he said McCoy and Buchanan overall were "off the charts." Buchanan checking into surgery four days later hopefully doesn't mean that McCoy is also going to miss an extended period of time.
"They really wanted this game," Cristobal said of McCoy and Buchanan. Cristobal usually keeps the injury news very private, and for good reason. The heart that Buchanan showed to finish the game against Clemson was unbelievable.
Buchanan, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore from Seminole High in Sanford, Fla., had locked down the starting right guard job this season after appearing in five games as a true freshman in 2025. He chose Miami over Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Ole Miss and Penn State, among others.
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