Mario Cristobal has delivered on his promise to bring 5-star talent to Miami

The five-star recruits just want to play for Mario Cristobal. How else can you explain that the Miami Hurricanes have signed at least nine five-star prospects, including the 2027 class, since arriving in Coral Gables less than five years ago?

We've talked extensively about the current recruiting class and the four players in that group that have reached five-star status, but Cristobal has signed at least one five-star recruit in each of his previous four classes. Using the 247Sports Composite, here's a look at the other five-start prospects that Cristobal has brought to Miami. 

READ MORE: 247Sports updated rankings confirm the 5-star empire that Mario Cristobal is building

Francis Mauigoa, 2023 (No. 6 overall, No. 2 offensive tackle)

There's no question about who's the best five-star prospect that's played under Cristobal. The list of accolades for Mauigoa is impressive. He was a freshman All-American in 2023, two-time All-ACC performer in 2024 and 2025, consensus All-American in 2025 and winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy. This deep resume not only helped Mauigoa become a first-round pick (No. 10 overall) for the New York Giants in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it also solidified Cristobal's reputation for developing offensive linemen. 

Samson Okunlola, 2023 (No. 20 overall, No. 4 offensive tackle)

Whereas Mauigoa came out of the gate strong and never looked back, Okunlola has developed a little slower after being forced to redshirt in 2023 with a knee injury. That being said, he excelled as the swing offensive lineman last season, playing left guard and making his first career start in the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. Okunlola is going to be the starting left guard this season, and he'll be expected to produce at a high level.

Justin Scott, 2024 (No. 11 overall, No. 3 defensive lineman)

Scott was a part-time starter on the interior last season, recording 26 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 16 games (nine starts). Now, the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder from Chicago is going to slide in as a full-time starter on the interior. Much like everyone else on the Hurricanes, the expectations for Scott are high. There's a belief that Scott will bring back memories of the great Miami Hurricane defensive linemen of the past. That's a tall task, but one that Scott has the ability to achieve. 

Hayden Lowe, 2025 (No. 16 overall, No. 2 EDGE)

Lowe is a big question mark because he missed all of last season with an undisclosed injury that Cristobal said was more serious than originally thought. The blue-chip pass rusher from Los Angeles flipped to the Hurricanes from USC a month before the Early Signing Period in 2024. Lowe was away for part of spring camp as Cristobal told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he was dealing with some personal issues. The good news is Lowe has since returned and looks to be training hard. Let's see if Lowe can make some noise in training camp. 

Jackson Cantwell, 2026 (No. 6 overall, No. 2 offensive tackle)

In the mold of Mauigoa, Cantwell is already penciled in as the starter at one of the tackle positions as a true freshman. He's been on campus since December and immediately got thrown into the lion's den by jumping on the practice squad working against Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. Everyone around Greentree is excited about Cantwell and the way that Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal speak about the 6-foot-7, 300-pounder from Nixa, Missouri tells me that he has already made a believer out of them. 

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