I have no doubt that the Miami Hurricanes will figure out the offensive line issues. The season is young, and some growing pains were expected after losing four starters from last year. But Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal have a lot of work to do over the next several weeks.
Looking at the snaps from Week 3 against Wake Forest, the starting five of Samson Okunlola (LT), SJ Alofaituli (LG), Ryan Rodriguez (C), Max Buchanan (RG) and Matthew McCoy (RT) each played 70 of the 72 offensive snaps. That's good because it meant they were healthy the entire game, but that doesn't mean they were particularly consistent.
The guard play has been spotty and Alofaituli's struggles in particular have stood out on an offense that couldn't get anything done in the second half against Wake Forest.
SJ Alofaituli versus Wake Forest⬇️⬇️⬇️
— Rollo (@SportsRollo) September 21, 2026
58.6 PFF overall grade
22.8 PFF pass blocking grade
If this is the type of production we will get from him with an opponent with a pulse, I rather take lumps with Cantwell/Congdon and fast track their development and get some mass in that…
Cristobal mentioned the struggles of the guards against Wake Forest in his Monday press conference, but didn't seem to be hinting at making any changes.
"Guards had some positive moments and some growing pain moments. [Wake Forest has] a very experienced front. Some of the different blitz patterns and third down packages are pretty extensive. And on some plays, we did some really good things at guard, and other plays, like I mentioned, had some growing pains," he said.
It's time for Jackson Cantwell to get first-team OL reps
Alofaituli's not a natural guard. He's a center, and he projects to be a decent one for Miami at some point. I understand the thought process of putting him at guard because there are some similarities to the position, and if Alofaituli is on the starting line, he'll get familiar with some of the calls and line adjustments that Rodriguez is making. It all makes sense. But Alofaituli is not playing well.
Cantwell, the top-rated offensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class, played 34 snaps against Stanford, 26 snaps against Florida A&M and a grand total of two against Wake Forest. It would be easier to justify Cantwell's lack of playing time if Alofaituli was playing well, but he isn't. He's getting blown up out there and is completely exposed in pass protection.
I'm not saying Cantwell will be perfect. He's 18 years old, so he's going to make some mistakes. But he should get better with the live game reps and Cantwell's ceiling is much higher than Alofaituli. This move also lets Alofaituli go to second-team center full-time, where there is no depth behind Rodriguez.
Miami wants to run the ball better. The Hurricanes still can't line up with a hat on a hat and run the football, which is something that is the core operation of a Cristobal team. Cantwell would likely help the run game if nothing else, and Cristobal may have been calling the freshman out with this quote:
"You're giving guys the opportunity, and guys that have earned those opportunities. As long as guys are busting their butts, you have got to find ways to continue to find not only encouragement but positive wins in their routines and [daily work]," he said.
Sounds like a challenge for Cantwell to show more in practice, so Cristobal is forced to play him more. That would be the best thing for Cantwell and the best thing for the Hurricanes.
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