Proactivity is a solution. In the event that the Miami Hurricanes are unable to come up with St. Thomas Aquinas standout Mark Matthews in their 2027 recruiting class, Mario Cristobal and his staff have the perfect player to pivot to. That would be five-star book-end offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola out of St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City. He has 42 official offers, but Miami could land him.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Olubobola is the No. 1 player from New Jersey, the No. 3 offensive tackle in his class, and the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting cycle. While he does not have any particular leanings at this time or any scheduled visits coming up, Miami will have to battle the likes of Auburn, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon for his five-star upside.
With Matthews looking more and more likely bound for Texas A&M over places like Georgia, LSU, and Miami, Olubobola has become even more valuable on the recruiting trail. He might be in the same recruiting class as him, but again, he does not seem to be leaning anywhere just yet. While a Big Ten school probably makes the most sense for him geographically, the ACC does overlap with the league.
Let's now unpack why it is so important for Cristobal and his staff to have a contingency plan in place.
Oluwasemilore Olubobola can offset losing Mark Matthews to Texas A&M
Look. There is no way around it. Losing a player as talented as Matthews out of your own backyard could potentially be devastating in terms of overall recruitment. South Florida is dripping in talent, but Cristobal and his staff have to do a better job of protecting their turf from outside poachers. The fact that Matthews seems to be learning toward the big bag he will presumably get at Texas A&M is telling.
Right now, Miami still needs to try its best to potentially land Matthews. The Hurricanes have a better shot at getting him to commit than either Georgia and LSU, who feel like complete long shots at this point. In the event that Matthews leaves Fort Lauderdale for College Station, Olubobola could be the ideal contingency plan. We see teams do this for quarterbacks all the time, so what about big tackles?
Ultimately, Miami cannot afford to look weak and powerless with the position group Cristobal knows best. Prior to becoming a strong Power Four head coach, he cut his teeth coaching up offensive linemen and being a recruiting maven. This has helped him reinvigorate his beloved alma mater over the last few years. However, he cannot allow his program to wallow in sorrow if it misses on Matthews.
For Olubobola to be the Hurricanes' consolation prize, it just says that their standard is absurdly high.
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