The future of the Miami Hurricanes offensive line might've taken a hit by losing out on 5-star tackle Mark Matthews, but immediate help could be on the way if Max Buchanan's recovery continues on its current trend.
Mario Cristobal offered an optimistic update on Buchanan, who started at right guard for the first five games for the Hurricanes before suffering an injury against Clemson. He had surgery on his left knee in the following days and has been out since.
Knee surgery is a pretty serious thing, especially for a trench warrior, so the expectation would be that the sophomore would miss an extended time, but Cristobal said that Buchanan could return this season.
Mario Cristobal said Zechariah Poyser is fine after leaving the Notre Dame game late.
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) November 9, 2026
Also said Max Buchanan could potentially return for the regular-season finale vs Boston College and beyond "if we earn the right beyond that."
"I would say he has a chance at returning more towards the last game of the year, and if we earn the right to go beyond that, then possibly... but that's the timeline for him," Cristobal said in his Monday media conference.
Miami’s OL would be significantly better with the return of Max Buchanan
Buchanan was solid at guard in his five games with a 72.4 run-blocking grade, and the Hurricanes were a much better run-blocking team with him on the field. The 43.8 pass-blocking grade from PFF is very concerning, but if Miami is going to make some noise in the postseason, they will have to get back to effectively running the ball.
The Miami offensive line got a trial by fire in Week 10 against Notre Dame, with the Irish sending pressure and blitzes that kept the unit off guard and made Darian Mensah's life miserable. Cristobal is never one to rip a player, and still found a way to give the group credit for hanging tough despite everything Notre Dame threw at them.
Darian Mensah and Miami found some answers, but it's so much easier to blitz this offense without Malachi Toney. Heck of an effort by Mensah, but it's so much tougher without an easy button. pic.twitter.com/3tC0QKUMjT
— Josh Yourish (@JYourish3) November 8, 2026
"For us, when you're down 24-3 and you have to pass the ball about 50 times, a lot of it in dropback, you'll be ready for some moments that aren't real pretty. But they played tough, and they played really, really hard," he added.
With Buchanan out, it looks like Miami will stick with the same starting five up front after the unit of Samson Okunlola, Ben Congdon, Ryan Rodriguez, SJ Alofaituli, and Matthew McCoy played all 76 offensive snaps against Notre Dame. For the fans that are still clamoring for former 5-star recruit Jackson Cantwell to enter the lineup, Cristobal's answer suggests that no changes will be made.
"[Cantwell] is progressing. He's going to be a really, really good football player."
Without any expected changes on the offensive line in the next couple of weeks, the big X-factor for the group is going to be confidence. The confidence they have in themselves and the confidence Mensah has in their ability to keep him upright. With Manny Diaz expected to throw a lot of chaos against the Miami offense this week, it's going to be a challenge, and there's no Malachi Toney to erase many of the mistakes.
But help could be on the way, and if Max Buchanan returns by the end of the month, or even before the ACC Championship Game, Miami will be back to full strength up front.
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