Miami Hurricanes in the race for 4-star offensive tackle out of Georgia

The Miami Hurricanes are in the running for one of the biggest bodies in the 2027 class. Four-star offensive tackle Joshua Sam-Epelle of Douglas County High School in Douglasville, Georgia, has trimmed his recruitment to 10 schools, and the Hurricanes made the cut.

Sam-Epelle announced through Rivals' Hayes Fawcett that he is down to Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

4-star offensive tackle Joshua Sam-Epelle

The Rivals Industry Ranking has Sam-Epelle as the No. 48 overall prospect and No. 8 offensive tackle in the 2027 cycle, as well as the No. 6 junior in Georgia. 247Sports lists Sam-Epelle as the No. 30 player in the country, the No. 5 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 3 prospect in Georgia. The 247Sports Composite slots him as the No. 69 overall recruit and No. 8 tackle.

Sam-Epelle has rare length at close to 6-9, a massive frame that has been listed anywhere between 305 and 340 pounds, and surprising movement skills for his size.

Earlier this month, Sam-Epelle took a game-day visit to Coral Gables for Miami's 38–10 win over Syracuse. The Hurricanes remain in the race because they offer a clear path of development under offensive line coach Alex Mirabal.

Miami's 2026 offensive line commits

Miami currently has six OL commits in the Class of 2026, with multiple lineman being blue-chippers. Jackson Cantwell leads the bunch as he is the highest rated player in the Class of 2026 for Miami. Ben Congdon and Joel Ervin round out the top three, with both being 4-stars.

• Jackson Cantwell – OT – 98.61 (5-star)
• Ben Congdon – OT – 91.79 (4-star)
• Joel Ervin – OT – 90.46 (4-star)
• Canon Pickett – IOL – 87.07 (3-star)
• Rhys Woodrow – IOL – 86.77 (3-star)
• JJ Sparks – IOL – 86.77 (3-star)