Miami Football: Ranking the top five offensive linemen going into spring

Miami spring football is about a month away. The Hurricanes have added plenty of players to their roster and have lost several via the transfer portal.

Miami has officially lost 14 players to transfer and added 10 players to the roster.

There will be plenty of position battles to analyze down the line, but here are the top five players on the offensive line.

This is the third of a series in which CanesCounty.com will rank Miami’s best players going into spring football.

Related Links:

Ranking the top five Miami players on defense going into spring

Ranking the top five Miami players on offense going into spring

Matthew McCoy will likely get the fifth offensive line spot, playing 109 snaps on the offensive line last season.

The 6’6″ 290-pounder has the potential to be a great lineman as he scored highs of 81 in pass block against Georgia Tech and 84.5 in pass block against Bethune, according to Pro Football Focus.

He also, however, recorded lows of 36.1 in offensive grade against Miami (OH), 44.7 run-blocking grade against Clemson, and a 45.8 pass-block grade against Rutgers.

Ryan Rodriguez (115), Luis Cristobal (66), Logan Sagapolu (29), and Samson Okunlola (29) were the only other offensive linemen to play significant snaps last season.

Zach Carpenter, the transfer from Indiana, should be a plug-and-play guy at the center for Miami. Center Matt Lee‘s departure for the 2024 NFL Draft left a void in leadership and experience, so the Miami staff felt compelled to add a veteran to the position.

The 6’5″ 295-pounder had a 70-pass blocking grade or higher against seven of twelve 2023 opponents, allowing just eight pressures and five hurries. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection this season, playing 804 total snaps, allowing a 2.3-percent pressure rate, which was suitable for third-best in the conference.

Anez Cooper keeps getting better with each year. The incoming junior excelled in pass blocking at right guard last season, scoring 80-plus grades in four games last season. Cooper only allowed one sack and eight hurries all of last season.

Where he can improve is in run blocking. According to PFF, “Coop” graded in the 40s twice and in the 50s five times. If he improves in that area he could be in the conference All-American conversation.