Expert Phil Steele Praises Three Miami Hurricanes Position Groups

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has done a great job of adding talent and depth across the Hurricanes roster, and it's being noticed by a longtime college football expert.

According to Phil Steele, the Hurricanes feature three position groups that rank inside the top 15 in the country.

Steele ranks Miami's quarterback (No. 9), offensive line (No. 6), and defensive line (No. 11) position groups inside the top 15 nationally. That line of scrimmage notoriety underscores Cristobal's emphasis on building depth across both lines.

The 'Canes return four starters on the O-Line: left tackle Markel Bell, left guard Matthew McCoy, right guard Anez Cooper and right tackle Francis Mauigoa. Transfer James Brockermeyer will be the center after arriving from TCU. There is legit NFL talent on this unit.

On the D-Line, Rueben Bain will be looking to put his injury-plagued 2024 behind him. UM also returns Akheem Mesidor at defensive end and hope former high-star recruits Armondo Blount and Marquise Lightfoot break out. At tackle, Louisiana Tech transfer David Blay will step in along with the returning Ahmad Moten, while Justin Scott will have a bigger role.

Of course, at quarterback, Carson Beck arrived after leading Georgia to a 24-3 record as a starter over the last two years. He threw for 7,426 yards and 52 touchdowns against 18 interceptions during that time. Beck is working his way back from offseason surgery (UCL), but his recovery is on track.

One could argue Steele left out UM's secondary in his rankings, as Cristobal and Co. worked the transfer portal hard. Nonetheless, this is a very talented roster overall.

The Hurricanes open up the 2025 college football season at home versus Notre Dame.

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