Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson will have a huge rebuilding job on his hands after losing quarterback Carson Beck to the NFL Draft process and replacing him with former Duke star Darian Mensah. Dawson will also have to rebuild Miami’s offensive line, which lost a significant amount of talent and experience to the draft process.
Shannon Dawson Addresses Miami’s Offensive Line Concerns
One of Dawson’s biggest challenges is rebuilding the Hurricanes’ offensive line, which lost four of its starters to the NFL Draft process, including Francis Mauigoa, Anez Cooper, James Brockermeyer, and Markel Bell.
While speaking to reporters after spring practice on Thursday, Dawson revealed his trust in offensive line coach Alex Mirabal’s ability to rebuild Miami’s O-line ahead of next season.
“Unfortunately, you can’t play for people forever,” Dawson said. “We’re replacing some talented guys in that room. The people we’re lining up with are really talented too. Non-padded practices are hard to evaluate up front. What I’ve seen so far, we are going to have some guys that you haven’t talked about a lot that are going to shine up there.
“We are excited about the new blood up front. This is their time to compete. We are going to move people around. I trust [offensive line coach Alex] Mirabal with my life to develop an o-line.”
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Last season, the Hurricanes’ dominant O-line earned a PFSN’s CFB OL Impact Metrics score of 86.6, good for No. 41 in the country.
Mario Cristobal Shares Excitement for Miami’s 2026 Offensive Line
During an appearance on the “Through the Smoke” podcast last month, Miami coach Mario Cristobal revealed his excitement at the Hurricanes’ new offensive line.
“Well, they got the benefit of watching some veterans play together for a good bit, and they understand the importance of five guys always working as one,” Cristobal said.
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“So you have three staples: veterans that have a lot of experience coming back, and the young talent that has been developing, or they just got here, big, fast, strong, physical, very, very smart. And I think you guys know the culture that Coach Mirabal creates in that room is unmatched. It’s second to none, just over time and time and time.”
The most experienced returners in Miami’s offensive line are center Ryan Rodriguez and left guards Matthew McCoy and Samson Okunlola, who played several snaps last season. In addition, Cristobal added Johnathan Cline and Jamal Meriweather via the transfer portal to add depth to the OL room.
