If you look up and down Miami’s roster, offensive line is probably the position furthest away from having elite talent and elite depth. Although these last two recruiting classes have helped improve the overall talent level, that talent is not yet developed enough. Offensive line may be the hardest position to come in and play as a freshman. Both the mental aspect and the physical aspect are so different in college than they are in high school. For this reason, it is rare to see an underclassman get significant playing time on the offensive line. Once the young talent we have become juniors and seniors, we will really start to roll. With that overview out of the way, let's dive into the offensive line superlatives.
Most Valuable- Tyree St Louis
Tyree St Louis moved to left tackle this spring as a replacement for K.C. McDermott. While the offensive line really struggled during the spring, one area of stability was St Louis at left tackle. During the spring game, the 6’5’’ 315 pound lineman stood up about as well as you can against a freak of nature like Joe Jackson. St Louis has the task of protecting the blind spot as well as creating running room for Homer and Dallas. While he has a lot on his plate, St. Louis is by far the most prepared for the job. If St Louis were to go down, the entire offense would be in trouble. Right now, Coach Searles and Coach Richt do not have a good option to put in were St Louis to get injured. For these reasons, St. Louis is an easy choice for most valuable.
Most To Prove- Navaughn Donaldson
You cannot argue that Navaughn Donaldson, who stands at 6’6’’ 340 pounds, is not a freak athlete. Donaldson had a very solid freshman year at right guard in 2018. As I stated above, it is very difficult to come in and get significant playing time as a true freshman on the offensive line. This makes Donaldson starting from day 1 at right guard so impressive. With that being said, right tackle is a completely different animal. Last year at right guard, Donaldson could win his matchups with his strength alone. It also did not hurt that he had Tyler Gauthier right next to him simplifying the protection for him. This season, Donaldson will be out on his own going one on one with some of the best pass rushers in college football. Luckily, Donaldson will face great competition on Greentree going against John Garvin and Greg Rousseau. If Donaldson has the feet to stop the speed rush against those two in practice, almost everyone he goes against during the season will be a step down. Donaldson must prove he can counter the speed rush. If he does, the offensive line becomes much less of a liability.
Most Upside- Delone Scaife
Navaughn Donaldson could also have been chosen for most upside, but since I just talked about him, I’ll use this time to talk about one of my favorite players from the 2018 class, Delone Scaife. The former South Dade left tackle is not as big Donaldson, but has decent size at 6’3’’ 300 pounds. Scaife has long arms for his height. If you mix that with his strength, Scaife projects to be a very good offensive guard or maybe even center. While Scaife moves well enough to possibly play tackle, I do not think he is big enough to play on the outside. During the camp circuit last year, very few people were able to physically beat Scaife. If Scaife develops the way that he should in the weight room and on the field, Miami could have a future three year starter on their hands.
Most Valuable- Tyree St Louis
Tyree St Louis moved to left tackle this spring as a replacement for K.C. McDermott. While the offensive line really struggled during the spring, one area of stability was St Louis at left tackle. During the spring game, the 6’5’’ 315 pound lineman stood up about as well as you can against a freak of nature like Joe Jackson. St Louis has the task of protecting the blind spot as well as creating running room for Homer and Dallas. While he has a lot on his plate, St. Louis is by far the most prepared for the job. If St Louis were to go down, the entire offense would be in trouble. Right now, Coach Searles and Coach Richt do not have a good option to put in were St Louis to get injured. For these reasons, St. Louis is an easy choice for most valuable.
Most To Prove- Navaughn Donaldson
You cannot argue that Navaughn Donaldson, who stands at 6’6’’ 340 pounds, is not a freak athlete. Donaldson had a very solid freshman year at right guard in 2018. As I stated above, it is very difficult to come in and get significant playing time as a true freshman on the offensive line. This makes Donaldson starting from day 1 at right guard so impressive. With that being said, right tackle is a completely different animal. Last year at right guard, Donaldson could win his matchups with his strength alone. It also did not hurt that he had Tyler Gauthier right next to him simplifying the protection for him. This season, Donaldson will be out on his own going one on one with some of the best pass rushers in college football. Luckily, Donaldson will face great competition on Greentree going against John Garvin and Greg Rousseau. If Donaldson has the feet to stop the speed rush against those two in practice, almost everyone he goes against during the season will be a step down. Donaldson must prove he can counter the speed rush. If he does, the offensive line becomes much less of a liability.
Most Upside- Delone Scaife
Navaughn Donaldson could also have been chosen for most upside, but since I just talked about him, I’ll use this time to talk about one of my favorite players from the 2018 class, Delone Scaife. The former South Dade left tackle is not as big Donaldson, but has decent size at 6’3’’ 300 pounds. Scaife has long arms for his height. If you mix that with his strength, Scaife projects to be a very good offensive guard or maybe even center. While Scaife moves well enough to possibly play tackle, I do not think he is big enough to play on the outside. During the camp circuit last year, very few people were able to physically beat Scaife. If Scaife develops the way that he should in the weight room and on the field, Miami could have a future three year starter on their hands.
