NCAA
HC Mario Cristobal Sets High Expectations for Miami ahead of the 2026 NFL.

HC Mario Cristobal Sets High Expectations for Miami ahead of the 2026 NFL.……
The 2024 Miami Hurricanes will be remembered for featuring one of the more explosive offenses college football has seen in recent memory. An aerial assault spotlighted by Davey O’Brien and Manning Award recipient, ACC Player of the Year, and consensus All-American quarterback Cam Ward resulted in a nation leading 41 touchdowns.
A punishing ground game that was tops in the ACC showcased one of the best running back trios in the country, who helped amass 2,456 yards and 30 touchdowns for the Hurricanes. The dynamic combination dialed up 43.9 points per game, which made for the number one scoring offense in America.
However, neither would have come about had it not been for the cohesiveness of a unit that Head Coach Mario Cristobal has been building since he returned to his alma mater in December 2021.
Returning starters in left tackle Markel Bell (Sr.), right guard Anez Cooper (Sr.), and right tackle Francis Mauigoa (Jr.) paved the way for an offense that also led the nation with a 537.2 yards per game average. Each will play a key role as Offensive Coordinator Shannon Dawson tries his best to maintain the momentum of last year’s record-setting offense.
They also make up three of the “four or five guys” Cristobal expects to be drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.
NCAA
HC Mario Cristobal Sets High Expectations for Miami ahead of the 2026 NFL.

HC Mario Cristobal Sets High Expectations for Miami ahead of the 2026 NFL.……
The 2024 Miami Hurricanes will be remembered for featuring one of the more explosive offenses college football has seen in recent memory. An aerial assault spotlighted by Davey O’Brien and Manning Award recipient, ACC Player of the Year, and consensus All-American quarterback Cam Ward resulted in a nation leading 41 touchdowns.
A punishing ground game that was tops in the ACC showcased one of the best running back trios in the country, who helped amass 2,456 yards and 30 touchdowns for the Hurricanes. The dynamic combination dialed up 43.9 points per game, which made for the number one scoring offense in America.
However, neither would have come about had it not been for the cohesiveness of a unit that Head Coach Mario Cristobal has been building since he returned to his alma mater in December 2021.
Returning starters in left tackle Markel Bell (Sr.), right guard Anez Cooper (Sr.), and right tackle Francis Mauigoa (Jr.) paved the way for an offense that also led the nation with a 537.2 yards per game average. Each will play a key role as Offensive Coordinator Shannon Dawson tries his best to maintain the momentum of last year’s record-setting offense.
They also make up three of the “four or five guys” Cristobal expects to be drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Bell hails from the JUCO ranks and possesses a towering 6-foot-9 frame. He appeared in 12 games last season, making significant strides in each of his five starts while protecting Cam Ward’s blind side before 2025 NFL draft hopeful Jalen Rivers returned from an injury he suffered versus the Gators.
Two-time All-ACC Honorable Mention right guard Anez Cooper is primed to have the best season of his career. He is coming off of consecutive seasons where he started 13 games and makes for a dominating run-blocking duo with Francis Mauigoa paired next to him.
The gem of the Hurricanes’ offensive line is junior right tackle, Francis Mauigoa. Once a highly sought-after, five-star recruit, Mauigoa has started every game of his collegiate career. Earning second-team All-ACC honors in 2024, Mauigoa excels as a run-blocker but has continued to progress as a pass-blocking tackle throughout his time as a Cane.
Drawing comparisons to Mario Cristobal product Penei Sewell due to his size, strength, and Polynesian heritage, Mauigoa will enter next season as one of college football’s premier offensive tackles.
Former Alabama and TCU center James Brockermeyer will lean on the veterans for support as he transitions into his starting role for his final year of eligibility this season. Bell is entering his second season in Dawson’s system, while Cooper and Mauigoa are entering their third; it will be vital for Brockermeyer to learn from their experiences in the offense if he hopes to successfully call out protections.
A 2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention center, Brockermeyer joined the Hurricanes in January and was one of the top-rated interior linemen in the transfer portal after yielding just one sack and a mere five quarterback hurries in 477 pass-blocking opportunities. The former four-star prospect from the 2021 cycle earned an 80.2 pass-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus for the Horned Frogs in 2024.
The starting left guard spot has yet to be announced and figures to be a battle throughout fall camp. Last year, Ryan Rodriguez beat out Matthew McCoy and started the first game of the season at Florida before sustaining a season-ending injury, which allowed McCoy to take over for the remainder of the season.
Miami’s projected starters in senior Bell, McCoy, Brockermeyer, Cooper, and Mauigoa saw a total of 3,808 snaps in 2024. That experience, coupled with Miami O-line Coach Alex Mirabal cross-training his linemen to play each position on the line, makes them much more appealing to NFL scouts. This is especially true for Mauigoa who some project as a guard at the next level.
The elite coaching tandem of Cristobal and Mirabal is well-known across college football. Shortly after Willie Taggart’s departure from Oregon in December 2017, Cristobal was promoted to head coach, and Mirabal joined the staff in 2018. Since then, they have earned a reputation for developing offensive linemen into draft-worthy prospects and quality NFL players.
Former Rimington Award winner Jackson Powers-Johnson, first-team All Pac-12 selection Steven Jones (2023), second-team All-Americans T.J. Bass (2022) and Alex Forsyth (2022), Outland Trophy Winner Penei Sewell (2019), two-time second-team All Pac-12 selection Jake Hanson, second-team All-American Calvin Throckmorton (2018), Malaesala Aumavae-Laula, and Shane Lemieux are all on NFL rosters.
Cristobal and his trusted O-line coach are entering year four in Coral Gables and expectations are as high as ever following a 10-win season.
With their history of pumping linemen into the league combined with proven talent and quality depth up front at their disposal, Cristobal’s vision of potentially seeing four starters to five linemen in all drafted in 2026 is not a pipe dream by any means.